This salad is super easy to make and is packed with fresh veggies, olives, Feta cheese and protein rich quinoa. It’s a great addition to any cookout if you’re looking to include something on the healthier side. I know that I always appreciate something on the lighter side during a cookout because so many BBQ side dishes are on the heavier side.

It’s also a great stand alone dish. I make a big batch and eat it for lunch all week long. It comes together in a snap, but to really let the flavor come together, I recommend making it the night before you plan on serving it. It makes all the ingredients really come together and makes the flavor pop.

Now that you’ve tried my recipe, check out the BBQ recipes that these lovely ladies are sharing on their blog!

• Kayla: BBQ Pulled Pork
• Bria: Taco Salad
• Danielle:
• Stephanie: Grilled Shrimp
• Laura:
• Lisa:
• Renee:
• Courtney:

And as always, if you make this recipe share it on Instagram and don’t forget to tag me!  Happy eating!

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I went through our kitchen and pulled out some ingredients that I felt would work well together and viola, the Asian quinoa salad came to life. Not only is it delicious, it is packed with veggies. While it is pretty healthy, the taste reminded me of some of my not-so-healthy favorites from Chinese takeout, without the empty calories and MSG.

4.2 from 5 reviews

Asian Quinoa Salad

 

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Recipe type: Sidedish

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa uncooked
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ red onion
• 1 red pepper
• 2 cups shelled edamame
• 1 cup frozen corn
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ¼ teaspoon grated ginger (or powder in you don't have fresh)
• sesame seeds to garnish

Instructions

1. Cook quinoa according to package instruction in water, chicken broth and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Let cool.
2. Defrost corn.
3. In a large bowl, combine red onion, pepper, edamame, corn and quinoa. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, remaining sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, ginger and red pepper flakes.
5. Pour over the salad and combine well.
6. Refrigerate for at least a half an hour for best results.
7. Garnish with sesame seeds before serving.

3.5.3208

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Kale Quinoa and Roasted Beet Salad

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Ingredients

• 3 large handfuls of kale, washed, chopped and stems removed
• ½ cup of cooked quinoa
• 2 medium beets, cut into quarters (You can also use precooked beets to save time)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons champagne vinaigrette (I picked mine up at Trader Joe's)
• 4 oz Feta cheese, cubed

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Arrange beets on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes or until fork tender.
3. In a large bowl, combine kale, beets and quinoa. Drizzle with champagne vinegarette and mix to coat.
4. Sprinkle with feta cheese and enjoy!

3.5.3208

Happy eating!

The post Kale Quinoa and Roasted Beet Salad appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

4.0 from 1 reviews

Oatmeal Quinoa

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Breakfast Bake

 

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Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups almond milk
• 1 large egg
• 1½ tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup strawberries, sliced

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 and lightly grease your pan.
2. Mix together oats, quinoa, baking powder and cinnamon.
3. Pour melted coconut oil over the dry ingredient mixture.
4. In a separate bowl lightly beat egg and add in milk and vanilla.
5. Combine wet and dry ingredients and fold in berries.
6. Bake for 40 minutes.
7. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt and drizzle of maple syrup (for extra deliciousness)

3.1.09

I kept it covered in the fridge all week and just popped it into the microwave for a minute to reheat in the mornings. Easiest breakfast ever!

And if you need some more quinoa action, head over to Wish & Whimsy where I am guest posting today with more quinoa action!

What’s your favorite quick breakfast?

The post Oatmeal Quinoa Breakfast Bake appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

While wracking my brain for pizza-esque things that weren’t a carb overload, I remembered this yummy recipe that I shared in a guest post this summer over at Eat Pray Tri – Quinoa Pizza Bake. This is comfort food at its finest – cheesy, tomatoey, but packed with protein and will not put you into the dreaded carb coma.

Quinoa Pizza Bake

 

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Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1 tsp oregano
• 5 fresh basil leaves (plus more for garnish)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Combine quinoa and vegetable stock in a small pot over high heat.
2. Bring to a boil, cover and turn down to low and simmer for 15 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. In a skillet, brown the onions and garlic until onions are translucent.
5. In a small bowl, combine the tomato paste, garlic, onions, water and olive oil, and mix well.
6. Add in oregano and basil and mix before adding the mixture to the quinoa.
7. Add in half the mozzarella cheese to the quinoa and mix. Once all the ingredients are combined, taste and add salt and pepper, as needed.
8. Transfer the mixture to the casserole dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and place in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve.

