Healthy Heath

Summer Time, Summer Time May 3, 2012

Nothing says summer like 80* days and grilling. Now, I might not be a huge fan of the heat, but I am certainly a fan of the fire.

Chris decided that tonight would be the perfect night to fire up the grill and make some of the ‘Omaha Steak’ burgers that my grandmother gave us for Christmas. They were perfectly cooked and positively delicious!

To go with the burger, Chris popped an orange bell pepper on the grill. I just love the grill marks! I brought home some Terra Blues as a treat… Chris loves them because they are the official snack of JetBlue! I also made a quinoa salad, which is absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 sweet onion
• 1 2/3 cup low sodium vegetable broth or water
• 1 tsp salt (if you want)
• 1 cup tomatoes
• 1 1/4 cup corn
• 2 scallions
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 avocado

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add quinoa to onions and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes.  Add vegetable broth/water and stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Cover pan tightly with lid, turn heat down to low and simmer for 17-20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is cooked. Transfer cooked quinoa to mixing bowl and chill in refrigerator.
3. When quinoa is cool, add remaining tablespoon olive oil, tomatoes, corn, scallions, cilantro, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Right before serving, scatter avocado chunks over top.
4. Enjoy!

The salad is so delicious and cool. The lime juice gives it a nice freshness. I can definitely see having this in the middle of summer. Absolutely fantastic.

For dessert, I had strawberries dipper in Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter… heavenly!!!

Talk about a summertime treat!