Good evening!
Today I enjoyed doing absolutely nothing. I offered to help Eric paint, but he said, ‘Ange, just take the day to relax and veg out.’
He is brilliant if I do say so myself. That, or he doesn’t want me messing up the painting and didn’t have the heart to tell me…
So yes.
I sat. I vegged.
I ate some of this…
I deemed this The Day of Theo Mint Chocolate.
This chocolate is straight from our Florida trip. It has been hidden in my dresser, buried under clothes and I forgot about it for weeks. I know this may sound like I am a 90 year old lady who hides things and then forgets about their location, but trust me, I need to hide this chocolate from myself.
This may help explain…
I packed a small suitcase full of European chocolate when Eric and I were at the tail end of our honeymoon. I had to bring a huge stash back to Canada with me. Why is European chocolate so much better?
So yes, I had the most lazy morning and afternoon. It was great.
Around 5:30pm, Eric and I went to the pool to swim laps! We had a lovely swim and we even met a new running/tri friend. :) The pool is turning out to be a great place to meet people! Who knew?
The swim:
- 40 mins
- Alternated freestyle, breaststroke, and flutter board
- approx 35 lengths/875 metres
We showered, dried off in the sauna where we met another triathlete/runner, and then headed back to the car. I ripped into this Glo Bar!
It was 7pm and I was starving. Dinner was not in sight for at least 45 minutes. I saw hubby eying the Glo Bar, so I split it with him. True Love.
We drove home and made this awesome dinner (thanks to a wonderful tip from blog reader, Jen).
Quinoa Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette
Adapted from Quinoa Greek Salad.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 orange or red pepper, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion (or sweet), chopped
- Seasonings (Oregano, basil, salt and peppa)
- 1 clove Minced Garlic (optional) I rarely use garlic because I can’t digest it well.
Dressing:
- I made a full batch of my Better Than Bottled Balsamic Vinaigrette to pour over top. I looove this dressing.
Directions: In a pot, bring vegetable broth to a boil and reduce to medium-low. Add 1 cup quinoa and stir gently. Cook for about 15 mins. stirring often. Set aside when quinoa is cooked and has absorbed the broth. While it is cooking chop vegetables. Throw everything into a big casserole dish and then pour homemade dressing over top. Serve immediately or chill in fridge for a couple hours.
We loved this! Thank you Jen!!! :) The homemade dressing went awesome with it.
I had seconds…
and then more chocolate. ;)
By the way, I have been meaning to tell you about a discovery that my mother-in-law told me about! I always have a huge issue with crying when I chop onions, like many people. Well, my MIL told me to run cold water (just ever so slightly) while chopping the onions and you won’t shed one tear. I was very skeptical, but I tried it last week and it worked like a charm! It was so nice to be able to cut onions and not have tears running down my face.
Updates:
- Vegan overnight oats spotting!
- I have a new quotes page! Yes, finally. I know. Many of you have been asking me for a quotes pages for months now, and I finally added one. I will be updating it frequently.
- Reader Green Monster recipes are up
- Some of you have been asking me how to get a picture/avatar beside your comment– go to www.gravatar.com and sign up for a free account to upload your picture!
I’m off to tame this wild post-pool/no hairdryer hair and then we are going to meet a couple friends for a drink. Hopefully I remember to drink a big glass of water before bed so I don’t wake up parched.
Tonight’s question- Do you have any tricks up your sleeve that you use in the kitchen when cooking or baking? Do tell.
One of my favourite tricks is to dip a knife into a glass of cold water before spreading icing. Another trick is to make a glaze (made from milk + icing sugar) and coat the cake with a thin layer of glaze and let it dry in the fridge. Once it is firm, then you can ice the cake and this helps prevent crumbs from getting all over the icing.
I don’t think I have any awesome kitchen tips but I enjoy hearing yours :)
I’m impressed that you can drink water right before bed- I wake up peeing 5 times if I do that haha
haha well I didn’t mean RIGHT before bed I guess…maybe 45-60 mins ;) Even then I still will get up in the middle of the night I bet!
ommggg! i love Milka chocolate! I keep my knives in cold water when I’m icing… but other than that, I’m not much for tips! I always throw stuff into the mix depending on how I’m feeling that night- I like to cook in the moment!
