Quinoa - my favorite ingredient

One of my good friends has Celiac's disease so I am always on the look out for great recipes that are gluten-free. Quinoa is a great gluten-free food - it is a grain but it is also rich in protein so it makes delicious and hearty salads.

Last night I made this excellent recipe from the Food Network. : Salmon Kebobs with Spicy Quinoa and Grapefruit Salad. (For vegetarians, the salad is great on its own, no fish necessary). It's a little bit complicated, the salmon definitely made it a bit pricier (about $10 per person), but it was definitely worth it, and obviously way less than you would pay in a restaurant.

Ingredients

Salad:

• 1 medium grapefruit
• 8 thin slices fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 small serrano or jalapeno chile, minced (with seeds for maximum heat)
• 2 scallions (both white and green parts), minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper

Fish:

• 1 1/2 pound skinless, center-cut salmon, cut into 2-inch cubes
• Wooden skewers, soaked

Directions

Strip the peel from the grapefruit with a vegetable peeler, taking care not to include the bitter white pith. Warm the grapefruit peel, ginger, and olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. As soon as the oil starts to bubble, after about 2 minutes, remove from heat. Set the oil aside to steep for 30 minutes. Strain and reserve the oil.

Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa in a bowl and drain. Put the quinoa in a small saucepan with the water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Boil over high heat, and then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Set aside off the heat, undisturbed, for 5 minutes. Transfer the quinoa to a bowl and fluff with a fork. Cool.

Segment the grapefruit over a bowl, reserving the segments and juice separately. Whisk 3 tablespoons of the grapefruit juice with the vinegar, honey, and salt to taste in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in 3 tablespoons of the reserved grapefruit oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest in a stream to make a slightly thick dressing. Season with pepper to taste.

Toss quinoa with the dressing, chiles, scallions, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Preheat a stovetop or outdoor grill to high heat. Thread the salmon cubes onto the skewers. Brush with the remaining 1 tablespoon grapefruit oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill the skewers, turning as each side browns but the salmon is still moist, about 3 minutes.

Toss the grapefruit segment into the salad, divide among 4 plates, and top with the salmon kebobs. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Copyright 2004 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

New Years Resolutions

There is nothing like the New Year to help regain control of one's finances. The holidays are over, which hopefully means the end of overspending and overindulging. Of course, one of my many new years resolutions is to work on living more closely to my budget. With the help of the website mint.com, I have analyzed my past finances and set goals for the future. I saw where I overspent (shopping, restaurants, and coffee shops, shocking I know!) and underspent (happily, alcohol and bars). Using this information, I have adjusted my budget accordingly and laid out my plan for 2011.

I am trying to spend no more than $10 at Starbucks per week, $40 per month. In fact, I have not been yet in 2011. But of course, I wanted to build in some wiggle room just in case I need an emergency venti soy chai latte. (Considering, my fave beverage is also upwards of 300 calories, this also fits in with another resolution).

I am also trying to spend less on restaurants and apply some of that savings to spending more at the supermarket. I have allotted $60 per week to supermarket spending and $50 per week for restaurants. This still allows me to either get one or two nice dinners in per week OR to buy lunch a few days per week (which ALWAYS winds up happening no matter how hard I try to prevent it).

I have also cut my shopping (in which I include everything from clothes to books to music) budget, which I know will be the most difficult to stick to... But here's to good things in the New Year.

Also, as a bonus, here is the recipe I will be making tonight (for under $15).

Warm Chick Pea Stew.

Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 75 minutes
Serves: 8
Cost: $8 or $11*

• 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
• 1 ½ cup diced onions
• ¾ cup diced celery
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes and their juices
  
• 3 cups chicken stock (if store-bought, by low sodium variety)
• 20 oz canned chickpeas, rinsed
• 14 oz can lentils, rinsed
  
• ½ cup short grain brown rice
• ¾ tsp salt
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• Cilantro sprigs for garnishing

Heat the olive oil in a medium stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and celery and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the ginger, turmeric, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their juices, stirring well. Stir in the chicken stock, lentils, and chickpeas. Bring to a boil.


Add the rice and salt and return the stew to a simmer. Cook covered for 60 minutes, until rice is tender. Add the cilantro, parsley, and lemon juice. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes.

Ladle into warmed soup bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs.

*If using store-bought stock.

Click here to check out other recipes for under $15 from Learnvest.

