Tex-Mex Quinoa and Shrimp Salad

My little container garden has grown since the last time I shared pictures. There are now 5 or 6 tomato plants, 2 bell pepper, a zucchini, eggplant and several herbs.

These pictures were taken last week and everything is twice the size now. We've had a lot of rain lately and I am sure that's helped!

Now onto today's recipe...

This was SO good. SO SO good. 

The most 'complicated' part to me was precooking and chilling the quinoa. It took forever to chill the quinoa..we were hungry. 

Tex-Mex Quinoa Shrimp Salad

Dressing:

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salad:

1 tomato, chopped and seeded

1 1/2 cups (1 can) cooked black beans, drained and rinsed if canned

2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa

1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

1/4 cup crumbled feta

1/4 cup shredded fiesta style cheese

2 Haas avocados, diced

1/2 pound peeled, deveined and cooked shrimp (I sauteed mine in live oil and little bit of Cajun seasoning)

Whisk together garlic, salt, pepper, sour cream, lime juice, vinegar and honey. Now whisk in olive oil until well incorporated. 

In a large bowl, combine tomato, beans, quinoa, corn, feta, shredded cheese and shrimp. Mix in dressing and chill for 2 hours. Before serving, mix in diced avocados. 

Dig in!!

PS...this makes A LOT!

Ranch Potato Salad

We had a fun little picnic last night at a park with my brother and grandparents. Coop LOVES having a picnic at the park. He'll talk about it for days before and after.



I made a couple classics and a new recipe for our meal.

Black eyed pea salad, cucumber sandwiches, creamy crunchy coleslaw and Ranch House potato salad. Everyone always goes nuts over the coleslaw. The potato salad was super easy. The hardest part is just peeling the potatoes for me. I do not like peeling potatoes!

Enjoy!

Ranch House Potato Salad

2 pounds white potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 cup Ranch dressing, or a little more if your potatoes seem dry

2 to 3 green onions, green and white parts, sliced

1/4 cup to 1/2 cup bacon bits or real bacon if that's your thang

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

Boil potatoes until tender. Drain and cool for 5 minutes. 

Mix with Ranch, green onions, bacon and cheddar.

This is really good served hot or cold!

Dig in!

May 2013 Goodies Box Review

Got my May Goodies box today!!

Goodies is a subscription box. It's super cheap...7 bucks a month including shipping. You have to request an invite and it takes about a month to get one. After that, you have about a week to enter your credit card info before it expires. BUT...it can still take about 2 months to get your first box. You won't be billed until the month you are going to receive your first box.

Anyway...this month's is my favorite so far. It was full of good stuff....

This months' box included:

2 packs of Sour Power Straws. I wanted to try these tonight but got distracted with chocolate covered pretzels...

1 Numi Moroccan Tea Bag

1 Coupon for Wholly Guacamole and a Wholly Guac Chip Clip

Kathie's Kitchen Super Seeds Pumpkin Seeds

Beanitos Bean Chips with Sea Salt

2 sample pack's of California Olive Ranch Olive Oil

Bronco Bob's Roasted Mango Chipotle Sauce (I look forward to this, jar recommends serving it over cream cheese)

And a HUGE 'box' of coconut water. I have tried coconut water once, it was good but not something I would want constantly. Will give it a try again!

Again...this month's box was AWESOME. What would you be most excited to try?

May 2013 Conscious Box Review Regular and Vegan

I signed up for my 2nd subscription box this month. Along with Goodies Box...I now get Conscious Box. The reason I signed up for this was because I found a discount code online to get it for $9.95 a month versus the normal $19.95. I ALSO won a sweepstakes on another blog for 3 free months and decided to use it toward trying out the Vegan box as well.

Conscious Box is a subscription box that contains more all natural products, organic products and environmentally friendly products. We are trying to stick to those items in our lives as much as possible so I thought this box would be a fun way to try new products!



The boxes were smaller than the Goodies box I've received before but they were crammed packed full of items.

First up is the Vegan box...

It came with:

2 shots of Dream and Relaxation water. The first thing I thought of when I saw these were they were the opposite of 5 hour energy. I haven't tried them yet...but do look forward to trying them on a restless no sleep night. It also came with a coupon for BOGO if I decide to purchase them. 

Pack of Happy Hemp seeds. They're toasted and GMO free. 

A sample of VeirID Revive and Shine Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner. It's the pretty pink pack in the lower middle. 

2 Ecover dishwasher tabs. I've used these before and liked them. I will save them for the time we have a functioning dishwasher in our lives....

A teeny-tiny sample of dark chocolate...bitter, bitter dark chocolate...I spit it out. 

2 sample packs of Earthpaste All Natural Toothpaste. One in peppermint and the other lemon twist. Peppermint is something I'm used to, but we'll see how I feel about the lemon....

A pack of Ultima Replinsher, a zero sugar zero calorie all natural balanced electrolyte powder to add to water. It's lemonade and GMO free...

The most 'interesting' item in the box was a pack of Pollen Ranch's Fennel Pollen. I am NOT a fan of fennel and the box reeked of fennel. I also found it interesting that the recipe that came with the pollen was for a pork loin...and this was the vegan box. (now my hand stinks of fennel because I touched the pack)

2 business cards. One offering a free conscious box if I sign up to become a member of a clean energy something or another and the other for 15% off an order at Mac N Mo's Morselicious Treats!

A Graw Bar...Raw Sprouted Energy. Looks good...plan on eating it for breakfast. 

A pretty postcard.

A sample and coupon for Herbamare sea salt seasoned with herbs. I like the idea of this...

Sample of YES! soothing all natural sunscreen. I've seen Yes! products in Target and always wondered if I'd like them, so now we'll find out...

Sample of Sukibody Butter Cream salve. Organic lavender and organic cocoa butter. Yum. 

1 BIJA lemon ginger echinacea tea bag. I try to drink hot tea...but I'm not good at it...and it reeks of fennel now..

Now onto the regular box..

It also came with the Relaxation shots, BIJA tea, sea salt, dishwasher tabs, postcard, sunscreen, and Ultima Replinsher. 

But it also came with...

A healthy kids organic nutritional drink. We'll see how Coop likes this...

An Earthpaste sample in Wintergreen and a full-sized tube in peppermint. 

A sample of Relax-All pills for a better nights sleep. 

Sample pack of Somersaults - Crunchy nuggets baked with sunflower seeds and toasted grains. Sound yummy!

Coupons for a couple different products. 

And...a sample of Healthy Hoohoo...gentle feminine cleanser..interesting. 

It was exciting getting the boxes. I will keep getting the free box for 2 more months and will keep paying for the discounted box for at least 2 more months. I don't feel like it was worth the normal 20 buck price tag. I am also cheap...

Do you get any subscription boxes? 

Sweet Potato Medallions with Dipping Sauce

This day is just dragging....dragging and dragging. My husband goes to a Toast Master meeting on Wednesday nights and it makes the day super long.

Ok, just being honest...not very 'chatty' right now so just onto the recipe. HA! :)


These are SO GOOD. There are no exact measurements for this recipe, you can make as many or as little as you want.

Sweet Potato Medallions with Dipping Sauce

Sweet Potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/3 inch circles

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Sour Cream

Fresh Dill

Preheat oven to 350. Toss potato slices with enough olive oil to lightly coat and salt and pepper to taste. Place slices on a cookie sheet and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender. 

Meanwhile, mix as much sour cream as you think you'll need with the dill. Put this in the fridge while you wait for the potatoes. 

Dig in!

Sour Cream Cucumber Salad

I am currently watching The Weeping Angels episode of Doctor Who....you should watch it and get and get all freaked out like I do when I watch it.


Anyway....

Today I am sharing another cucumber salad recipe with you. I LOVE cucumbers....love love them. I really should grow some. By the way...the tomatoes are doing well and I've also planted some zucchini, peppers and herbs. I will post a picture soon!

Sour Cream Cucumber Salad

2 seedless cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried dill or 1/4 cup fresh
Salt to taste

Mix together sour cream, vinegar, cayenne pepper, dill and salt. Pour over cucumbers and combine. Chill in refrigerator for an hour before serving.



Dig in!