Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad

It is friggin hot. I have been banished to the great state of Kansas for the month, and if you have never been to the midwest during summer, let me tell you again. IT'S FRIGGIN' HOT!

Don't ever come in the summer. Actually, there really is nothing here really anyway, other than a lousy football team and a baseball team that finally has started the grueling process of pulling their heads out of their butt-cheeks.

So today, it went from 108 to 97 which is cold, considering. Humidity is 400% but hey, you take what you can get.

Have I mentioned I miss home?

Tonight, amongst the groaning and moaning if ye old air conditioner, I chose to make something easy, light and yummy. Always yummy.

Dah, dah, dah!

Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad.

MMMMMM. Let me tell you how much of a hit this was, may I?

Too bad, I'm going to anyway. 

The kids liked it. 

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Yes. Pigs did fly, actually. They wore silver sparkly capes and top hats with red plumes and were singing dancing queen. 

Oh wait. That was Priscilla Queen of the desert. My bad.

Anyway, this is super easy and not so hard on the a/c either. It's getting enough of a workout, let's not heat up the inside too.

You will need:

• Quinoa
• Sweet Potatoes
• Cilantro
• Bell pepper, color of choice
• Onion
• Tomato (roma is best)
• Avocado, ripe but not overly squishy. 
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Lime juice (preferably from real lime not plastic lime-looking container)
• Mushrooms (optional)
• Chili powder, salt and pepper

Add 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water and 2 tsps of Better than Bouillon into pot. Chicken is fine unless you are veggie, then use the veggie version. Bouillon lumps are ok too. Bring to a boil, cover and turn to low. It should be done in 10-15 mins. 

Chunk up your sweet potatoes in bite sized pieces, and boil in another pot with a good pinch of salt.

While they are cooking, slice your onion in half, then cut into thin slices. Chop peppers and tomatoes and avocados into bits. Mushrooms into chunks. Cilantro chop roughly (aka dirty chop). Throw all of these in a good sized bowl. It makes a lot. 

Ok. Now clean up the mess from throwing. 

See cooking is fun! You get to throw shit, play with knives and fire, I mean seriously when can you have this much fun but in the kitchen?

                                      

The sweet potatoes will be done first. Drain them, rinse in cold water and dump into other stuff you threw already.

When quinoa has soaked up all the liquid, fluff with a fork and dump into the bowl. Add 2-3 Tbs of balsamic vinegar and the juice of 1/2 the lime. A pinch of salt, chili powder and pepper and if it is a little to vinegary to your taste buds and a teaspoon of sugar.

NOW you can mix it. The less you mix this the better. Avocado becomes all squishy with too much mixing. 

I served this with Broccoli Slaw. Quinoa is an excellent source of protein, therefore can be a meal in itself. If you are not vegetarian, baked or grilled chicken is an awesome addition. If you are using it as a main dish, double this recipe and add some good old bread and butter.

Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad

 1c Quinoa

2 Sweet Potatoes

1/2 bunch Cilantro, chopped

1/2 Bell pepper, color of choice, diced

1/2 Onion, diced

2 Roma tomatoes, diced 

1 Avocado, diced

3 Mushrooms, diced (optional)

2 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tbs Lime juice (preferably from real lime not plastic lime-looking container)

1 Tbs Chili powder

1 Tbs Garlic

Pinch salt and pepper

Bring 2 cups water or broth to a boil and add quinoa. Reduce heat to low and cover pot. Chop sweet potatoes into chunk and boil in broth or water until barely fork tender. Assemble remaining veggies into bowl. Mix together vinegar, spices, and lime juice. Add potatoes and quinoa to veggies. Pour sauce over top and mix lightly. 

Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich

It's an amazingly beautiful perfect day today in Washington. I am hobbling along with bare feet and a tank top today. Let me tell you, the air on my skin is like a lover's caress. Mother nature needs to create a climate where it doesn't get above like 70 ever. Or below for that matter. I'd be down with that.

I'm in a summery mood today, and again am in a creative mood for food.

So lunch today was a chicken sandwich, hawaiian style.

Well probably not technically hawaiian, but it has tropically things on it so we are calling it that, k? K.

See the yumminess...

So there is no step by step with this, because its basically assembly only. And cutting stuff.

Start with chicken. I used a frozen chicken patty and cooked it in the microwave then put it in a saute pan for a little bit to get it crispy. Lots less time than using the oven. 

I was hungry. I like shortcuts.

You can use a chicken breast as well and just cook it in oven or saute pan. I keep several cooked on hand because I have a high protein diet and its a quick snack.

Cut up an onion and mushrooms while waiting for chicken. Saute them in a little olive oil to until brownish in color. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper while cooking.

Slice a piece of pineapple or use a ring or 2 out of the can and put in pan. Let them get a golden brown color on both sides. 

Slice an avocado.

For the mayo/sauce I used 1 T olive oil mayo, dash of garlic powder, pinch of dill, pinch of ginger.

Get out your buns. 

EWWWW! NO! Not those buns! Geez! Put THOSE buns away!

The edible kind...get one out. I like onion rolls, but a hoagie bun or whatever you have on hand os fine. 

Take pineapple out of pan and after buttering the un-crusty side of the bun, put them in the pan to warm up. You know. Kind of like grilled cheese.

When nice and toasty, spread each half with mayo mix and a wedge of laughing cow cheese or melt your cheese of preference over the chicken. Swiss, provolone, monty jack works well or cream cheese if you don't have the Laughing Cow stuff.

Assemble. Chicken. Lettuce. Pineapple. Onion/Mushroom mix. Avocado. 

Yum.

Voila! You have a very yummy summery sandwich, perfect for a sunny day and eating on the porch.