{Summer Quinoa Salad with Fresh Basil and Lemon Honey Dressing}

Bird seed  (how my dad refers to quinoa) might be one of my favorite grains.  Quick cooking, simple to prepare and a great addition to any meal.  I love a huge spoonful of quinoa plopped on top of a veggie packed salad, I love quinoa stirred into soups for a little extra texture, heck I will even top quinoa with fresh fruit for breakfast!  However, I have to say my all time favorite way to enjoy quinoa is as a base for a veggie packed grain salad!  Seriously, one of my favorite things to do Sunday night is to whip up a delicious veggie packed quinoa salad that I can enjoy all week long!  Quinoa  is pretty much a blank slate, all you need are your favorite veggies, a little protein, light dressing and a few fresh herbs for flavor, and voila you have a great salad!  

For this simple grain salad I used a tri Colored quinoa as the base and tossed the cooked quinoa with fresh pepper, tomatoes, cucumbers and onion.  Fresh basil and adds a great flavor kick, and the grilled chicken provides good for you protein.  The entire salad is then drizzled with a lemon honey dressing!  Yum!  Easy, fresh, and clean!

Summer Quinoa Salad with Fresh Basil and Lemon Honey Dressing

Brunch N'Cupcakes 

Serves 4-6 

Ingredients 

Dressing: 

1 1/2 Tablspoon Honey 

Zest From one Lemon 

4 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice 

1 1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil 

1 Minced Garlic Clove 

Salad: 

1 Handful Fresh Basil Roughly Chopped 

1 Cup Chopped Grape Tomatoes 

1/2 Medium Cucumber Chopped 

1/2 Red Pepper Chopped

1/3 Cup Finely Chopped Onion  

2 Chicken Breast 

2 Cups Cooked Quinoa 

Salt, Pepper, Garlic

Directions: 

1- Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and garlic (both sides) heat grill and grill chicken until cooked through (I used a George Forman). 

2- While chicken cools, combine quinoa, veggies and basil.  Toss until well combined. 

3- Cut chicken into chunks and toss into salad. 

4- In a small bowl whisk together dressing ingredients.  Drizzle over salad and toss until well combined. Add salt and pepper to salad to taste.  Best if let salad sit in the fridge for hour before serving! 

Enjoy!

{Chipotle Turkey Meatballs}

What was one of your favorite childhood dishes?  Can you remember? I was always partial to my moms lasagna, my grandmothers meatballs, and my dads chocolate chip pancakes (does that count?). Have you ever taken one of those favorite childhood dish and tweaked it just a little bit?  Kinda like a makeover for food... adding in new ingredients until you have come up with an entirely new dish? 

Well, I know I have done that, and I am hear to tell you that tweaking a family recipe with new ingredients and flavors can be just the ticket to a delicious meal!  That was the case with these tangy turkey meatballs!  I took my favorite family meatball recipe and put a mexican spin on the dish!  The end result, a zippy turkey meatball full of spice!  Easy enough to make on a weeknight for dinner, and the leftovers make a great lunch!  

Chipotle Turkey Meatballs

Brunch N'Cupcakes 

Makes 18 Meatballs 

Ingredients:

1 Lb Ground Turkey

3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs

1/2 Cup Milk

1/2 Red Pepper Chopped 

1/2 White Onion Chopped 

1 extra large handful fresh cilantro chopped 

2 Tablespoons Favorite Chipotle Style Taco Seasoning (I used one with no MSG's) 

1 Teaspoon Black Pepper 

1 Cup Favorite Salsa + More for Serving 

Avocado Slices, Guacamole, and Sour Cream (for serving if desired)

Directions: 

1- Combined ground turkey, bread crumbs, cilantro, taco seasoning, pepper and milk in a large bowl.  Mix until ingredients are well incorporated, set aside. 

2- In a medium skillet coated with cooking spray sautee peppers and onions until tender.  Add peppers to turkey mixture and mix well so peppers and onions are evenly distributed.  

3- Pour your cup of salsa into the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking pan and evenly distribute salsa along the bottom. 

4- Roll turkey mixture into meatballs and place evenly in 9x13 pan.  Bake meatballs in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until meatballs are lightly browned and cooked through.  Test doneness by cutting into a meatball with a fork.  

