One weekend, 4 parties later I have some tasty recipes to share with you all, as well as, some pretty pictures and exciting news!
Saturday was my nieces 17th birthday party. Yes, I have a niece that is 17. Yes, that makes me feel old! Anyhow, everyone brought a dish and my sister had the kitchen stocked so there was plenty of food to go around. My contribution of the party was a quinoa dish (yall know I love my quinoa). It’s a complete protein and pairs great with many types of flavorings and veggies. What’s not to love?
Southwestern Quinoa
I used this Mark Bittman recipe recommended by Cara, but added some fun ingredients.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa (or other small grain)
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
- 1/2 cup black beans
- 1/2 cup sliced beets (optional)
- 1/4 cup minced red onion
- Freshly ground black pepper/ Sea Salt
- 1/8 cup each, olive oil & coconut oil (or all olive oil)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Preparation:
- If you haven’t already, cook the quinoa or other grain. Drain in a strainer and rinse. Meanwhile, peel the sweet potato and dice it into 1/2-inch or smaller pieces. Cook it in boiling salted water to cover until tender, about 15 minutes; drain well.
- Toss together the potato, quinoa, bell pepper, and onion; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Whisk the oil and lime together and toss the salad with the mixture. Taste and adjust the seasoning, garnish with the cilantro and serve.
The verdict: Everyone really liked the dish and I only brought home one small portion. I will note that one of my cousins pointed out that it needed a little more spice to it. (I would agree, especially since it’s a Southwestern salad- so next time I’ll kick it up a notch.) This is also the same cousin that said it tasted even better mixed with the baked beans. Haha- just thought I’d throw that out there.
Here’s what I ended up munching on:
Quinoa, veggies, vegetarian baked beans, and a cucumber salad.
Penne salad, watergate salad, and fresh fruit. I probably ate my weight in the fruit – but it’s cool because I skipped the cake and ice cream. 
After leaving bash #1, we went to hang out with Isaac’s frisbee friends at yet another cookout. We rode bikes and by the time we arrived the eating was pretty much over. However, I’m still counting it as a cookout for the weekend.
Moving right along to the next cookout, today was my CSA = Victory Farm’s Farm Party. Honestly, one of the reasons I was so exciting to join the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) was the fact that there was going to be a farm party. Obviously, I wasn’t missing this bash.
The coolest part was walking through the farm and knowing that this is where our produce comes from…..
It made me want to work on a farm or have my own garden.
Little farm photo shoot.
Who knew broccoli looked like this while growing? Not I.
After exploring and sipping a glass of this delicious concoction it was time to eat!
Here’s our contribution to the potluck:
Healthy Guacamole (with Frozen Peas)
I followed this recipe (from Rancho La Puerta in Baja, Mexico) recommended by Ryan , but here’s exactly what I used.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup frozen peas, slightly thawed
- 1 medium avocado, peeled and pitted
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, cut into ¼ -inch dice
- 1/2 cup red onion, cut into ⅛-inch dice
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 clove minced fresh garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Preparation:
- In a blender or in the bowl of a food processor, process the peas until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, mash the avocado with a fork or potato masher. Add the juice, tomato, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Add the peas and mix well.
- If the guacamole won’t be served immediately, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent browning.
Serve with an assortment of raw vegetables and tostaditas.
The verdict: The bowl was empty at the end of party. I think that speaks for itself. I didn’t get a critique from anyone but both Isaac and I loved this guac. Seriously, it’s a must try recipe. PS – If Rancho La Puerta has food this good, I think I need to go there. Okay never mind, I went and checked out their website and realized it’s a destination fitness resort and spa. Now I really NEED to go. It looks amazing!
Enough about me, how was your weekend?
- Brittany
Brittany Mullins, HHC
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Rancho la Puerta is amazing. OMG. You should go! You may have to win the lotttery first though. It’s amazing though!
THe pea/guac. I always add tons of veggies to my guac to beef up the veggie factor.
The CSA…i love my San Diego CSA. We are moving back in 36 hrs and i cannot WAIT to get my beloved CSA food every week.
Glutes. Go to my Gym Workouts Tab and Scroll Down Thru it. I discuss glutes and also give a link to a guy’s site. Bret. The pics are a bit whoa…but good info!
oo..that southwestern quinoa looks really yummy!!!
..and no worries i always eat my weight in fruit at parties..lol…it’s just so tempting….
I am excited about these recipes. I love making quinoa but I’ve never seen such a beautifully hued salad! And what a great idea about adding peas to guacamole. Your photos are great, and I enjoyed hearing about your weekend.
Congrats on the contest! I’ll be sure to check back and vote for you. Nurse shmurse, you’ve got this
Bookmarking the Southwestern quinoa– I love quinoa but find myself always adding the same things to it. Time to switch it up!
Wow, the CSA farm photos look gorgeous! I am bookmarking both recipes – they sound perfect for a potluck. Congrats on being the finalist for the contest, it sounds like an awesome opportunity!
These recipes are fantastic! I just saved them to my laptop’s recipe file:)
Congrats on being a finalist–I’ll be sure to vote for you!
That quinoa is such a pretty, vibrant dish! It actually looks fun to eat.
What a fun weekend. I love summer cookouts! Nothing says summer more than an good BBQ. Good choice on the sidedishes. The Quinoa and the Guac both look amazing.
CONGRATS on making the finals!! That’s incredible!
Great looking photos-the fruit, the farm-everything!
Yayyy glad you liked the quinoa salad! And CONGRATS on being a finalist! That’s awesome!!
of course your a finalist! congrats!! how could u not be picked!!
WOW all the eats are incredibly fresh- thats my fav part. i havent seen so many vibrant fruits/vegetables/grains/beans in a LONG time! i think ur choices WERE FANTASTIC! im especially fond of the quinoa and the fruit!! <3
Peas in the guacamole? Genius!
sounds like you had a super busy weekend!!!
I love the quinoa salad it looks amazing!
The farm party sounds like so much fun! And all the dishes look awesome.
Congrats on being a finalist! I’ll definitely be voting for you
So many fun eats this weekend, love love love the farm party too!!
oh my gosh! Congrats! You must be super excited that is wonderful! So many great parties- with delicious & healthy eats this weekend. Both your quinoa salad and the guac look amazing. I want that bowl of guac to magically appear in my fridge right now
Hope you have a good week <3
Quinoa dish and guacamole look great! YUM. Isn’t getting to know farmers and seeing how they do things a great experience. Glad you had such a great time. And congrats on being one of the finalist!
Congrats on being a finalist! That is awesome! I love quinoa…I need to try that salad out! The farm looks so incredible and what a day that must have been!!!
Congrats, Brittany!!! That’s awesome!!! You deserve it. Your blog is so inspiring. Not only does it show how healthy you are, but it inspires others to be healthy as well. That’s blue ribbon worthy if you ask me!!!
I am so sad I had to miss the CSA party. It looks like it was a blast