Spinach Quinoa Salad

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes. It might sound a tad odd, but trust me, it is fabulous and always a huge hit when I make it for a party. I am currently eating it right now, leftovers from dinner last night, and it is making me happy. The spinach does not get soggy so you can make it ahead of time, I’ve even made it the night before and it has been fine. And if you aren’t familiar with quinoa, you should be.

1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups spinach leaves
1 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/3 inch dice
1 15oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 small red onion, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
3 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 350. Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast 7-10 minutes until brown. Let cool.

Bring 3 cups salted water to a boil in a pot over medium-high heat. Stir in quinoa. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and cool covered in pot.

Finely chop spinach into small shreds. Toss quinoa, almonds, spinach, cherries, cucumber, beans and red onion in large bowl. Whisk yogurt, oil, lemon juice and garlic. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving.

I usually double the dressing. It makes a pretty big salad. I’d say it serves 4-5 adults.

Classic Crepes Suzette

This is a Weight Watchers recipe that I tried today for the first time. It is excellent! There is something quite therapeutic about flipping crepes…and fun, too.

1/2 cup flour
4 T sugar
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs beaten
2 tsp grated orange zest
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 oranges, peeled and cut into segments

Combine the flour, 1T of the sugar and salt in a medium bowl.  Combine the milk, eggs and orange zest in another bowl. Gradually whisk the milk mixture into the flour mixture until blended. Let stand 15 minutes. Spray a small nonstick skillet set over medium heat. When a drop of water sizzles, stir batter and pour a scant 1/4 cupful of batter onto it. Swirl to coat. Cook the crepe until the underside is set, about 1-2 minutes. Flip and cook through on the other side about 15 seconds. Slide onto a plate.

Combine the orange juice, orange segments and their juice and the remaining 3T sugar in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Dip each crepe into the hot juice mix, fold, and transfer to a plate.

This makes about 6 crepes. I doubled it today. I also sprinkled the top with powdered sugar which made it even tastier, but a little less of a Weight Watchers recipe I’m sure.