My Starbucks Addiction

When I started my new job, I knew one the easiest way to save some money would be to cut out my morning Starbucks habit. And I had been doing very well until now. I had been treating my grande soy no-water chai latte as a special treat, something to perk me up on a really bad day or a reward for a particularly rough work week.

But in the past two weeks, Starbucks has become breakfast. I have gone every single day. AND I have upgraded to a venti. So now I am at $4.90 per morning, $34.30 per week (yes I go on Saturday and Sunday too), and $137.20 per month.

What else could I do with almost $140?

I could pay my cable bill and my utilities.
I could have an extra $140 in my savings account.
I could go out for dinner and drinks several times.
I could take the train to NY.
I could buy something I don't need (much like the daily venti soy chai lattes in the first place).

So far, budgeting in October, not looking so hot.

Moroccan Chicken

As promised, here is a tasty and simple recipe for one, which I found in my Betty Crocker beginners cookbook. The recipe calls for 4 chicken breasts, but I made it with two 2 and it came out great. My leftovers also held up very nicely for lunch the next day :)

Moroccan Chicken:

1 tablespoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small papaya (if desired)
hot cooked couscous (if desired)

1. In small bowl, mix paprika, salt, cumin, allspice, and cinnamon, coat both sides of chicken with mixture.

2. in 10 in skillet, heat oil over medium heat. cook chicken in oil 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170 degree F). Serve chicken with papaya and couscous (if desired).

Resisting Temptation

Learnvest recommends that no more than 4% of one's annual budget be spent on clothing! (see full article here!)

So as part of my effort to live on a budget, I have recently unsubscribed from all shopping e-mails. I was getting almost 20 per day. Not only has this helped me to cut back looking at a plethora of online stores, but it has also uncluttered my inbox dramatically. However, that doesn't mean that I have stopped e-shopping all together.

In fact today, I decided to browse at Neiman Marcus to look for this well-priced, work appropriate Alice + Olivia dress I had seen a while ago in the store. I have a bunch of work events next week and thought that it would be perfect. That's when Neiman Marcus online through this teaser in - if I spent $250 or more today, I would get a $25 gift card back (There were higher increments with even more money back, but there was no way I was spending that much). Suddenly I found myself wandering through rows and rows of dresses, skirts, and tops justifying spending that amount just for the deal, even though the dress I really wanted was nowhere to be found on the site.

Sales (and deals) are never really sales or deals at all, unless the specific thing you NEED is actually on sale. They trick us into buying things we would never buy if they weren't on sale or spending way more than we intended because we are so excited for the great deal we are getting.

I fall victim to this mentality all the time, so I am particularly proud of myself for NOT buying anything today! And let's face it, $25 at Neiman Marcus can barely buy an eyeshadow, so that $25 gift card would have turned into another budget-busting shopping trip that I simply should not take.

Bus v. Train - A Serious Dilemma

Last Friday, I spent $20 on a bus ticket, trying to be financially practical, and it took me over 6 hours to go 250 miles. I was also sitting next to a baby and in front of a girl who did not stop coughing, except for when she was talking on her cell phone. THERE WAS NO ESCAPE! Door to door my trip was about 7 and half hours. That is a long day of traveling. Returning on Sunday, I splurged on the train, and even with a 45 minute delay made it back in just over 4 hours.

Was my time worth the extra $120 I spent on the upgraded form of transportation? I think so!

The Cable Bill I Was NOT Expecting

I do not understand why Comcast cannot bill me like every other company - get a bill on a set day for a set range of time. No, they send bills whenever they feel like it with seemingly completely arbitrary date ranges. The bill I just received for example covers all of my service for part of August and all of September. That was a $222.74 bill for cable and internet.

Now its not that I mind having a cable bill that is $100/month. In fact, I completely factored that into my expenses. I know that this bill is a little steep, but for me having all the TV-related perks was extremely important - I watch a lot (some may say too much) TV. So yes, I have DVR (there are four shows that I watch going up against each other in the fall lineup!) and yes, I took that deal they were offering on HBO (have you SEEN Alexander Skarsgard?).

I guess what angers me is that even though I have factored in $100/month, I now owe over $200 because of these wonky date ranges and that is big chunk of my bi-weekly paycheck. I know I won't have to pay again for a while, but its just frustrating in the now.

Then again, what about dealing with the cable company is not frustrating?