Healthy Summer Organic Quinoa Salad, Perfect for Weight Watchers!

Throughout the summer in the south, supper consists of something grilled or a salad.  Yet salads often leave me feeling unsatisfied and quickly hungry again.  Alas, I do enjoy eating!  This hearty and healthy salad fits the bill for a complete meal, chock full of protein from the quinoa, and filling ingredients like fresh corn and beans.  As a Weight Watcher attendee, I've calculated the points.  One cup of this wonderful salad is only 5 points!  Yippee!   

If quinoa is new to you, this ancient grain contains lots of protein and cooks up in only 15 minutes.  Our family frequently substitutes quinoa for brown rice at meals.  Of course, this salad easily translates to a vegetarian dish by substituting vegetable broth for the chicken broth.  One more thing:  I don't like beets, but in this recipe the beets add a lovely flavor and color.  Don't let the beets scare you!

 INGREDIENTS

1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups organic chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
2 ears fresh corn, cooked (or 1 cup frozen corn)
1 15-ounce black beans or chick peas
1/4 cup chopped leeks
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons fresh basil, snipped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, snipped
1/4 cup cold pressed virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup diced beets
Arugula

DIRECTIONS
1.  Cook quinoa according to package directions.  Set aside and allow to cool.
2.  Remove corn from the cobs.
3.  Rinse and drain beans or chick peas.
4.  Chop leeks (using the white and lightly green parts) and sweet onion.
5.  In large bowl combine quinoa, corn, chickpeas, cheese, onion, and herbs. 
6.  To make the dressing, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  Add to quinoa mixture and toss. 
7.  Cover, refrigerate and let stand for at least one hour, up to 24 hours.  Bring to room temperature before serving.  Stir in beets just before serving.
8.  Serve in bowls robustly lined with arugula. 

Lookout Point Lakeside Inn
http://www.lookoutpointinn.com/
Kristie Rosset
Bed and Breakfast Foodie
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Sweet and spicy cracker spread

One of the things Ian and I like to do is take a day off and go on a road trip in our area to discover some of the fun things our guests could enjoy during their stay with us. One day we took a trip to the Smuckers store in Orrville, Ohio. It was a bit further than we usually suggest for our guests - maybe 1 1/4 hours drive from the inn - but it was a fun place to discover. For those who are unfamiliar with Smuckers, their main claim to fame is Smuckers jams, jellies and preserves. Their family of brands also includes Pillsbury, Jif Peanut Butter, Martha White, and HR Knudsen. At the center of the store they have a sampling bar where they allow you to taste some of the products. And one of the things on the sample bar that day was a spread that was so delicious I wanted to eat the whole jar. I was quite surprised when they told me it was made with Dickinson's Sweet 'n Hot Pepper and Onion Relish. If you can't get Dickinson's where you are, feel free to substitute any pepper jelly or relish.

It's so easy I hesitate to even call this a recipe. Serve with your favorite crackers.

INGREDIENTS
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup of Pepper Onion Relish

DIRECTIONS
Combine ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Good on crackers or cucumber slices.

The White Oak Inn
http://www.whiteoakinn.com
Yvonne Martin
Bed and Breakfast Foodie
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Orange Honey Butter

This is a wonderful topping for the Sour Cream Banana Bread or for pancakes, French Toast or Waffles.
INGREDIENTS
1 stick of butter, softened
1/4 cup of confectioners' sugar, sifted
the zest of one flavorful orange (only the orange part-not the white)
1 Tablespoon of your favorite honey (we like blueberry)

DIRECTIONS
Combine ingredients using a blender or food processor (or just a good wooden spoon and some elbow grease!).
Place a piece of plastic wrap flat and spoon the butter mixture into the center of the wrap. Roll to form a log. Twist the ends of the wrap and refrigerate until firm. We often will make this ahead and freeze until we are ready to use.
The William Henry Miller Inn http://www.millerinn.com Lynnette Scofield Bed and Breakfast Foodie
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Sour Cream Banana Bread

There are times that I buy bananas and swear that they have started to ripen even before I leave the check out counter! That being said, it seems that we always have left over bananas and find that freezing them for future use is a great tip.
I'd love to be able to give credit for this recipe since our guests just love it. Unfortunately, it seems to have been around "forever" and I have no idea where it originated.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about two bananas)
1 3/4 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325.
Beat together the butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream, vanilla and bananas until well blended.
Stir in the dry ingredients until they are just moistened.
Divide the batter into four mini loaf pans that have been sprayed with pan coating. Place the loaf pans on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 45 to 50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Allow to cool for about 15 minutes before removing from the pan.
The William Henry Miller Inn http://www.millerinn.com Lynnette Scofield Bed and Breakfast Foodie
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Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars? Lemon Bars? Did someone mention that little morsel of buttery citrusy goodness? We make these at least once a week and they are probably our most requested dessert on our evening dessert buffet. We've even been known to make them as a first anniversary gift for returning guests and send them at Valentine's Day to adoring fans (of the Lemon Bars!)
Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup softened butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Filling:
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 eggs
1 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
DIRECTIONS
Lightly spray a 9 inch baking pan with pan coating. In a small bowl, blend butter, flour and confectioners sugar. Press into the greased pan.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, combine the filling ingredients. Pour over the baked crust and bake for 25 minutes. Cool completely and cut into bars.
(There is some discussion as to whether you wait for the crust to cool before adding the filling. We don't wait---we pour the filling right into the hot crust).
http://www.millerinn.com
Lynnette Scofield Bed and Breakfast Foodie
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White Chocolate Brownies

If we had a "signature dish", I believe it would be these brownies. When we first opened the Inn in 1999 and created a dessert buffet that would be available each night, it was a stretch to find new recipes that would have "staying" power on an all night buffet. These absolutely fit the bill! The recipe originally was found in a lovely cookbook published by the Strong Memorial Hospital Auxiliary (Rochester New York)
INGREDIENTS --- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
8 oz white chocolate chips
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (we use Callebaut)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an eight inch pan.
Melt butter in a microwave safe measuring cup and remove from the microwave. Add four ounces of the white chocolate. Do not stir.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs for at least two minutes (I often just put them into a food processor--turn it on and walk away until I like the way they look). Add a pinch of salt and then gradually add the sugar. Beat until the mixture is a pale yellow.
Add the white chocolate mixture, vanilla, salt and flour mixing until it is just combined. Stir in the semi sweet chocolate chips and the remaining white chocolate.
Bake for thirty minutes---DO NOT OVERBAKE BUT DO NOT UNDERBAKE EITHER! Check for doneness and just wait until you taste a warm, gooey bite of delight!
The William Henry Miller Inn http://www.millerinn.com Lynnette Scofield Bed and Breakfast Foodie
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