Grape and Quinoa Salad

This recipe comes from a cookbook called "Home Cooking the Costco Way".  It's a yearly publication from the warehouse store Costco.  They gather recipes from the companies that sell food at their store and give it away on Thanksgiving weekend.

I've been wanting to try quinoa for a while.  I have some health-conscious friends who swear by this healthy grain.  When I found this recipe, I thought I'd give it a try.

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked quinoa, cooled
1 1/2 cups red and green seedless grapes, cut into quarters
1/2 cup dry-roasted hazelnuts, coursley chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Mix quinoa, grapes, hazelnuts and green onion in a medium bowl.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk canola oil, lemon juice, sugar and salt.  Pour dressing over the quinoa mixture and stir to combine.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Mine's not as pretty as the one in the book, probably because I only had green grapes.  But I'm sure it still tasted just as good.

Now, be forewarned, if you've never used quinoa before, as it's cooking it doesn't have the most pleasant scent.  It kinda smelled like weeds.  But the finished product was scrumptious.

Cajun Seasoning

This is the cajun seasoning Aaron used for our crispy fish.

Ingredients
1 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. ground red pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. black pepper

Baby Bam

Here's a separate post for Baby Bam. It's used in lots of Emeril Lagasse recipes. It's an all-purpose spice with kick. I just make it up and keep it in an empty spice container.

Ingredients
3 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp dried parsley
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp celery salt

This obviously makes a bit. It lasts for a while. I'll eventually put up more recipes that use Bam. I've also used it randomly. It's a nice all-purpose seasoner with kick.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

We use it for tacos, fajitas, or any recipe that calls for a packet of taco seasoning. The nice thing is, you can spice it up or down, depending on your taste.

Ingredients
1 tbsp chili powder
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp minced onion
½ tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp corn starch
¼ - ½ tsp red pepper flakes

Combine ingredients in small plastic bag. Seal, label, date and store in tightly covered contained. For best results use within three months.

Misc.

I realized that I wasn't leaving the directions for cooking some of the past entries. So I went back and added all of the directions, and made a few minor changes here and there.  With time, I'm sure I'll get better at doing it all correctly the first time!

Getting Started

This is my new cooking blog, so I can share my love for cooking and healthy foods with anyone who is interested. I hope you enjoy all of the things I have to share!