Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Quinoa with Lemon and Zucchini

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium zucchini, halved and thinly sliced
1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
1 1/4 cups quinoa, rinsed for 1 minute under running water
2 1/2 cups water
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Lots of chopped fresh dill
Crumbled feta (optional)
Pine nuts (optional)

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until zucchini is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Remove zucchini from the pan and add quinoa, water and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, until quinoa is tender but still chewy and a white spiral-like germ appears around each grain, about 15 minutes.

Toss quinoa with zucchini, zest, lemon juice, and dill. Serve warm or room temperature, topped with feta cheese if you like.

Note: I halved this because it said it made six servings and I knew my house wouldn't eat six servings. If you do this, feel free to keep the zest amount the same, but do not do 2 T. of lemon juice. Wow.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Bacon-Wrapped Apple-Cheddar Rolls

1 Granny Smith apple, cut into 16 (1/4-inch) slices
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
Dash salt
1 can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
8 slices (1/4 inch) extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut in half (from 8-oz block)
16 slices packaged precooked bacon

Heat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheet with nonstick foil, parchment paper, or silicone baking mat. (Some cheese will melt out during baking so this will make cleanup easier.) In a medium bowl, toss apple slices with brown sugar; sprinkle with salt. On cutting board, unroll dough; separate dough into 8 triangles. From center of longest side to opposite point, cut each triangle in half, making 16 triangles. Place 1 cheese slice on non-point side of each dough triangle; top each with 1 apple slice. Fold sides of dough triangle up slightly; wrap dough around apple and cheese. Wrap 1 bacon slice around outside of each dough roll-up, making sure ends of bacon are on bottom and slightly tucked in. Place on cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Notes: YUM! These were really good. I didn't bother folding sides of dough, just rolled. The bacon slice will go around a couple of times. And if you don't want to use pre-cooked bacon, just use regular bacon and cook it a little bit first. You don't want it crispy because it still needs to be pliable in order to wrap around roll.