quinoa with chicken sausage & veggies

last night for dinner, i was in the mood for something simple and fresh.  i had some zucchini and onion, found some quinoa (say keen-wa) in the pantry and took out some sundried tomato chicken sausage to defrost.

here's what you'll need (but feel free to improvise and use what you have handy)
serves 2

1/2 large zucchini
1/2 large onion
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
5 oz chicken sausage (links)
garden greens
red curry
fresh rosemary
olive oil
salt & pepper

1. saute veggies in a bit of olive oil until golden brown.  season with salt & pepper.

2. bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium pot.  add a few dashes of red curry.  add quinoa to boiling water, stir and reduce to simmer.  cook for 20 minutes or until water is absorb.

3. set veggies aside.  prep pan for chicken sausage by adding a bit of olive oil.  over medium heat, sear the chicken sausage on both sides to create a nicely browned crust.  add 1/4 cup water  to pan and cover.  allow sausage to continue cooking until cooked through (5+ minutes).

4. while chicken cooks, defrost peas in microwave.

5. once chicken is done, slice it into coins and toss it with veggies (zucchini, onion, peas) and rosemary.

when all is ready, serve quinoa topped with chicken sausage and veggies over a bed of garden greens. 

we topped ours with fresh tomato sauce and a bit of sharp provolone to add some zing!

other combos to consider:
- use a red pepper sausage and top with salsa and sour cream
- use an italian sausage and top with grated parmesan, herbs and olive oil
- try other veggies - peppers, carrots, shallots, broccoli, the sky's the limit!

bon appetit!.

the secret to seared tuna

last night on my way home from work, i stopped at this great little fish market.  they always have beautiful fillets of the freshest fish and seafood.  we've fallen in love with their chilean sea bass, tilapia and decadent lump crab.  (see crab cake recipe here)  but, last night, their massive tuna steaks caught my eye...

despite being very comfortable in the kitchen, fish used to scare me.  it seemed difficult to cook, and i would psych myself out of buying it.  but, i've realized, since frequenting the little fish market, that the freshness and quality makes a huge difference.  their fish is sooo much better than what you'll find at the grocery store counter.

the players:

2 sushi grade tuna steaks
soy & teriyaki
grainy mustard
brown sugar
garlic
orange marmalade
vidalia onion
olive oil
(romaine & avocado)

anyway, when i got home, i marinated the tuna steaks in a bit of soy & teriyaki mixed with grainy mustard, brown sugar, garlic and orange marmalade.  not too much, but enough to flavor it.

then i sauteed some vidalia onions in a teaspoon of olive oil...and then flavored them with some soy and teriyaki as well. 

once the onions were done, i pushed them to the sides of the pan to make room for the tuna steaks.  i drizzled in a bit more olive oil and then added the tuna.  i seared the steaks for about 1 minute on each side.  they didn't need much time, because they were "sushi grade" tuna, meaning better eaten super rare.  so, DO NOT overcook high-quality tuna steaks.  it destroys their texture and flavor.  (tuna actually tastes fishier the more you cook it.  strange, but true.)

once done, i served them with shredded romaine and mashed avocado seasoned with minced garlic.  (and with skinny girl margaritas...) omg.  yum.

see, cooking fish isn't that bad after all...  plus, it's delicious & super healthy!  bonus!.

{heart} day menu for two: pizza & wine

picture credit {here}



this valentine’s craig and i are staying in. we celebrated with an evening on the town this past saturday.  cocktails at left bank libations.  sushi dinner at our favorite japanese place, ota-ya.  after-dinner drinks at marsha brown’s upstairs bar.  so tonight, we’re keeping it low-key.  but low-key does not have to mean boring or not special…

ever since we started dating, our “date-night-in” default has been pizza & wine.  it’s become such a tradition that craig and i have developed pizza & wine telepathy.  we can just glance in each other’s direction, and we’ll simultaneously blurt out “pizza and wine tonight?”.  we sometimes go for gourmet, homemade pies…sometimes for papa john’s.  either way, it’s the perfect date-night-in menu.  so when it came to our february 14th meal, i couldn’t think of anything more us.  i mean really, what could be better than a homemade (possibly heart-shaped) pizza and a bottle of red, white, rosé or bubbly (whatever your preference) to make it extra special?!

picture credit {here}
dinner – homemade pizza for two
use ¼ of bread dough recipe or buy prepared pizza crust or dough at your grocery store or from your local pizza place
my toppings of choice: caramelized onions, sautéed red peppers, mozzarella, provolone & parmesan, any fresh herbs on hand, good red sauce (but really, top it with anything you love)
the essentials: salt, pepper, olive oil

preheat oven to 425
place dough on oiled (and “cornmealed”, optional) baking sheet or pizza stone and spread to desired thickness/shape
arrange toppings (the more, the better : )
drizzle with olive oil. sprinkle with salt and pepper.
bake for 20 or minutes until golden brown and bubbly
sprinkle with fresh herbs
allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting (or eating!)

dessert – chocolate-covered strawberries
melt chocolate over double-boiler (i.e. a glass or ceramic bowl over a pot ½ full of slow boiling water)
dip fresh strawberries (cover generously : ) you can also dip banana chucks, apples, pineapple, marshmallows, graham crackers, cookies, brownies, rice krispies treats, spoons, fingers
place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper
allow to cool in fridge for an hour or so (make no more than 2-3 days in advance)

picture credit {here}

drink – red wine
buy
chill for just 20 min prior to drinking to bring down temp slightly
uncork
drink

and remember, don’t worry if your pizza’s not perfect. ugly pizza tastes just as good : ) happy {heart} day!

so, are you red, white, rosé or bubbly?

and congratulations to karina cifuentes!!! the winner of the raymer’s gourmet chocolate giveaway! <3

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bachelorette amazingness

han, me & cate

saturday night was erin's (my cousin) bachelorette party.  fun times.  fun times.  needless to say we had lots and lots of fun drinks, good laughs and delicious food : )

erin (bride-to-be)

we started our evening at the melting pot.  fondue goodness.  i mean, seriously...who does not love melted, oohey-gooey cheese?!  and then dessert.  oh, dessert!  soooo good.  "flaming turtle" = melted chocolate, caramel and pecans and also "s'mores" = melted chocolate, marshmallow and graham cracker crumbles.  and you get to dip cheesecake (yay!), brownies, pound cake, marshmallows, rice crispie treats, strawberries and bananas.  yum! 

brownies and cheesecake and pound cake...oh my!!!
han, me, cate

after melting pot we meandered over to yakitori boy where we had a private room for our evening of karaoke.  (ps i love karaoke : )  we sang some top 40 and also some oldies but goodies.  awesomeness.

lychee martinis
cate, erin, han, chrissy, me

after singing our hearts out we hopped into some cabs and headed over to our 3rd and final stop.  a super cool bar (totally decorated for halloween) where we could dance and drink to our hearts' content!  we had a great time : )  can't wait til it's my turn to be the bachelorette...won't be long now...

have you checked out my vintage purse giveaway?! 

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