Note - If you are noticing that the meatballs are getting to dry on top but not done in the middle, cover with foil and continue to bake until cooked through. 

**Serve with extra salsa, avocado slices, guacamole or sour cream!  A simple tomato and avocado salad would go great with this dish for a complete meal!  

Enjoy! 

{Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting}

It's not very often that I post two sweet treats back to back!  But, with my mom's birthday being this past Sunday (Happy Birthday, Mom) I decided Sunday evening that I needed to bake her an extra special birthday cake!  

My mom absolutely loves lemon poppy seed anything!  Which means this cake was the perfect birthday cake for her!  The idea for this cake was sparked by a cake my family and I recently had on Father's Day!  Yes, that very cake was so good that I  had to figure out how to recreate that Father's Day cake at home! I will tell you the thought of recreating a cake at home somewhat terrified me, but then I remembered this muffin recipe... and the task at hand seemed a little less intense.  

I was delighted with how this cake turned out, and am absolutely smitten with the intense lemony flavor  of the cake and creamy lemon cream cheese frosting!  This cake is dense like a pound cake and makes a perfect after dinner treat!   Make this cake today, and serve it at your next grill out!

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Brunch N'Cupcakes 

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:

Cake: 

Dry: 

1 1/2 Cup Flour 

1/2 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Sugar 

3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder 

3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda 

Zest from One Lemon 

Wet: 

1/4 Cup Butter Melted 

2 Tablespoons Greek Yogurt (I used 2%) 

1 Egg 

3/4 Cup Almond Milk or Milk of Choice (I used Unsweetened)

Juice from 1/2 Lemon 

2 Teaspoons Vanilla 

Cream Cheese Frosting: 

2 Tablespoons Milk 

1 Brick Cream Cheese 

2 Cups Powdered Sugar 

Juice from 1/2 a Lemon 

1/4 Cup Butter 

1 Teaspoon Vanilla 

Directions: 

1- In a large bowl whisk together all dry ingredients and set aside. 

2- Grab a smaller bowl and lightly beat your egg.  Add Melted butter, greek yogurt, milk, lemon juice and vanilla and whisk until combined. 

3- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated, don't over mix. 

4- Grease a  8 Inch cake pan and pour batter into cake pan.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
5- While cake is baking whip butter and cream cheese together until smooth.  Slowly add in powdered sugar.  Finally mix in lemon juice and vanilla.  Set aside until cake is done.
6- Allow cake to fully cool.  Once cake is cool, remove cake from cake pan and ice. Slice and enjoy!

{Peanut Butter, Chocolate Revel Bars}

These bars are hands down delicious and prefect for your next pot luck, family get together or just to make for a sweet little weekend treat!   They are fudgy, full of peanut butter goodness and basically hands down delicious! 

I made these bars as my contribution to a bake sale last week, and they got some pretty rave reviews!    These bars feature a few of my favorite things peanut butter, oatmeal and chocolate!  Think of a thick  delicious layer that taste like a peanut butter oatmeal cookie.  That cookie is then topped with a rich peanut butter chocolate filling, and finally topped off with the remaining peanut butter oatmeal cookie goodness!  If you are a peanut butter/chocolate lover these bars are for you!  

Peanut Butter, Chocolate Revel Bars

Slightly adapted from Better Homes and Garden 

Ingredients: 

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bottom: 

1/2 Cup Butter 

1/2 Cup Peanut Butter 

3 Cups Rolled Oats 

2 1/2 Cups Flour 

2 Cups Packed Brown Sugar 

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda 

2 Teaspoons Vanilla

Chocolate Peanut Butter Filling: 

1 1/2 Cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips 

1/2 Cup Peanut Butter 

2 Tablespoons Butter 

2 Teaspoons Vanilla
1- 14 Oz. Can Sweetened Condensed Milk 

Directions:

1- In a large bowl combine peanut butter and butter, beat with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add in brown sugar and beat again until combined.  Now add egg and vanilla beat one last time.  Set mixture aside.  

2- In another large bowl combine oats, flour and baking soda. 

3- Slowly add the dry ingredients into your peanut butter mixture.  Mix until dry and wet ingredients are incorporated. 

