Smoked Salmon, Prosciutto, and Pea Quinoa

This is one of my favorite go-to dishes. Simon got me hooked on this because it is his go-to pasta dish! I just substituted the pasta for quinoa but you could also use gluten-free pasta.

Ingredients:
1 cup of quinoa (pre-rinsed)
10 thin slices of Prosciutto
1/4 pound (4 ounces) sliced smoked salmon 
8 oz. frozen peas
1 sweet onion (thinly sliced)
a bit of olive oil


Method:
- Add sliced onions to a lightly oiled skillet, let simmer until they begin to caramelize (turn golden-brown)
- In a separate pot, combine 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, and letter simmer for about 15 minutes
- Meanwhile, heat peas in the microwave (place in bowl, add a bit of water, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes)
- Tear the prosciutto and salmon into small pieces ( I find it easiest to use your fingers) and add to the skillet of onions (add them once after the onions have cooked for about 15 minutes)
- Once the quinoa and onions are finished (all the water has dissolved and the onions are brown), add all of the ingredients together
- Stir all ingredients together and simmer for a few minutes
- All done! 

I forgot to buy an onion at the store so I did not use it this time! It still tasted great but it tastes even better with an onion. There is really no right or wrong way to make this. You don't have to follow the steps exactly. It works however you chose to make it. Enjoy!

The Easiest Rice Paper Rolls

Rice paper rolls are so easy to make- it seems kind of stupid that I would blog about it. However, I think it is important to remind people about them because you can put anything inside of them and they are great when you literally have nothing in your refrigerator except for some random vegetables- like what happened to me last night!

Ingredients: (the random veggies I had)
- mushrooms
- snow peas
- green pepper

- gluten-free teriyaki sauce
- rice paper rolls

Method:
- stir-fry the veggies in olive oil, add teriyaki sauce and simmer! done

Rice paper rolls look and feel like paper when you buy them. To soften them, place them in warm (not hot) water for 7 seconds. They will immediately soften up and you can place the veggies onto them, then just roll up and eat!

Enjoy! Simple and Nutritious. 

Almond Crusted Salmon with Caramelized Onions & Basil

I love cooking and baking with Almond Meal! Almond meal (ground almonds) is a great flour substitute and also a great "breading" substitute for pan-frying and baking. Here, I coated salmon fillets in honey mustard and then rolled in almond meal. The mustard makes the almond meal stick to salmon and gives it lots of flavor. Almond meal tastes kind of nutty and honestly, 100 times better than bread crumbs!

Ingredients:
- 4 skinless salmon fillets (skin removed)
- 4 tablespoons of honey mustard
- 1/2 cup of almond meal
- 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1/4 cup of basil leaves
- a bit of olive oil
- salt and pepper taste

Method:
1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium low heat, add onions, stir occasionally until golden-brown (30 min)
2. Preheat over to 375, season salmon with salt and pepper
3. Evenly coat both sides of the salmon with honey mustard. The more you put on, the richer the flavor!
4. Cover a large plate with the almond meal and roll the salmon around until fully coated
5. Arrange the salmon onto a cooking tray and cook for 15 minutes (or until just cooked through)

Once the salmon has cooked, transfer onto plates, top with caramelized onions, and garnish with the green onions and basil.

I served my salmon with a said of quinoa and baby broccoli! It was very light but still filling. My dad loved it - He said it was nice to have a new salmon dish- he usually just makes grilled salmon with mashed potatoes- how boring!

Hashwa Stuffed Squash

Last week, my dad and I went to the Lebanese Food Festival and I got inspired to start cooking more Lebanese food. I grew up eating a fair bit of Lebanese food but I've never actually cooked anything myself.  I bought a cookbook and this was my first attempt at hashwa... a rice-meat stuffing. The stuffing can be used to stuff cabbage, squash, eggplants, green peppers, or grape leaves. I stuffed butternut squash and I am obsessed! These were so good!

Hashwa (Rice-Meat Stuffing) Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lb. lambs meat (chili grind)-- (you can use any meat, but lamb is the best!)
- 1 cup of medium grain rice (I used brown rice because it is healthier)
- 6 tsp. of dairy- free margarine (Earth Balance from Whole Foods is my favorite)
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 2 Tbsp. cold water

Directions:
Cook rice on the stovetop until soft. This can take up to 50 minutes depending on the type of rice.
While the rice is cooking, cut off the top of the butternut squash and core it.

Once the rice has cooked and cooled, mix all ingredients together, including the uncooked meat. (As you can see, I did not cook the rice before I mixed everything which I regret. The rice did not cook enough in the oven.

When all of the ingredients are mixed together...it's time to stuff the squash.

Place the stuffed squash in a casserole dish with a lid. I took all of the squash that I had cored out and put it at the bottom of the casserole dish too. I did not want those to go to waste. Cook for 50 minutes or until the lamb is well-cooked.
 
I am seriously obsessed with this recipe- it is so simple but so healthy and the flavor is so unique!

Vanilla Birthday Cupcakes

For my birthday, I wanted to make the classic vanilla cupcake! After perusing the internet, I found a recipe that was easy to tweak. It was so easy and they turned out great...slightly different than a typical cupcake... but still very sugary and delicious!

Ingredients:
Cupcake:
- 1 3/4 cup of gluten-free all purpose flour ( I used Arrowhead Mills from Whole Foods)
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp vinegar (this is essential!)
- 5 Tbsp Canola Oil
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- 1 tsp xanthan gum (available at whole foods)
- 1 cup of water
Icing:
- 3 cups of Powdered Sugar
- 2/3 cup of non-dairy margarine (Earth Balance from Whole Foods is the best!)
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1-2 tsp of water (as needed for consistency)

What to Do:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.
Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl and stir to combine.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until you get a smooth batter. Do not beat.
Pour into greased cupcake pan. It should make about 12 cupcakes.

While they are baking, mix the frosting using a hand-held mixer or standing mixer. When they are done baking, remove and let cool before frosting.

Be sure and sprinkle them with sugar! Yummo.....

And there you have it, my birthday cupcakes! It may not look as glamorous as the bundt cake that my mom made but trust me, my little cupcakes were a hit!

Pizza Divine

The delicious pizza that Simon and I made last week

The Pizza Base:

Udi's Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

(also dairy-free, soy-free, and nut-free)

* available at Whole foods

What's on It:


1. Pesto (to avoid parmesan, we bought 2 bunches of basil and blended it with pine-nuts and olive oil-- this is better anyways because it is so fresh and delicious, and doesn't have other added oils and preservatives)
2. Roasted Chicken (we bought an organic Rotisserie chicken from whole foods to save time)
3. Prosciutto 
4. Caramelized Onions
5. (Mozzerella)- if you are okay with a bit of dairy. Simon put it on his pizza and it looked awesome! I didn't use cheese and my pizza was still awesome!

Homemade Pesto.

Caramelized Onions.

Pesto, Prosciutto, Roasted Chicken, Caramelized Onion
READY TO BAKE!
(Excuse the bite!)

Just follow the baking instructions and then enjoy with wine of course!!

Our two wine picks for the evening.

1. Innocent Bystander, Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, Australia
This vineyard is near Simon's farm outside of Melbourne and we used to stop here for wine and food on the way! I may be a bit bias, but this wine is divine.

2. Hey Mambo, Sultry Red, California Red Wine (a blend)
My friend, Emma, hooked me on this wine. It is in-expensive but tastes expensive! It goes with everything.

This is my first food blog!! More to come!! xo