Mediterranean Quinoa in Collard Green Wraps

I love cooking with Quinoa but was getting tired of the same old things. I was super excited when I opened up my cooking light to this idea. I had never used Collard Greens for anything like this but they are perfect! They are sturdy, they add a nice flavor and it's super healthy. And it makes great lunch leftovers too! I didn't adjust this recipe hardly at all, except to add a little here and there.

 Mediterranean Quinoa in Collard Green Wraps

• 1 1/3 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup  hummus (I use the roasted garlic flavor, but plain would work too)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill or basil
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons thinly sliced pitted kalamata olives
• 3/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup reduced fat or fat free crumbled feta cheese
• 8 large collard green leaves (this is often 2 bunches when I buy) 
• 2 cups chopped English cucumber (about 1 large)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered

 

1. Bring water and quinoa to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. 
2. Add hummus though cheese on the list above. Toss to combine. 
3. Place collards in a large bowl; cover with warm water. Let stand 10 minutes. Drain; pat dry with paper towels.
4. Remove the raised thick part of the stem of the collard.
5. To create wraps put about 1/4- to a 1/2 cup of hummus mixture in the middle of each leaf, depending on how big it is. Top with cucumber and tomatoes - and sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top. Fold in the bottom and top ends of the collard, then roll up like a jelly roll. 

**Makes 4 servings
**3 on B's dish scale. Quinoa pot. Mixing bowl. cutting bowl. Bowl to soak the collards in.

Summer Sides: Refreshing Serrano Ham and Melon Salad

 On the 4th of July when my garden was full of mint and basil and melons were easy to find at the farmer's market we combined a few different melon herb salads we saw online to make this. Cantaloupe wrapped in prosciutto is one of my go to appetizers so I knew the flavors of salty pork and sweet melon went well together. I went with Serrano Ham instead of prosciutto while comparing fat, sodium and calories and seeing that the thinly sliced ham was better than the pre-packaged prosciutto. The result was amazing. This is a hearty side, but refreshing and not over powering. A great use of a July day at the farmer's market. 

Refreshing Melon Mozzarella Serrano Ham Salad

 

• 2 cups honey dew melon balls (use a melon baller)
• 2 cups cantaloupe balls
• 3 oz Serrano ham  , torn into bite sized pieces
• 1/4 cup torn basil leaves
• 1/4 cup torn mint leaves
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
• salt and paper
• 3 oz mozzarella cut into bite sized pieces

1. Create a dressing by combining the honey, olive oil and vinegar with a little salt and pepper.
2. In a bowl toss the melon, cantaloupe, ham, basil, mint and mozzarella.
3. Toss with dressing.

This makes a hearty 6 servings at least

Grilled Skirt Steak and Shishito Pepper Tacos

Mexican food is my weakness. So I am always looking for healthy ways to fulfill my cravings when it comes to tacos, chips and salsa. On a beautiful summer night when shishito peppers were in season, my husband and I went searching for some ideas. This recipe is based loosely on this Eating Well Fajita recipe. I just loved the idea of grilling whole scallions, I had never tried it before, and it totally makes the dish. I also loved the method of keeping the peppers warm. Our key is using the grill to warm the tortillas. The flavor and texture is what makes this special. Also make sure to take note of using the griddle or foil is doing shishitos.  Side note, I know shishitos aren't always easy to find so I included the instructions for doing other peppers as well. We have used a combo of poblano and Anaheim peppers to fill in for the shishitos. We have also used flank steak, because finding skirt steak around here requires a special trip to the butcher instead of the regular grocery store. HOWEVER, skirt steak is the way to go if you can find it. This may look like a lot of steps. But it's really not complicated and it's healthy. 

