Between now and my last post I have celebrated my 43rd birthday, didn't celebrate Halloween for the first time in my life (which I'll never do again!), watched my Boston Red Sox win the World Series (WOO HOO!), celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary, started training for my first marathon, cooked a full Thanksgiving meal (which I'll also never do again, lol), had a whirlwind day trip to Graceland (awesome!), enjoyed a 2 week visit with my step-son including hosting Christmas for the family (which I do for the season, not the reason) and a quiet three-person New Year's Eve, celebrated the Honey's birthday, ran my first marathon (after logging 402 miles in training... YEAH!), hosted our yearly backyard 'Eat, Drink & Be Merry Bash' (including a handmade Mexican feast!), and tried to be a good health care proxy for my mother-in-law. WHEW!!! I was a busy girl, but I am NOT complaining. Most women have to do all this and work a full-time job. If I was working, there would be NO way I'd get all this crap done, lol.
So anyway... HI!!! How are you? It's May 1st and I miss my blog, so I'm going to just jump right in...
I just bought a gianormous bag of chopped kale (YUM!) and wanted a new recipe for it. I found this one online and OH MY was it tasty!!! http://www.calicooking.com/spicy-kale-and-quinoa-salad-with-sweet-corn-and-black-beans/.
A few things happened though... I decided last minute to make it, so I was missing a few ingredients... no corn, avocado or cilantro. To balance out the 'sweet' factor (due to the missing corn), I added a 1/2 cup of dried cranberries. I also upped the kale by about a cup, so I would be getting more of the green love. I'm not big on heavy EVOO taste, so I made an executive decision to cut the oil back to 1/4 cup. I'm glad I did, since the 1/4 cup was even a bit more than I prefer.
The recipe instructions also call for letting the quinoa cool before mixing... NAH! I'm an instant gratification kinda gal. I cooked the quinoa, prepping all the other ingredients & whisking the dressing during that cooking time. When it was done, I dumped the hot quinoa in a large bowl, added the kale & onion first, then the rest of the 'dry' ingredients - combining well. I poured the dressing on and mixed it in, being sure to cover every morsel. And that was it!! From gathering the ingredients, to taking my first nite, it was a total of 15 minutes. Okay, maybe 17 ;)
Sorry I don't have my normal photos to share from my cooking adventure, but I wasn't thinking and just wanted to EAT KALE... NOM!!! I'll be sure to share the recipes, links, & photos from the recent party. SO many delicious and easy Mexican treats!!
Glad to be back! Drop me a line to say hello, and please share my Blog with your friends!
Peas out,
MaryAnn ~
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