Wild Black Rice & Edamame Salad

I don't know how many of you have heard of or watched the show "Chopped." To say that my husband loves it is an understatement, so by default I end up watching it with him. Not that it's boring or lame, I just am not so much a TV person. But in all honesty, it's actually a pretty great time—definitely inspiring and nail-biting to watch talented chefs create not only edible but gourmet dishes from three sometimes-obscure ingredients.

Well, yesterday I found myself at home without a car and the perfect opportunity to pretend I was on "Chopped." I glory in a good challenge, especially when it means being creative with what I already have. So I said, "Okay, Katie. Come up with dinner using only the ingredients in this house." (No cheating and running over to the neighbor's to borrow a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.) And I promise, there really wasn't much! I'd gone to Costco the day before and bought coconut oil and grapefruit (and a 2-year supply of kitchen trash bags!), but I hadn't made it to the grocery store after we'd been out of town all weekend.

I looked in our pantry and saw a small bag of wild BLACK rice I'd bought a few months ago just to give it a try, and it definitely called out to me! I'd been wanting to try it. Ingredient number 1. (Ingredients number 2 and 3 were Brussels Sprouts and Rosemary, but those ended up in a veggie side dish and in the main course.)

I googled "wild black rice" recipes and came upon this amazing dish! It's not only pleasing to the eye but also to the tastebuds! I made a few changes to make it my own, as I highly recommend you do too. It's way more fun to cook when you put your personal stamp on your food!

Ingredients

1 tablespoons white sesame seeds

2 cups cooked wild black rice or regular wild rice (This was about 1 cup uncooked rice)

About 1/8 cup red onion, diced (I just cut a 1/2-inch slice from the middle of the onion and then chopped. Use a shallot if you have that instead.)

1 cup shelled edamame

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced small

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/8 cup rice vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Place the sesame seeds in a small frying pan over medium heat and toast, stirring often, until golden brown. About 5 minutes. Remove from heat and place in a large bowl.

2. Add the rice, onion, edamame, carrots, and cranberries to the bowl and toss.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, and a few shakes (or cranks) of salt and pepper. Pour over the mixture in the large bowl and toss. Taste to see if it needs more salt, pepper, or vinegar.

4. Cover and chill for at least one hour before eating.

5. Make enough for lunch tomorrow!

Honey Cornbread Muffins (and, yes, they are gluten free!)

I feel like I'm constantly on a quest for gluten-free recipes for waffles, pancakes, muffins, breads, etc. Most of them I just don't rave about. It's always a thrill when I create something in the kitchen that is made with a flour other than wheat that actually tastes delicious, is light and fluffy, and is a similar consistency to the wheat version! Are you with me? Well, tonight I present to you a very tasty cornbread muffin recipe that literally tastes like it came from the comfort of your mama's kitchen.

Makes 18 muffins

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup brown rice flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup coconut milk
2 medium eggs
3 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup raw honey*

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl mix together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
3. In a separate large bowl mix together milk, eggs, apple sauce, coconut oil, and honey.
4. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, stirring to combine.
5. Place paper muffin liners in muffin tins and divide the muffin batter evenly.
6. Bake 15 minutes or until golden.

*Suggestion: If you love spreading honey over your cornbread or you know your family will still want to put honey on top of these muffins, consider eliminating the honey from the batter or at least lessening it. The muffins are sweet and delicious without needing honey spread over top.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

1 tsp Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup uncooked Quinoa
1 1/2 cups Vegetable broth
1 tsp ground Cumin
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup frozen Corn kernels
2 (15 oz) cans Black beans, rinsed and drained (would be healthier to make your own)
1/2 cup chopped fresh Cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated thoroughly.
4. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Enjoy!

Roasted Summer Squash

This recipe is easy, relatively fast (fast prep, semi-fast bake time), and delicious. Can't beat that. Oh, and it's healthy.

Yellow squash
Cloves garlic, chopped
Thyme
Rosemary
Red pepper flakes
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Coconut oil or olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut the squash lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds to create a small cavity in the center.

2. Lightly grease a baking dish or pan with coconut oil and place squash on top.

3. Into each squash half, put a little of each of the seasonings to taste—it's all up to your tastebuds. I sprinkle on a little of everything, but the red pepper flakes sparingly.

4. Drizzle oil or spread a little coconut oil over top. Cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes and then remove the foil. Then bake at 300F for another 10 minutes, or until soft.

I promise this will be one of those go-to recipes that you crave—the seasonings really make the squash come to life. This recipe was inspired by The 28-Day Cleansing Program cookbook.