Quinoa

I could not figure out how to rinse the quinoa since it is so small. What a pain in the neck. I cooked it up and then sauteed a green pepper, half a white onion and some garlic. I added some sofrito, fresh pepper and a little tomato sauce. I tossed in the quinoa and it was very good.
I went back to the cardiologist. I had a major rash from the dye they used to perform the angioplasty and I'm not even allergic to shellfish. I am allergic to a lot of metals like silver and nickle. Who knows if that had anything to do with it. So my heart is good but my nerves are not so great.

Endive and avacado bean and corn salad

This is the first time I used endive at home. The original recipe was just an endive and avocado salad with a dressing. However, I wanted beans and corn so I added them in and used cumin along with the lemon and extra virgin olive oil dressing. The avocado looks so nice in my Havana collection dish from Tabletops Unlimited. I bought a few pieces on clearance at Macy's Herald Square. What a great store.

I'm going to the cardiologist this week. I have been having heart palpitations and my EKG was off. I had to wear a heart monitor for 24 hours. Plus when I went for a dental cleaning they found a loose filling. Always something.

Blueberry Muffins

What would I do with out Pamela's Products? I had blueberry/walnut pancakes for breakfast. I had a large container of blueberries that only cost $1.99 so I made blueberry/walnut muffins to use up the blueberries. Since I had to clear out the oven I'll make chocolate chip/walnut cookies with Pamela's Mix as well before I put all those pots and pans back in there. The down side to apartment living is a small kitchen. When you like to cook you really appreciate a large kitchen. I especially bemoan the lack of counter space. It can make cooking very difficult.

Waste Not, Want Not

Fortunately, I was still in the mood for bean salad. This time I used black beans and did not have any avocado because the ones in Key Food were not ripe enough. I can usually pick a good one, but once in a while they are not as ripe as I hoped for. This is going to be my back to work salad (I so do not want to even say those words yet) with the dressing on the side. Since the cilantro was only 99 cents I certainly can't complain.

OOPS!

I made this salad again and as I was carrying a bowl of it to my son I dropped it. To add insult to injury, I had just mopped the floor. Fortunately, I am the kind of person who can laugh about things like this (after I curse, which I shouldn't). At least it wasn't the whole big bowl that fell. And I did get to take a picture. I remembered to use the setting for food, it does make the colors more vibrant. Now I have to decide what to make next with the cilantro.

Trader Joes

I went to Trader Joes looking to buy Corn Maiden brand gluten free tamales. I didn't find them but I did come home with gluten free waffles. These are very good. They don't have a funny aftertaste like the Van's blueberry ones seem to. These are plain but very tasty. I went to Trader Joes on a Monday morning and it was not crowded but it is a very busy place usually.

enchiladas

I finally made enchiladas. As usual I put a lot of onion and garlic. I added zucchini and black beans. The recipe called for mozzarella cheese which was annoying to grate. I had a nice avocado with it. But the best part was the plum tomato garnish with fresh cilantro, extra virgin olive oil, fresh lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. I'm not a fan of tomatoes but I definitely enjoyed it prepared this way. And I have left overs for tomorrow.

Enjoy Life?

I ordered Enjoy Life brand cinnamon raisin gluten free bagels on line from Gluten Free Mall but I don't think I'll be ordering them again. I wasn't crazy about them. They do have 300mg omega-3s per serving. I guess that is good and they are free of sulfites and casein. However, I didn't care for the taste and where were the raisins? They are kind of dense, so it is hard to butter them and they are small. That being said, they weren't too bad with my fried egg and breakfast sausage.

zucchini and black bean tacos

Well, I guess I'd better leave my camera in the kitchen if I want to remember to take photos of food. I used soft corn tortillas to make these and I had to go to a Mexican bodega in Coney Island to purchase them because the ones in Met Food had wheat in them. So WHY are they called corn tacos? (a la Jerry Seinfeld) The recipe also called for corn but I only wanted to make enough for today so I left out the corn. I used plenty of onion and garlic and a fresh plum tomato along with the salsa and monterey jack cheese and fresh cilantro. My cilantro looks so pretty in my herb keeper and smells wonderful. Tomorrow is enchiladas, I'd better go put the camera in the kitchen now.

Cool Southwestern Salad

This recipe is from the July/August issue of Health Magazine. I did not use fresh corn, I opened up a can. However, otherwise I followed the recipe. Romaine lettuce, canned pinto beans, corn, avocado and fresh cilantro. I'm finally using my herb keeper. The dressing is extra virgin olive oil, fresh lime juice, salt, pepper and cumin whisked together. I forgot the cumin but it was still really good. I served it with tortilla chips. Again, I forgot to take a picture. Maybe I'll remember for tomorrow's recipe.

Summer Squash

I made summer squash ribbons with oregano,basil and lemon served over flat GF pasta. I used dried herbs because they did not have fresh oregano at the market I went to. It was very good. I don't remember which magazine I got the recipe from.
I still had a headache today. Even though I am eating healthy for the most part, I still eat dairy and sugar. Those two will be hard to give up, everything else was easy. I am not giving up my decaf macchiato, that's for sure. I did not have any meat today, and I rarely do.

Tension

Well, I got a second opinion and the neurologist said that I mainly have tension headaches. I'm sure he is right. I'm still being careful about what I eat and I'm exercising but I think I need a real vacation. Hopefully, it will finally stop raining in New York and I will be able to sit on the beach under my umbrella and read a few good books. Just what the doctor ordered.