Oh,
September…why are you flying by so quickly? September was supposed to be
different. Unlike August, I was going to be on top of things and post here
regularly. Really, I was. But instead, September has been insanely busy and
downright uncooperative. My requests for its days to slow down have apparently
fallen on deaf ears.
The good
news is that although the month is half over, it has been a fantastic couple of
weeks, leaving me feeling that good kind of exhausted at the end of the day.
And since no real post is coming to my tired brain, I’m just going to tell you
a little story about me. It’s always fun to hear about someone’s craziness
eccentricities, right?
I have a
slightly irrational fear (okay, maybe more than slightly) that I am going to
wash, dry, dishwash or cook our kittens. For instance, when doing laundry, I
put all the clothes in the washer or dryer, see that there are in fact no
kittens inside, start the cycle, and then run around the house counting cats
until I have accounted for all three and am completely satisfied that there
could not possibly be any animals on spin cycle. Andy pointed out to me the
other day that it is a little bit odd that I start the machine and then go looking,
but I don’t think that we should start getting technical about things at this
point. Likewise, we usually start the dishwasher when we go to bed and I can’t
tell you how many times I have gotten back out of bed for a head count to make
sure the kittens are not being rinsed amongst the plates and glasses. Silly?
NO! Okay…yes, I know it’s silly. BUT, these kittens are crazy and like to be
places they shouldn’t be. So far, none of them have shown interest in hopping
into a hot oven, but better safe than sorry, I say. In the meantime, Andy will
just have to deal with me yelling upstairs to him, “QUICK! HOW MANY KITTENS DO
YOU SEE???”
In other
news, I have realized a love for quinoa (I know I am considerably late to this
trend) and made this salad…
Quinoa
salad with honey-mint vinaigrette
Serves 4
1 cup
quinoa
2 cups
low-sodium chicken broth
1 can white
beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup
halved or quartered cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup
thinly sliced red onion
1 1/2
tablespoons thinly sliced serrano peppers
1/4 cup
chopped basil, loosely packed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup olive oil
2
tablespoons white wine vinegar
1
tablespoon honey
1 1/2
tablespoons chopped mint
salt
pepper
Rinse
quinoa in cold water and drain. Put quinoa in a saucepan with chicken broth.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer for about 15 minutes
until broth is completely absorbed and quinoa is tender. Fluff with a fork and
reserve in pot to cool slightly.
In a large
bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, red onion, serrano peppers and quinoa.
In a small
bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, honey and mint. Season with salt and
pepper to taste. Pour dressing over quinoa mixture and stir to combine. Stir in
basil just before serving.
Serve room
temperature or cold.
This is
such an easy dish to make, but it’s full of big flavors and herbs and
spiciness. As summer is winding down, the mixture of bright produce with hearty
beans and quinoa is perfect.
