Grapefruit and Browned Onion Quinoa Salad

 

Is there a store you sometimes frequent that when you go in you are on a mission for only one or two things but you come out with a ton of unnecessary nonsense?

 Target maybe? Perhaps the grocery store perhaps?

For me, the store I can’t safely go into is CVS. It is the pharmacy that I get my asthma prescription filled at, but somehow I always end up with at least 7 things I didn’t go in for and probably didn’t need.

Tonight, I had to go in for some… ahem… lady products. I ended up leaving with some as seen on TV type facial scrubber, some cool spray on suntan lotion, a hair band, three new nail polish colors, two thank you cards, a bottle of wine and some Pringles.

I only had to go up one aisle? How the hell did this happen?

Oh well, I’m given myself a mini facial, I’ve had some vino and I’ve painted my nails. I turned my shopping failure into an evening of success.

A success, just like this dish.

You will need…

1 cup quinoa

1 bullion cube

1 ¾ cup of water

1 grapefruit

½ cup basil, finely chopped

1 medium onion, sliced into rings

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by adding the onions and olive oil to a large sauté pan and heat them over medium heat.

Season the onions with salt and pepper and cook them down until they are very soft and golden brown. About 20 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes.

As soon as you start your onions, combine your bullion cube, quinoa and water in a medium sauce pan over high heat.

Bring the quinoa to a boil, reduce it to a slow simmer and cover.

While the quinoa and onions are cooking, segment your grapefruit over a small bowl to catch the juice.

When the onions have cooked down, remove them from the pan and chop them finely.

As soon as all the water has evaporate from the quinoa, remove it from the heat and gently fluff with a fork.

Add the reduced onions, grapefruit, juice and basil to the quinoa.

Toss well, season to taste and serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Grapefruit and Browned Onion Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa

1 bullion cube

1 ¾ cup of water

1 grapefruit

½ cup basil, finely chopped

1 medium onion, sliced into rings

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by adding the onions and olive oil to a large sauté pan and heat them over medium heat.

Season the onions with salt and pepper and cook them down until they are very soft and golden brown. About 20 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes.

As soon as you start your onions, combine your bullion cube, quinoa and water in a medium sauce pan over high heat.

Bring the quinoa to a boil, reduce it to a slow simmer and cover.

While the quinoa and onions are cooking, segment your grapefruit over a small bowl to catch the juice.

When the onions have cooked down, remove them from the pan and chop them finely.

As soon as all the water has evaporate from the quinoa, remove it from the heat and gently fluff with a fork.

Add the reduced onions, grapefruit, juice and basil to the quinoa.

Toss well, season to taste and serve hot. 

Citrus Salad

Technology and modern day farming have pretty much made seasonal foods a non issue.

At any time of year, I can get winter squash, autumn tomatoes and summer strawberries.

But there is something extra special about a beautiful and delicious piece of produce picked at the height of its season.

Even though citrus fruits are light, juicy and make me think of summer, their seasons are actually November thru May.

Which means we are coming into the best time for delicious citrus goodies.

 It is now the perfect time for that navel orange, Satsuma tangerine (we get them in our stockings for Christmas every year) or ruby red grapefruits.

And I’m sorry, but the grapefruits so far this year have been INSANE.

Side note. You know you are a food nerd when you are gushing about this year’s grapefruit crop.

If being a food nerd is wrong, then I don’t want to be right.

With citrus season in full swing, now is the absolute perfect time to make this salad. Over and over and over.

Until late spring of course.

You will need…

2 ruby-red or pink grapefruits, peel and pith removed

2 navel or blood oranges, peel and pith removed

1 avocado, cut into small sections

4 ounces spring lettuce mix

1 head curly endive, cut into bit sized pieces

¼ red onion, chopped

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

¼ cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste.

Start by combining your greens in a medium sized salad bowl.

Then, working over a bowl to catch the juices, segment your citrus fruits by slicing between the sections and membrane of each piece of fruit.

Add the fruit to the bowl as you section it.

In a small bowl or food processor, combine the vinegar, honey and oil with 2 tablespoons of the reserved citrus juice.

Season it with salt and pepper to taste.

Whisk or blend the ingredients until completely combined.

Add the red onion to the vinaigrette to reduce its bite.

Top the greens and fruit with the avocado.

Drizzle the salad with the onions and vinaigrette.

Toss and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Lobster, Avocado, Grapefruit Cups

Serious question. Are ya’ll on Pinterest?