4- In a medium saucepan combine buter, chocolate, sweeten condensed milk and peanut butter.  Cook on low heat until chocolate and peanut butter has melted, stir occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. 

5- Press two-thirds of the oat mixture onto the bottom of an ungreased 15x10x1 inch pan.  Spread chocolate peanut butter mixture over top of oat mixture.  Using your fingers crumble the remaining oatmeal mixture over top of the chocolate. 

6- Bake bars in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.  Cool bars before cutting! 

Enjoy! 

{Almond Poppy Seed Muffins}

Muffins can be a simple grab and go breakfast, or they can be a sweet little mid afternoon snack.  I am partial to having muffins as a sweet afternoon snack, with a cup of coffee and a fuzzy blanket (yes, even in summer).  I also love muffins as my after dinner treat, I think of them as a less sweet cupcake! Sometimes the muffin cures the cupcake craving, other times it doesn't!

Anyway, a friend of mine asked me if I had a recipe for a homemade Almond Poppy Seed Muffin, to which I responded "Nope, but I will get right on that!"  The recipe you are seeing today is the creation that was born from that very conversation, with my friend, at work!  The muffin is an adaptation of my lemon muffin with lemon glaze (you can also find another adaptation of my lemon muffin in my post on Strawberry Shortcake)!  I love the sweetness of the almond extract, and adore the simple glaze that tops these muffins!  You could even whip up a simple cream cheese frosting for, Almond Poppy Seed cupcakes!  Delicious, find recipe below!

Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

Brunch N'Cupcakes 

Makes 12 Muffins 

Ingredients: 

Dry: 

1 1/2 Cup Flour 

1/2 Cup Sugar 

3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder 

3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/2 Tablespoon Poppyseeds

Wet: 

1/4 Cup Butter Melted 

2 Tablespoons Greek Yogurt (I used 2%) 

1 Egg 

3/4 Cup Almond Milk or Milk of Choice (I used Unsweetened)

1 1/2 Teaspoon Almond Extract

1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla 

Almond Glaze (Optional, See Note) 

2 Tablespoons Milk of Choice
2 1/2 Tablespoons Powder Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Almond Extract

Cream Cheese Frosting - **Only if want to make muffins as cupcakes, (Optional, See Note)!
2 Cups Powder Sugar
1 Brick Cream Cheese
1/4 Cup Butter
1/2 Teaspoon Almond

Directions: 

1- In a large bowl whisk together all dry ingredients and set aside. 

2- Grab a smaller bowl and lightly beat your egg.  Add Melted butter, greek yogurt, milk, lemon juice and vanilla and whisk until combined. 

3- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated, don't over mix. 

4- Grease or line muffin tin and divide batter among 12 muffin cups.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. 

** While muffins bake whisk together milk, almond extract, and powder sugar, set aside.  If making cream cheese frosting beat ingredients together with a mixer and set in fridge till muffins are done.  Let muffins cool 5 minutes in pan and then lightly drizzle muffins with glaze.  Allow muffins to fully cool before removing from the pan!  If frosting muffings/cupcakes wait until completed cooled and then frost!

**Note - You do not need to make the glaze or the cream cheese frosting if you do not want to.  The muffins are excellent on their own!  Both are just options and up to you! 

{Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Veggies}

My mom whipped up this delicious quinoa salad on Saturday to go along with our Grilled Salmon Tacos! 

Let me tell you, this quinoa salad was fresh, packed with good for you ingredients and down right tasty!  I have been eating the leftover quinoa salad topped with leftover citrus mango salsa, and avocado for lunch... Yum!!  What I think is great about this salad is there is no sugary dressing, the simple ingredients really do all the talking in this dish!  Sub in different veggies if you like and make this your own!  I hope you enjoy it as much as we all did, makes a great addition to taco night! 

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Veggies

Brunch N'Cupcakes - Momma's Recipe

Serves 4-6 

Ingredients: 

1 1/4 Cup Black Quinoa 

1 - 15 Oz Can Black Beans Rinsed and Drained 

1/2 Red Pepper Chopped 

1/2 Cup Finley Chopped Red Onion 

Salt, Garlic and Pepper to Taste 

1 Teaspoon Chili Powder 

1 Teaspoon Cumin 

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil 

1 Large Handful Fresh Cilantro Chopped 

Serve with Squirt of Fresh Lime Juice and Avocado - If desired

Directions: 

1- Cook quinoa according to package directions. 

2- Toss cooked quinoa with olive oil, spices and chopped veggies! 

Enjoy! 

{Grilled Salmon Tacos with Citrus Mango Salsa and Slaw}

Ah, Monday... we meet again!   I have to say that I was a bit sad to see this weekend come to a close!   The weekend seemed short for some odd reason.  But I have to say I throughly enjoyed every minute of it.  The weekend was relaxing and spent at home with family and one of my oldest and dearest childhood friends, Katie!  The weekend was filled with good food, catching up and belly aching laughter!  There is nothing I love more then a good laugh with people I love, the laughs that leave you gasping for breath and tears in your eyes!  Those are simply the best moments!  

And, when I am surrounded by the people closest to me,  I cook, because nothing goes better with friends and family then a good home cooked meal!  Ultimately this is a dinner we will enjoy while doubling over in our chairs because we are laughing so hard! Anyways, lets transition into talking about these mouth watering fish tacos, and talking about the fact that summer has to be one of my favorite seasons for cooking here in Minnesota!  Simply because in Summer you can grill anything and everything, and you can create some pretty awesome and fresh meals!  I love the bold pops of color that come with summer meals, as well as the bold and exciting flavors!  These Grilled Salmon Tacos scream summer to me!   The tacos get  pun h of summer from the Citrus Mango Salsa (also blogged about here) and the slaw adds great crunch!  Make these for your next get together!  Enjoy with friends and family, laugh, enjoy summer and make memories! 

Grilled Salmon Tacos with Citrus Mango Salsa and Slaw

Brunch N'Cupcakes 

Serves 4-6 

Ingredients: 

1 Pound Fresh Salmon - Skin still on 

Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder 

Olive Oil 

Mango Salsa Ingredients: 

1 Mango Chopped 

1/4 Cup Onion Finley Chopped 

1/2 Cup Red Pepper Chopped 

1 Large Handful Cilantro Chopped 

Juice from One Orange 

Juice from 1/2 Lime 

Salt, Pepper and Garlic to Taste

Slaw Ingredients:

1 Package Broccoli Slaw 

1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil 

1 Giant Handful Fresh Cilantro Chopped 

1/4 Cup Chopped Onion 

1/2 Cup Chopped Red Pepper 

Juice from 1/2 Lime 

1 Teaspoon Chili Powder 

1/2 Teaspoon Cumin 

Salt, Pepper and Garlic to Taste 

For Serving: 

4-6 Whole Wheat Tortillas 

Quinoa or Brown Rice (If you don't want to use tortillas) 

Sour Cream/Greek Yogurt - If you Like 

Avocado Diced 

Directions: 

1- Combine mango, cilantro, onion, and pepper in a small bowl.  Toss to combine.  Stir in olive oil, orange juice, lime juice and spices, mix and set aside. 

2- In another smaller bowl, combine broccoli slaw, onion, red pepper and cilantro.  Toss to combine.  Stir in Olive oil, lime juice, and spices, mix and set aside.  

3- Heat grill to 350 degrees.  Coat salmon (both sides, flesh and skin) with olive oil.  Sprinkle salmon with salt, pepper and garlic.  Place salmon, skin side down on grill.  Cook 10 minutes on grill or until desired degree of doneness has been met. 

4- To Serve divide slaw among 4-6 whole wheat tortillas, top with salmon and mango salsa.  If not using tortillas top quinoa or brown rice with salmon, slaw and mango salsa.  Or eat taco salad style with salmon and mango salsa on top of slaw with chips!  Top with additional toppings like sour cream/greek yogurt and avocado if you desire! 

Here are more delicious fish taco recipes from around the web! 

Fish Tacos with Lime Cilantro Crema - Cooking Light 

Grilled Fish Tacos with Chipotle Lime Dressing - All Recipes 

Fish Tacos with Creamy Lime Guacamole and Cabbage Slaw - Food and Wine 

Enjoy!