Summer Dinners

Well I can't say that summer weather is fully here yet, but at least summer dinners are going strong at the Holcomb household. I absolutely love to cook. I love to try new recipes and reinvent old ones. My only gripe with cooking is that many of the things I want to try I am not willing to spend the calories on (at least on a regular basis anyway). However, I do have fun taking recipes that might originally be high cal, and making them healthy and still Delicious! This week I decided to try a new grain Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wa, who would've thought). This grain is very high in protein and fiber, very healthy. I had purchased the Quinoa several weeks ago and haven't been sure how to cook it. On Tuesday I decided last minute that I wanted to use it alongside the cod I was making but wasn't quite sure what to do with it. I found several promising recipes online that I plan to try another time, however I did not have the ingredients for many. At that point I decided I was on my own. I have been really into a particular salad recipe that I made up not long ago and decided the Quinoa might be good mixed into the salad. It was delicious! Here is what I did:

1/2 cup (unprepared) Quinoa

1 red pepper

1/4 cup chopped red onion

10 grape tomatoes sliced in half

1 avocado sliced

spring mix lettuce

arugula lettuce

Low fat champagne vinaigrette dressing

crumbled feta cheese

First I prepared the Quinoa according to the directions and put it in the fridge to chill. Then I sauteed the tomatoes, red onion, and peppers in a little olive oil and then put in the fridge to chill also. Once my cod was finished cooking, I tossed the cool Quinoa and cold vegetables in with the arugula and spring mix. I topped the salad off with the croutons, feta, dressing and avocado. It was delicious. A perfect summer side dish. It went fabulously with something light like cod. I look forward to using this recipe again and in trying new recipes with Quinoa!

This is not my salad, but looked a bit similar!

Another tried and true summer meal at the Holcomb house is tzatziki steak wraps. I was first introduced to these at Buckley's (a restaurant by my work). They were delicious and I assumed they would be easy to make. I substitute pita bread, for flat out wraps in order to bring down the calories, but they are delicious either way! I love this alongside a greek salad. Here is what I do:

grilled flank steak

tzatziki sauce (you can make your own or buy it, I have found it at costco and Trader Joe's)

humus

feta cheese

flat out wraps (or pita bread)

caramelized onions
tomato

Basically you just put everything in the wrap or pita and enjoy. It is a very quick and easy meal and very delicious. I have also had it with all the above ingredients and pesto and mixed greens in additions. It is great that way too! I hope you enjoyed my a couple of my summer meals, I'll post others soon!