I’m back! I’ve missed you. My daughter Evelyn was born on October 20th, and since then I’ve been muddling through sleepy days and nights. And pulling food out of the freezer. And making familiar recipes that have already been posted on this blog. Thus the reasons for my rather long absence.
Having a child is much more demanding than I thought it would be, even after hearing other moms say it was hard. It just takes up so much time, and I don’t even know where the time goes each day. Feeding, changing her, washing clothes, washing diapers, trying to get out on a walk while she sleeps, and on and on. I have been making a lot of rice and beans, pasta, and almond butter sandwiches. People have blessed us with lots of food that has filled our freezer and then our bellies. I have been baking and cooking from the new Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, and have been delighted with each thing I’ve tried.
Today I have a simple recipe that turned out better than I expected: Christmas Quinoa. It pretty much named itself when I realized the red sun dried tomatoes and green cilantro fit the season well. The roasted cauliflower on top is optional, but quite tasty. The key here is the feta. Find really good feta. My favorite is the sheep’s milk feta from Trader Joe’s. I think it’s the best item they carry.
And now for the recipe. It’s good to be back.
Christmas Quinoa
Serves 2 main portions
1 head cauliflower
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
Rinse cauliflower and chop into florets. Toss with olive oil, and coat large pan with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Roast at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, cut into strips
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1/3 cup feta
Combine rinsed quinoa with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until quinoa spirals out but is still chewy. Drain any remaining water, and mix in remaining ingredients. Heat a few minutes over low heat to warm tomatoes and soften feta.
Serve with roasted cauliflower on top.
Printable Recipe
Other posts you might like:
African Meatballs
Grilled Sun Dried Tomato a Goat Cheese Sandwich
Yay, welcome back, Becky! This sounds delish – can't wait to try it!
Delicious! We added some extra feta (we can't really get amazing feta around here); it's another great vegetarian dinner! Glad you're back 🙂 Amazing how much time babies take isn't it?
Lynnae, I thought of you when I was posting this. It's such an easy gluten free recipe. Gina, I know, whenever Evelyn is sleeping, I become very productive and focused, and race around getting things done. She definitely takes up a lot of time, but she's worth it.