Grilled Skirt Steak and Shishisto Pepper Tacos

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak or flank steak trimmed
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground ancho chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon olive oil (plus more if using griddle on the grill) 
• 2 bunches scallions
• EITHER 1 pint Shishito peppers, OR if not in season 3 poblano peppers (I have also used Anahiem if I can't find Poblano) 
• 1 avocado
• 2 fresh limes
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, divided
• 1 small tomato
• 1/4 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) 
• hot sauce for serving (I like Cholula)
•  1/4 cup crumbled Queso fresco
• 12 corn tortillas (taco sized) 

1. Heat charcoal or gas grill to high. (I always prefer charcoal). If doing shishito peppers, make sure to have either a cast iron insert on your grill or create a foil tray, so they don't fall through (this is our go to tool for our Weber, the griddle).
2. Dice avocado and tomatoes.  Combine avocado, tomato, the juice of one lime, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, and pepitas in a bowl. Set aside. 
3. Combine ancho chile powder, cumin and 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt in a bowl. Rub both sides of the steak with the the spice mixture. 
4. Brush scallions and whatever peppers you use with the olive oil. 
5. If you are using the griddle insert on the grill, oil it with about a 2 teaspoons of olive oil right before throwing the peppers on. Grill the peppers for 8-10 minutes until the skin is charred and blistering. If doing shishitos you will have to turn often. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to trap the heat until everything else is finished. 
6. Put steak and scallions on the grill. Grill the scallions for 2-4 minutes until charred, you'll have to turn them frequently. Grill the steak for about 3 minutes per side for medium rare. 
7. When you remove the steak, tent it with foil while you prepare the onions and peppers. 
8. Before you cool the grill off, throw your corn tortillas on for about 30-45 seconds a side to warm and SLIGHTLY char them. This is critical to a good corn tortilla that won't fall apart. 
9. Cut the ends off the scallions, and then slice them into one inch pieces and transfer to a serving dish. Remove peppers from bowl. If using shishito peppers, remove the stems and you are done. If using anahiem or poblano, remove as much of the charred skin as you can with a quick brush of a paper towel. Remove stems, cut open and remove seeds. Then cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Transfer to the same dish as the onions.
10. Squeeze juice of second lime over the peppers and onions. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. 
11. Slice your steak against the grain very thinly into small pieces. 
12. To assemble tacos top a corn tortilla with some steak, the avocado mixture, some peppers and onions, hot sauce and a tiny bit of queso fresco. Three tacos make a serving. 

**Makes 4 servings

**3 on Bryce's dish scale. A few bowls, a few cutting boards and the hand wash only grill insert complicate this one. 

Southwest Grilled Romaine Salad with Chicken and Salsa Dressing

Be prepared for a lot of summer recipes coming your way. I have gotten way behind and want to get these up before all the good produce is gone! This one is a perfect way to use fresh corn. Such a unique spin on a typical salad and grilling the lettuce just packs in so much flavor. I went searching for a grilled romaine salad because one of my favorite restaurants in college had one. And this one from Skinny taste looked AMAZING and super easy. It's super healthy. I just adapted slightly to make it more for our taste but LOVED the original concept from Skinnytaste. That website is a great resource for healthy recipes. I loved the idea of using chicken thighs because they grill up so much faster than other cuts.We also included the red onion in the original recipe but I wouldn't do that again. It wasn't necessary.  

 

 

Southwest Grilled Romaine Salad with Chicken and Salsa Dressing

 

• 1 package boneless skinless chicken thighs (about a pound) Trim them of fat
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 ears corn on the cobb- husks removed
• 2 romaine hearts
• olive oil spray
• 1 small avocado sliced
• 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
• another pinch of sea salt to finish the salad with

Dressing

• 1 cup fresh refrigerated salsa (I use PEAKFECTION or something like it) We like things spicy so we used the medium heat level.
• Juice of one fresh lime
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Combine dressing ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
2. Combine oregano, cumin, and sea salt in a bowl. Season chicken evenly with the mixture.
3. Halve each romaine leave vertically, then spray cut side with olive oil spray. Also spray corn cobbs with olive oil.
4. Put chicken and corn on medium high heat grill. Cook for about 5 minutes each side. Until chicken is cooked through and corn is tender and just starting to char on the outside.
5. Remove that from heat and throw the romaine on the grill. Grill it for 1-2 minutes until it just starts to char.
6. Slice chicken into thin strips, and cut corn off the cobb.
7. Top one half of romaine with about one chicken thigh, maybe a little more. Then top with corn, cherry tomatoes, avocado and salsa dressing. Finish it all off with a sprinkle of sea salt.

**Makes 4 servings

**Super easy on the Bryce dish scale. A platter, a bowl a cutting board, a knife and a dressing container!