3.1.09

Next time a pizza craving strikes, turn to your good friend quinoa. You won’t regret it!

What’s your favorite comfort food?

The post Quinoa Pizza Bake appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

First on deck is something I threw together after work one day. I was hungry, hungry, hungry so I just basically threw a bit of everything in a bowl, stirred and ate. Totally yummy and veggie and protein packed. Win-win!

This baby was inspired by a recipe in my Everyday with Rachel Ray magazine and came together super quick to make a yummy, Mexican Chicken dinner on a red of avocado and arugula. I wish I had leftovers!

Quinoa egg bowls have made a return! This was Trader Joe’s tri-color quinoa with corn, black beans and white button mushrooms. When the yolk breaks on a bowl like it, I swear it is magic!

This dinner brought back memories of my summers in Poland. Strawberry pierogi topped with a lightened version of the typical polish heavy cream topping. Instead of heavy cream and sugar, I used plain Chobani, a splash of skim milk and a bit of brown sugar. Y-U-M-M-Y!

This baby is Zucchini Cacao Nib Bread. The recipe will follow shortly, but I can say this is short of heavenly.

When I topped it with Coconut butter it was heaven on earth. Sorry for the blasphemy, but it is that good!

Last but definitely not least, my birthday surprises! Tommy had told me not to buy or bring lunch on my birthday, but I didn’t know what he had up his sleeve. He showed up with a huge cooler filled with sushi and a homemade cake, which he made! So sweet!

And as if that wasn’t enough, I came home after class to be surprised with a little party with some of my best friends, ice cream cake

and champagne, all organized by Tommy too. Is he amazing or what?

That’s all I got for this week! We are hitting up Hershey, PA this weekend, so expect to see lots of CHOCOLATE in next week’s WIAW!

What’s the best thing you are this week?

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I cooked up the quinoa the way I would make my regular oats. Two parts milk to one part quinoa. I added in cinnamon, apple and dried blueberries to make an incredible breakfast. The only down side is that this takes a bit of time to cook, and isn’t weekday friendly.

Luckily, this Veggie Tofu Scramble is very weekday friendly and this is why I’ve been enjoying it every morning this week.

Spinach, green peppers, tomatoes, tofu with a bit of sriracha and garlic salt scrambled together on a hot, hot skillet. If this doesn’t make you smile for the rest of the day, I don’t know what will.

Oh wait, yes I do! How about some Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna.

Just looking at these pictures makes me want to reach through the screen and grab it. It was incredible!

But what’s a good dinner without a good drink, right? We picked up this lemon juice beer from the Beer Boutique, a new beer store that opened recently in Brooklyn.

White Aphro is a Belgian style Wit Ale made with lemon peel, ginger & lavender and tasted amazing.

The Beer Boutique has this crazy contraption in which they can put on-tap beer into plastic bottles that will keep for up to 6 weeks. The machine first fills the bottle with CO2 so that the beer stays carbonated and it shakes it while pouring it into the bottle. According there are only 5 machines like this in the world!

And no day is complete without dessert. Be it healthy like the watermelon I enjoyed on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

..or indulgent like the Coldstone Ice Cream Munchkin and I shared yesterday.

And since calorie-less ice cream is yet to be invented, I turn to fitness to keep myself in check!

My favorite way to burn calories is through running. If you would’ve told me two years ago that I’d be running a 10k in a few months, I would’ve laughed in your face. Until a few months ago, the extent of my running experience consisted of being a sprinter on my high school track team. Those long legs came in handy!

When I first started running for distance, it was an incredibly difficult transition for me. I started out way too fast, burned out way too quickly and ended up walking home disappointed and discouraged. I believe that this is why I wasn’t successful in my running last year and never got to race.

This year, something just clicked. I stopped running on the track which made me feel like a hamster in a wheel and I just took it at my own pace and had a good time with it. I listen to music and dance along with it while I run run on the street. I set mini-goals for myself like I want to get to the park and get a drink at the water fountain before turning around to go home. Lemme tell you, getting to said park is now a breeze, but it felt nearly impossible when I was starting out.

