Greek Quinoa Salad

It's a new week full of possibilities! Although our Seahawks didn't make it past the Falcons & we are still unsure if a Sonics team will materialize I do have great news; my sister may be flying into town this week. I always feel hopeful in times like these.

I'm focusing on gluten free cooking today as both of my sisters avoid gluten.  One of my favorite things about Quinoa (other than I can finally say it properly-ha) is that it's filling and I don't feel stuffed or bloated after eating it.







Greek Quinoa Salad

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups water 
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1/4 cup fresh feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil
• 1/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup Greek salad dressing (I like Trader Joe's brand)

Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Place in a bowl.

Toss all ingredients together. Add quinoa and serve! Easy. Healthy & Gluten Free.

Serves: 4 

"Let us be grateful to people that make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls bloom"  ~Marcel Proust

Baked Tomato with Feta, Breadcrumbs & Green Onion

There are some big things happening in social media this week & it's pretty fun to watch as Google + rolls out "Communities".  I'm new to the whole Google + thing & admittedly I have stars in my eyes. I added a "Circle" of food bloggers to my profile & the news feed is a foodies' dream. It's 95% food & 5% humor which is aligned perfectly with my interests.

So what exactly is Google + ? It's a direct competitor to Facebook.  Why am I interested in adding another layer of social media to my repertoire? I love engaging with readers and other foodies & mainly because, in recent months, Facebook has been manipulating what "followers" see in their news feeds. The translation here is that if I don't pay to have my blog posts, updates and shares distributed on Facebook then a fraction of my followers will see my latest updates. For example, I shared another bloggers funny quote & photo on December 4th & in the past 4 days only 30 of my 108 followers were able to organically (in their news feed)  view it.  It's sort of like being a public speaker at an event and of the 100 people in the audience, 70 people are wearing ear plugs. Booo.

I'm also a new member of a few "Communities". Communities brings like minded individuals together for private conversations within the community, sharing & collaborating. It's hosted by a moderator & it's a great place for folks to discuss technology, brands, marketing and so on. It features "Hangout" video chats & an events calendar. Oh & guess what?! Posts show up in our news feeds. Imagine that!

If you're a food blogger you may consider dropping by Chef Dennis' site. You can find him here: http://www.askchefdennis.com/ He is the moderator of one of the "communities" & all food bloggers are welcome!

By the way, here's where to find me on Google+:  Purple Oven Mitt, Google+

This week it's two cheers for Google & for a cheesy baked tomato recipe!

Baked Tomato with Feta, Breadcrumbs & Green Onion

• 4 Roma tomatoes, halved & flesh removed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons italian bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons diced green onions
• 1/2 cup feta cheese

Place halved tomatoes in a baking dish. Add cheese, bread crumbs & green onions. Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake 375 for 20 minutes.

Serves: 4

Rice Bowl with Pecans, Green Beans & Oranges

 I was invited by a fellow blogger friend (you can find her at All Day I Dream About Food) last month to develop a recipe that's appropriate for a diabetic diet. You see, it's World Diabetes Day today & to raise awareness and ultimately support for a cure there are many of us developing recipes, taking crisp photos and sharing how diabetes has touched our lives.

My nephew, Austin was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was a preschool aged child. Our good friends son, Ben, was diagnosed as a preschool aged child too. That's the rough thing about this disease. It's touching young children and changing lives forever. My brave nephew and friend Ben have learned to monitor and live successfully. Their strength in the face of adversity is an inspiration. We are hopeful that a cure will come in our lifetime.



Rice Bowl with Pecans, Green Beans and Oranges:

• 4 cups cooked brown rice
• 4 cups fresh green beans
• 2 oranges
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• Braggs Liquid Aminos to taste
• Sea salt to taste

Remove ends from green beans and slice in half. Steam for about 5 minutes. Peel, slice and using a knife, remove the white skin from the oranges. Slice into bite size quarters.

In a bowl, add one cup of brown rice. Next, add one cup of green beans and oranges. Sprinkle with pecans, sea salt and Braggs Liquid Aminos.  Garnish with a whole pecan and serve. Kid friendly, tasty and not just diabetic friendly but it's easy on the budget too!

Our family supports JDRF, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation & Team Ben at "Beat the Bridge". Here's a photo from a few years ago:

                                  

                            What cause do you support?