Recipe #1

Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad

My new favorite ingredient to cook with lately has been the very yummy and very good for you Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) and I have been experimenting with it in all kinds of different recipes. I have used it as a replacement for rice when serving gumbo and curry and I have used it as a replcement for pasta in salads. This recipes is a Thai inspired salad that I made up to please my Thai ingredient loving taste buds! It is still a bit of a work in progress but it got rave reviews at a recent family get-together! Enjoy!

Peanut Dressing:

1/4 cup vinegar of your choice (I prefer seasoned rice vinegar)

1/4 coconut milk

4-5 T. peanut butter, creamy

1-2 fresh garlic cloves

2 T. sugar

1-2 T. fresh lime juice

1/4 t. chili sauce (also found in the Asian section of your supermarket), opt.

Process these ingredients in a blender until smooth and combine with the following:

2 cups dry quinoa cooked in 4 cups chicken broth according to package directions and chilled

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

2 cups cooked, cubed chicken, chilled

2-3 slices of pickled ginger, juliened (found in the Asian section of your supermarket)

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Chill salad in refridgerator for a couple hours, Just before serving top with chopped peanuts and more chopped cilantro. If you want to make it pretty you can make a rose out of the pickled ginger to place in the center. (  :

Recipe #2

Sour Cream Lemon Pie

This was my Aunt Evelyn's recipes and 'oh my' is it good!

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 1/4 cups milk

3 egg yolks, beaten

1/3 cup lemon juice (I used a little more because I like it tart)

1 t. lemon zest

1/4 cup butter

1 cup sour cream

1 pre-baked pie crust

Whipped Cream, store-bought or your own homemade

In saucepan, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Add milk gradually, stirring until smooth. Stir in egg yolks, lemon juice and zest, and butter. Over medium heat, stirring constantly,  cook mixture until it boils or becomes as thick as pudding. Pour into a large mixing bowl and refridgerate about 45-50 minutes or until colled but not completely set. Fold in the sour cream and pour into the pie crust. Refridgerate 2 hours or until firm. Top with the the whipped cream and a twisted slice of lemon. Enjoy!

Very Cool Kitchen Tip

I saw this on the Food Network awhile back and had to try it. Incredibly it worked very well and you will never have to buy green onions again if you try it! How does it work? Very easily! Just add a bunch of green onion to a glass of water and place in your kitchen windowsill. When you want some, snip off the tops and within a few days they will regenerate themselves! How cool is that?