If the answer is no, I highly suggest you click that little blue/green word above and get acquainted with my new best friend.

I am well aware that this website is not new. For months and months now I have been dragging my feet to join. Not because I don’t need something else to fill my time, but because I knew I would become infatuated with it.

Welp, if I know one thing about myself, it is my ability to become consumed by things.

And consumed I have become.

Thanks to my virtual pinboards, I am now wishing I had a home to decorate, more bucks in my shopping bank account, unlimited travel resources and thirty hours in every day to allow for more cooking.

It’s a disease really.

The upside to my time consuming new buddy is that I never have to worry about what to cook again.

I have an internet based lineup of things I want to cook.

And this was first on the list.

I made this as a little appetizer for our NYE celebration and I suggest you make it to celebrate something. Pinterest perhaps?

You will need…

1 pink grapefruit, peeled and pith removed

1 avocado, peeled and pitted

3 ounces cooked lobster meat (I used the tails of two little lobsters, but you could also use crab or shrimp for this dish)

4 heads of Belgian endive (about 8 ounces)

2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped

Salt and pepper

If you are unfamiliar with a way to cook your lobster meat, fill a medium pot with about ½ inch worth of water.

Place a little rack or something you can rest the lobster on in the bottom of the pot and place the lobster on top.

Over high heat, bring the water to a boil in order to steam the lobster. Steam until the lobster is a vibrant pink.

Meanwhile, using a small paring knife, remove the sections from the grapefruit. Work over a bowl so that you catch the tasty grapefruit juice.

If any of the pieces are large, cut them in half crosswise.

Slice the avocado into little slices and add them to the bowl of grapefruit juice.

Season them with salt and pepper and toss.

Trim the bottoms off the endives and separate them into spears.

Lay out the endive spears and place a piece of avocado and grapefruit inside.

Add a tasty bite of your cooked lobster.

Top with a little bit of your tarragon.

Delish. Happy pinning.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Mexican Seared Scallop Salad with Caramelized Avocados

Downtime at work.

It may be a rarity, but everyone has it. Sometimes. If you say you don’t, you are a dirty dirty liar and your nose is going to grow.

Some people chat with coworkers during their down time. Others surf the net.

Me? I watch cooking videos.

Yeah, I know. I’m super cool.

I also look at funny cat pictures and videos...

But that’s a whole other story.

Yes, I go on the internet and I watch people cook. And then I either get inspired by what they made and make something inspired by them, or I just flat out copy them as is the case with this dish.

It could have been the women’s accent, but she made this dish look so good and it sounded just crazy enough to be delicious. Shocking, it was.

You will need…

For the Marinade

1 1/2 tablespoons achiote paste*, crumbled or 1 tablespoon smoked paprika (achiote paste can be found in Latin markets. Look for a brand with no MSG or artificial additives.)

1 orange, juiced

2 limes, juiced

1 medium garlic clove, peeled and minced

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Caramelized Avocados

Extra-virgin olive oil, for greasing pan

2 Hass avocados, halved, pitted and flesh cut into quarters

2 tablespoons sugar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

6 cups mixed baby lettuces (spring mix)

1 red grapefruit, peeled and segmented

12 large sea scallops (Trader Joe’s has great frozen ones)

To make the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until the mixture is smooth.

Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade in a small bowl.

Add the scallops to the bowl with the marinade. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the scallops for up to 30 minutes.

Heat a large, heavy sauté pan over medium high heat.

Remove the scallops from the marinade and add them directly into the hot pan. Because they have been marinated in olive oil, they will not stick.

Discard the marinade the scallops were in.

Cook until golden on 1 side, about 2 minutes, depending on the size.

Turn them over and brown on the other side, another 2 minutes. Drain the scallops on paper towels and set aside to cool slightly.

To coat the avocados, coat the bottom of a small, nonstick skillet over medium heat, with extra-virgin olive oil.

Sprinkle 1 side of the avocado slices with sugar, and salt and pepper, to taste.

Add them to the skillet and cook until the sugar is caramelized and golden, about 2 minutes. Turn gently and cook for another 30 seconds.

Remove to a plate and set aside.

To assemble the salad, put the baby lettuces in a bowl with half of the grapefruit segments. Add the reserved 1/4 cup of marinade and toss until coated.

Put the dressed lettuces on a serving platter. Top with the caramelized avocados, remaining grapefruit segments, and scallops. Serve additional vinaigrette on the side.

What videos do you watch in YOUR down time?

If it’s dirty, I don’t want to know.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela