Fish & Quinoa

So the fire alarm in my building went off today. At 7:47 a.m.

I'm assuming it was a false alarm, but we weren't actually informed otherwise. Ten minutes after the piercing sound woke me up from my deep sleep, the torture stopped and everyone walked back into the building. I followed, dragging my feet up the five flights of stairs to my apartment.

The only upside--if any--to this terrible event was the head start I got on my studies. But I guess that's  up for debate.

Anyways, tomorrow is the first day of my third week of law school. So far so good. Yes, I'll admit there is a lot of reading involved, but call me a law nerd, because I've mostly enjoyed it--except for the uber-overwhelming and seemingly infinite amount of property terms.

On another note, I've figured out a way to go grocery shopping without a car: my backpack, two bike bags and an extra reusable bag. Thankfully the bike ride is only about five minutes because the extra weight really does kick in.

Here is my dinner from tonight: grilled cod with caramelized onions and orange-avocado salsa and carrot zucchini quinoa. On hindsight, I probably would've paired the fish with a cucumber salad or something fresh, but I wanted to cook quinoa for leftovers during the week. It's all about practicality now that I'm a lawyer-in-training. Enjoy!

Cod with orange, avocado and onions (adapted from Bon Apetit: Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook).
Makes 2 servings.
Active time: 15 minutes. Total time: 25 minutes.

• 1 medium navel orange
• 1/2 cup avocado cubes (about 1/3-inch)
• 2 teaspoons minced jalapeño 
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 2  6 oz. cod fillets
• Parsley for garnish

1. Cut and peel orange ,removing white pit; carefully separate sections and cut in half. Combine orange sections, avocado, jalapeño and lime juice in a small bowl; stir gently to blend. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a medium skillet, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, or until slightly browned. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper; transfer to skillet and sauté until brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side. 
3. Serve fish topped with salsa; garnish with parsley. 

Spiced carrot and zucchini quinoa (adapted from Bon Apetit: Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook).

Makes 4 servings.

Active time: 20 minutes. Total time: 30 minutes.

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa, rinse and drained
• A pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into small cubes
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Combine first four ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low and cover; simmer until water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and sauté, about 3 minutes. Add paprika, cumin and cinnamon.
3. Remove skillet from heat and add quinoa. Toss to blend and season with salt and pepper.

Of Opening Acts and Quinoa Burgers

Raise your hand if you genuinely enjoy opening acts. Yeah, that's what I thought.

I'm sorry but when I pay $50+ to watch my favorite band/artist perform, I don't appreciate having to wait close to two hours on my feet. When a ticket says "show at 7," I expect to see the band/artist I paid for at 7--give or take a half an hour.

That being said, some openers are an exception to my complaint. If the act is relevant, lasts somewhere between four and six songs and is actually good--I've had my share of screams coupled with instruments pretending to be music--then I'm ok with it.

For example, yesterday at the Mumford & Sons concert, there were two opening acts. Mistake number one: two opening acts are not ok. If I want to see an array of bands then I'll go to a music festival. But let's put that aside for a second and analyze the acts separately. The first opener, Ben Howard, was good. He has a soft and enjoyable voice that I would guess appeals to the Mumford crowd. And his set lasted about twenty minutes, so it was a great introduction to the main act.

But the second act, The Felice Brothers, was long and somewhat irritating. There were three things that bothered me the most. First of all, if you're going to open for a band like Mumford, do not come out drunk and high, it makes you sound terrible. Also, please do not play songs that seem to be improvised--or if you do, make sure it works. Finally, if you're playing right before Mumford, do not play for more than 45 minutes!

Ok, I'm done venting. Now let me just say that the actual concert was amazing! Mumford & Sons is all I could think about today. If you ever have a chance to attend their concert, go!

Anyways, tonight I made quinoa burgers. In all honesty, I had no idea what to expect, but turns out, they were quite tasty. If you have them in pita bread, just make sure you warm it up before serving. Enjoy!

Greek-style Quinoa Burgers (adapted from Martha Stewart)
Active time: 35 minutes. Total time: 40 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.

• 12 cup rinsed quinoa
• 1 medium carrot, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• 15 oz. great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup plain on-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 4 pitas
• 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced diagonally

1. In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil. Add quinoa and lower heat; cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes. 
2. In a food processos, pulse carrot until finely chopped. Add quinoa, half the cilantro leaves, beans, breadcrumbs, egg, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Pulse mixture until combined but slightly chunky. Place in the refrigerator and chill for 10 minutes.
3. Form mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick patties. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook burgers until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes on each side.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice and remaining cilantro; season with salt and pepper. Place pita bread in a convection oven set to 300F and warm up, about 5 minutes. 
5. Serve burgers in pita topped with cucumber and yogurt sauce.

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Steak Salad

So I have been away from my kitchen lately. Its not that I have no recipes to motivate me--I actually have a constantly-growing bookmarking tab with all types of recipes waiting to be cooked--its just that with the end of the semester and finals coming soon, I feel like I should be studying 24/7.

I still don't though. I have to confess I was laying in my bed stumbling through cooking blogs for a large chunk of today. Although I guess I was ultimately working towards the blog.

Anyways, here is the recipe for tonight's dinner.

Steak Salad (adapted from Special K)
*The quantities are subjective, since some people like vegetables more than steak (cough cough, me), but others like meat more.

• Green beans, blanched
• Grape tomatoes, halved
• Mixed greens
• 1 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 8 oz. boneless sirloin steak, cut 1-inch thick
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1. Combine green beans, tomatoes, and mixed greens in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Season with S & P. Whisk to incorporate as much as possible and add to salad. Toss to mix.
2. In a small bowl, combine cumin, salt, and pepper. Rub steaks with seasoning. 
3. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Cook steaks until cooked to taste (I did about 9 minutes), flipping occasionally.
4. Once cooked, slice steak into 1-inch strips and serve over salad. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

Spiced Meatballs and Roasted Carrots

I'm back!!

A week after a very relaxing Spring Break in North Carolina, I am ready to start the week with delicious dinners. I have a menu set up for the next few days and I really hope I can stick to it, but either way, I will be making yummy and new recipes!

Today I had a big midterm, and all I wanted to do was come home and relax. I couldn't though, since I have lots of other homework that is quickly catching up on me. But time for cooking is always available, and tonight's dinner was worth it!

I have to warn you, if you don't like spicy food, add less cumin/coriander, because it is definitely a big part of these meatballs. Otherwise eat up!

Spiced Meatballs (adapted from Everyday FOOD by Martha Stewart)

• 1.2 lbs. ground beef
• 3/4 teaspoon coriander
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 large egg + 2 tablespoons egg-whites lightly beaten

1. In a medium bowl combine beef, spices, cilantro, and egg mix. Season with salt (I forgot this step and it definitely makes a difference). With your hands, gently combine all the ingredients well and form meatballs (I made 6 big ones following my roomie's request).
2. In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook meatballs until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water to skillet, cover, reduce heat to low. Cook untill meatballs are just cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.