And the Winner is....

Kelsey Nichols!!  

You are the winner of a $25 gift card to any local restaurant of your choice!  You will receive an email shortly letting you know how to go about getting your awesome prize.


The more people that "follow" me on Blogspot, the more SWEET contests I can have, and the cooler they will be!  


Thanks for supporting me, I hope you continue to do so in the future.  And hey, tell all your friends!  :)

...Keen-What??

Quinoa (keen-wah) is my new favorite grain.  I know, there are LOTS of types of grains, like delectable couscous, arborio rice (used to make risotto and risotto = heaven), homemade PASTA for cryin' out loud?!  

Let's start with the first question.  What is quinoa?  It is actually a seed that comes from a type of goosefoot related plant. It is a strange looking grain, but don't let that put you off, because it is super healthy!  Quinoa is a complete protein, contains essential amino acids, dietary fiber, phosphorus, and is high in magnesium and iron.  Not only that, but it is 100% gluten free.  Talk about super foods.

Here is a recipe for a delicious cold quinoa salad with citrus-garlic vinaigrette that happens to be gluten free, dairy free, incredibly good for you, and super tasty to boot...

Quinoa Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

You can make this recipe at any yield you like, just change quantities as needed.  This is to serve 20+ people, so you might want to cut back a little bit!  Or not...leftovers of this are awesome as well!

To Begin:

Make 1 box (2 C. uncooked) quinoa in salted water as the box directs. Cool.

Boil 1 cup frozen edamame for 3 minutes. Cool. 

Add to quinoa and edamame

:

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 orange bell pepper, chopped

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 C. grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 English cucumber, chopped

Citrus Vinaigrette

Whisk together: 

2 cloves garlic, (depending on size and preference) smashed with kosher salt until it forms a paste

1 T. fresh oregano, chopped

1 T. basil, chiffonade 

1 orange, zest & juice

2 lemons, zest of 1 & juice of both

Extra virgin olive oil to bind & flavor - approx 1/3 C.

Salt & pepper to taste

Toss with quinoa, edamame, chopped veggies, (feta cheese, optional, not dairy-free) chill, and enjoy!

My Heart Belongs to Texas...

Okay, okay...So I've never been to Texas.  Hell, I'm not even sure if I've ever thought of visiting the Lone Star State (until recently).  I couldn't even tell you very much about the place except that they like their BBQ with dry rubs, and no sauce!  Which, I am dying to try...Okay fine, I guess that counts as a visitation notion.  Oh, and I know a few cities because they have sports teams. At some tom-boyish phase of my life I was obsessed with basketball and memorized every city and their team.  

 ...My apologies...I have been sick for over a week now, and this daytime cold medicine makes me want to ramble on about useless and totally irrelevant, yet semi-interesting topics like my childhood obsessions (POGS).

Back on track - I have few things that I am actually willing to deem one of my favorite foods.  The reason being, I love SO many things!  Artichokes with melted butter and lemon juice is WAY up there, but two things that almost never fail in helping me drown my sorrows are ice cream and chocolate. 

I know exactly what you're thinking, "What the heck does Texas have to do with ice cream and chocolate?!"  

Just hold on to your undies, folks, I'm getting there!

Living in a small(ish) mountain town, there are hardly any ice cream shops to choose from and certainly none of them would ever have something as smooth and creamy-delicious as gelato.  One day, however, while browsing the frozen dessert section in my local grocery store, I stumbled upon a row of small clear containers that I had never seen before.  These little clear containers with dark brown lids contained some of the most beautiful looking deliciousness in plastic that I had ever laid eyes on.

I didn't even notice the price, because right there on that little plastic container was a label that read "Talenti Gelato e Sorbetto".  Back up....Gelato?!  Okay, no one I know has ever tried to package this, and I haven't even seen it in real life for over 7 years (yes, I'm quite deprived, I know..).  Chocolate ice cream is my weakness, so just glancing at their Belgian Milk Chocolate made my knees quiver.  I bought it without hesitation, even though a pint cost almost as much as my second favorite ice cream brands' half gallon tub.  

THANK THE STARS I did, because I have an addiction that I am proud to be a dedicated junkie to.  This is seriously the most delicious sweet thing I have ever put in my mouth, and that is saying A LOT.  Creamy, rich, delectable, full of intense flavor...This isn't just convenience...it is the best gelato I have ever tasted.  I am never at a loss of words...and Talenti, you have shut me up.  I can't even believe that something from a grocer's freezer isle has excited me so much, so I did something I rarely do...I looked at the nutrition facts.  Much to my amazement, I can count all the ingredients on one hand, and not only that, I can pronounce them all and find them in my own kitchen on a regular basis.  Not only THAT, but they are using dairy products that are rBGH and rBST (hormone) free! ALSO,. if you're lactose-intolerant, their sorbettos are absolutely sublime - you are definitely not being shorted flavor here!

This company is dedicated to making delicious, traditional gelato and sorbetto (sorbet) and they have knocked it out of the park!  I know this isn't a local restaurant, or something I've made on my own, but I HAD to share my gelato glory with you all!  

Here is a link so you can figure out how to get your hands on some of this amazing stuff...

http://talentigelato.com/StoreFinder.aspx 

In closing, Talenti rocks my world....And the next time I write a blog I'll try not to be on cold medicine, it obviously makes me ramble.