I am planning on running three races this year. Two of them are more for fun and one is my ‘serious’ race. I am doing the NYC Color Run on August 25th (keep an eye out on the Fitfluential blog for my recap!), the Down and Dirty Mud Run 5k and the Rock and Roll Brooklyn 10k in October. Since these are my first races ever, I’m going in with a goal of just finishing. Once I see how I do in these, I think I will be able to step up the training and work on speed, but for now I’m happy being the tortise in the race. Slow and steady wins anyway, right?

So long story short…I love to run!

What’s the best thing you ate this week? What’s you favorite way to burn off those eats?

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The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. Not only is it my cousin’s birthday [Happy Birthday Particia!], it is also a day that is always spent outdoors, enjoying the weather and amazing eats. We are heading out to Tommy’s aunt’s house to a pool party/BBQ today, so I am sure that I will have some good eats to share next week, but don’t you worry I have a ton to share today too!

As always, the wonderful Jenn of Peas & Crayons is hosting WIAW and this month’s theme is Food and Fitness – does this girl know the way to my heart or what!

This quinoa and dippy egg combo has been gracing my breakfast plate multiple times a week. When you break that yolk, something magical happens, I swear!

Southwestern Quinoa Salad. I shared the recipe for this yesterday. It is literally too good for words and I could eat it everyday. And my mom says that’s okay!

Kitchen sink salad, with what else, but quinoa! Baby spinach, tomatoes, red peppers, cucumbers, Italian sausage and quinoa. It got topped with some Honey Dijon dressing and tasted amazing!

Before we move onto dessert, let’s backtrack to breakfast.

Ezekiel French Toast topped with bananas and sprinkled with some real Vermont Maple Syrup.

And last but not least, Banana Soft Serve..

This is just frozen bananas purreed in the food processor with a bit on vanilla extract added. I like it, but Munchkin wasn’t really impressed. I was thinking that maybe if I add some coco powder next time, it’ll go over better.

Since this month’s theme is food AND fitness, I decided to share my favorite workout of the week. While I love running and the way it clears my mind and makes me feel like a marathoner when I can get over three miles, but my fav workout of the week was with my little man.

We rode 4 miles on our bike with his bike seat. And rest assured, even though his face is less than thrilled in the above picture he LOVES it. That’s just the face he makes when I say smile and he is not interested in taking a picture. The only downside about the bike seat is not being able to go up hills – it isn’t possible to stand up on the pedal to better push yourself up the hill.

Whats the best thing you ate this week? What was your favorite workout of the week?

The post Food and Fitness WIAW appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

Since I’ve been on a quinoa kick lately so it was only natural that I included some in this recipe to create Southwestern Black Bean Quinoa Salad. Holy Moly people! This stuff is addicting!

Southwestern Black Bean Quinoa Salad

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 2 cups veggie stock
• 1 can black beans
• 1 cup corn
• 1/2 medium red onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sriracha
• salt and pepper to taste

Pour veggie stock into a large pot and add quinoa. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let simmer until quinoa is light and fluffy. Drain and rinse can of black beans. Combine beans, corn, diced onion and pepper in a large bowl. Add cooled quinoa, lime juice, vinegar and sriracha and mix to combine the flavors.

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I guarantee that you will not be able to keep yourself from reaching for more spoonfuls of this salad and it is perfect for your 4th of July BBQ! Needless to say, there were no leftovers after out Sunday BBQ, we all could not get enough.

What’s your favorite way to prepare quinoa? What’s your favorite BBQ side-dish?

The post Southwestern Black Bean Quinoa Salad appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

…with some snacks of course. Can I just say how amazing these quinoa clusters are. I’ve tried the Cranberry Cashew and the Chocolate Seas Salt and neither flavor disappointed.

The ingredient list isn’t half bad either. Especially for a sweet, chocolatey snack!

I wanted to apologize in advance if I go MIA, which may happen for a bit, but I’ll be back refreshed and ready to get my blog on!

Have an awesome Thursday!

What’s you favorite sweet snack? Are/Were you a whole-semester-studier or a crammer?

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