That salad loos SO delicious!!!
my favorite cooking tip: cook your spaghetti sauce without the top on it. that way it thickens up faster as opposed to the condensation dripping into the pot with the top on it :) you’ll find that your sauce is richer and more delectable :)
Wow that is a great tip! I never do that!
you should try it! you wont be sorry! Also, (because I’m Italian and my dad taught me everything I know in the kitchen) If you add just a table spoon of tomato paste to your tomato sauce it’ll come out nice and thick as well, in addition to cooking it with the top off of course :)
European chocolate is absolutely the best. I think it’s because they use real cocoa, butter and milk whereas in America, we used chemicals and more unnatural ingredients.
Hey! I looove the new layout of the blog! It looks awesome and is so easy to navigate.
Tips for the kitchen… when making homemade salad dressing, mix all the ingredients together except the oil first, and then add the oil and it gets much thicker and emulsifies better that way. Add vinegar to poaching water for eggs to get the perfect poached egg… I have tons!
Oh, I will definitely try that when I make my salad dressing next. Thank you!
I think European Choclate has less wax in it… That’s my theory!
Girl, your new blog layout looks fantastic! I”ve been away from the computer since Friday morning, and this is the first look I’ve gotten at it… awesome!
Kitchen tip: plastic appliances (blender jars, food processor bowl, etc) tend to hold on to odors like garlic and onions. Sprinkle the inside with baking soda and a little water and rub it around the container, then rinse well. Odors gone and no icky chemicals!
Also: invest in a mitten or glove-shaped potholder. They’re so much easier to use than the square ones!
Something I learned recently from my friend’s grandma….use a plastic knife to cut brownies. No brownie buildup!
omg what a great treat that must have been to find it rummaged in ur clothes. SUPRISE..THEO! woot! ive tried that chocolate and am a pretty big fan. its not my fav but its quite delicious nonetheless!
Your dinner looks delicious! I keep hearing great things about Quinoa, but I haven’t tried it out yet… maybe I’ll try your recipe :)
I think European chocolate tastes better because High Fructose Corn Syrup is illegal in the European Union :P
mmmmmm chocolate is the one thing I am never successful at hiding from myself!
I have tried to like quinoa. It seems so very rich for my taste. I have tried mixing it with brown rice and have gotten a great result. I love it, but I don’t understand eating it on it’s own. Love your blog. Thanks.
My baking secret: don’t hesitate to put applesauce in ANYTHING! brownies, cookies, breads, rolls, just do it. It will make it moist and give it a nice hint of apple.
Small world, Ange – I made the original recipe of that Quinoa Greek Salad last week and enjoyed it for lunch all week! Soooo good, and I couldn’t believe how full it kept me all afternoon! Enjoy the rest of your weekend :)
My mom taught me to cook everything with love – that’s my tried and true kitchen tip!
Oh, and if something doesn’t turn out perfectly I just say I ran out of love or that I was busy loving something else (like the cat!). Haha. Okay, I’m super cheesy. :)
That actually sort of makes sense! I think that when you chop onions it releases some sort of fumes into the air and having running water going probably absorbs it. :D It’s a great tip, thanks! (Though I probably wouldn’t like wasting water :S)
I have a tip for measuring sticky things like honey (it’s a mess with measuring cups and spoons!); two, actually! The first one is to dip your measuring utensil in boiling water, then measure the sticky object. It’ll slide right off! Another is to spray your measuring utensil with cooking spray… I got that from here:
http://dishinanddishes.wordpress.com
Oh yeah, and one thing for cleaning your blender (I got it from KERF!): put dishwashing liquid and water in your blender, then just blend! Everything’ll rinse right out :D
Have a great night! Dinner looks delish. :)
Wei-Wei
Love the new site layout. Kinda miss the old, but change is good.
I love the new layout. It is very glamorous but uncomplicated. Looking forward to reading in the future!
I LOVE quinoa!!!! It’s my favorite thing to eat the day before long runs, and after the run…and always really. :) I need to try it with your vinaigrette. Looks sooo good. A good tip with quinoa (and any grain) is that if you put the quinoa in while the waters cold and bring it up to a boil, it gives it a more creamy consistency. Putting the quinoa in when it’s boiling keeps the grains more separate.
I made your Better than Bottled balsamic dressing a few weeks ago and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. The first thing I did with it looked a lot like your dinner tonight!! I poured it on Quinoa with chopped orange peppers, red onions and cucumber. So plain sounding but SO delicious!!