Mexican Quinoa with Lazy Guacamole

I love one pot wonder meals. Not only does it make life super simple, but it makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside because usually these are soups or stews. Though the weather never dictates that this is an appropriate meal, I have decided to go with my inner clock and start making those wonderful fall dishes. I found this recipe for Mexican quinoa with lazy guacamole. I love guacamole so as soon as I read that I knew that I was going to try it. This is a simple, hearty dish that you can throw some ground beef or turkey into. Plus it makes quite a few servings, which means lots of leftovers (which I am definitely not going to complain about!) If you can put things into a pot, then you can make this recipe. I am not a huge fan of jalapenos, so I left them out of the recipe but feel free to add them in.

Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 can (15 oz) no salt added black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz) no salt added diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Olive oil

Guacamole Ingredients:
1 avocado, pitted and peeled
Lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
Handful of fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper

To Make Guacamole:
In a small bowl, add the avocado, garlic, lime juice, cilantro and salt and pepper. Mash the ingredients together until you get the desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. You can also add in salsa, onions or jalapenos to the guacamole...this is the foundation of guacamole for you to customize.

To Make Quinoa:

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. While that's heating, drain your black beans and make sure to rinse them. Add in the minced garlic and cook for a minute.

Add in the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, black beans, corn, salt and quinoa. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce to low and cover, letting it cook for 35 minutes. (*Note: the recipe said to cook for 25 minutes, but my quinoa wasn't done.) You will know when it's done when the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is opaque with the fiber ring on the outside.

Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. I love cilantro so I put an extra handful in. Top with the guacamole and dinner is served. You can also add cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips or salsa to it as well. You can also throw in chicken, ground turkey or ground beef. This isn't the typical fall flavor combination, but when you live in Texas fall is much different.

NadaMoo! Ice Cream

Trying to make substitutions for dessert can sometimes be a challenge. I am not always in the mood for a cookie, which is what most alternative desserts are. Unfortunately, sometimes I just want a little bit of ice cream. If I had my choice in ice cream, it would be the one's that are extraordinarily bad for you, so I avoid them. However once in a while, I like to try different versions to see if there are any pseudo contenders (because how can you really replace ice cream?) I tried one made with rice milk and it was downright terrible! I saw NadaMoo! and decided to give it a try. I figured that coconut milk was a bit better than rice milk and I settled on "Gotta do Chocolate" because I was feeling chocolate on my tongue. This ice cream wasn't too sweet and had a nice ice cream like texture to it. The chocolate flavor was rich and dreamy, not fake tasting. I actually like the coconut milk flavor in the background. They have a few other flavors like vanilla, mmm....maple pecan, java crunch and lotta mint chip. I really wish they have a pumpkin flavor because I am definitely in the mood for all things pumpkin but I was definitely satisfied with this substitute. Let me know which one you try.

Giacomo's cibo e vino

I love trying new things so I am a huge fan of tapas because you get to try a few bites of lots of different things. I love Italian so when I found out that Giacomo's cibo e vino was Italian tapas, I knew I needed to go asap! They have a wonderful patio that is fenced in and a bit secluded with the foliage growing on the fence. The inside if funky and playful with bright colors. I started off with a "Fellini", a combination of prosecco and apricot nectar. It was fun that it came in its own pitcher, poured right in front of you. It was slightly bubbly, but certainly not overwhelming sweet. I was actually surprised at this because apricots are pretty sweet. It was a great cocktail option for something in between wine and a mixed drink.

One of my choices was salsiccia di pollo, homemade chicken sausage with frisee and arugula. I and not sure why, but I was expecting to be in the form of a link, not a patty. These were definitely not small, sad looking patties. It almost reminded me of slices of turkey meatloaf. It was delicious and was a lot less salty than most sausage is. It had a great herby, earthy flavor to it and the greens provided some lightness and freshness to the dish. The greens were tossed in some balsamic vinegar which helped cut through the heaviness of the sausage. The sausage was grilled and had the tiniest hint of crispiness on the outside. It was hard to me to determine what the ingredients might be in sausage, but they were much better than premade sausage.

Since I have recently developed a taste for brussel spourts, I was excited to try these. Known as cavoletti con pancetta, these were sauteed with pancetta, garlic and olive oil. They were bursting with flavor and had a nice crispness to it from the browning they got while being sauteed. The pancetta added salt and a nice textural element to the dish. Of course garlic and olive oil are two Italian cooking staples, but the fact that they are so flavorful means that you can make delicious dishes with very few ingredients. These brussel sprouts were tender on the inside and didn't have the characteristic cabbage taste that they can sometimes have. I don't really know why I waited so long in life to start trying brussel sprouts as they very yummy, but it was probably because they look a bit weird. Lesson learned...never let the way something looks prevent you from trying it.

Even though I was doing tapas, we were at an Italian restaurant so I had to get some kind of pasta. Gnocchi are soft Italian dumplings made from semolina flour. They usually come in potato flavor and are small bite sized, tube looking things. However, I was very surprised to see that these gnocchi were much larger than I expected and reminded me of polenta in the texture. They were very light and fluffy as opposed to the very dense texture of other gnocchi. These were topped with a tomato sauce, butter and parmigiano reggiano and then baked until they had a lovely golden crust. The tomato sauce was very thick, almost like it was just chunks of tomato. The cheese didn't cover the taste of the gnocchi, but added a bit id creaminess to it. Giacomo's cibo e vino is a great place to relax and enjoy so delicious Italian food with a twist. They had so many yummy sounds menu items that I will definitely need to go back and try some more.

DIY: Rhinestone Sweater

One of the hot new looks for all are rhinestone embellishments on sweaters and sweatshirts. This subtle sparkle and shine takes a piece from drab to fab and makes something appropriate for all occasions because let's be real...rhinestones are always appropriate. I have almost bought one of these pieces one or twice, but finally decided that I was going to make my own. I had a plain gray sweater that I could update, so I headed to Hobby Lobby to pick up some rhinestones and glue. I wanted a design that would function like a statement necklace, but that wasn't too over the top. I didn't have a particular design in mind, so I just went for it and started placing the stones on the sweater.

I have been around quite a few rhinestones (in dance you are surrounded by rhinestones and glitter!) and know that some of them look cheap and definitely didn't want my sweater to look tacky and cheap. I chose to use rhinestones that were in silver "settings" to make it look more upscale and because that's how most of the ones I was looking to buy were made. I wanted to go for colors that were really versatile, so I opted for mostly clear and sprinkled in a tiny bit of black. The best thing about this is that you can create whatever pattern you want with whatever colors, sizes and shapes your little heart desires. I used some larger clear rectangles, some medium size clear circles and some tiny black circle rhinestones.

Make sure to put a piece of wax paper in between the the front and the back so the two sides don't accidentally get glued together. I found this permanent jewel glue and decided to give it a try. The directions say to let dry for 24 hours and then wait 7 - 10 days before washing. I am not sure why there is such a long delay in the washing time, but around here I won't be wearing a sweater anytime soon, so I had some time to wait for it to dry and be ready to wash.  This is your chance to be as creative as you want to be. You can't go wrong with the design and the best part about it is that you will have a custom piece of clothing! Who doesn't love something made just for you without the price tag that usually goes along with it?!

Harpoon Octoberfest

I am trying to get into the spirit of Octoberfest, so I decided to try this Octoberfest beer from Harpoon. I knew I was taking a big risk since I was trying actual beer (not cider) and buying a 6-pack. I can't say that I tasted any kind of pumpkin or spice flavor to the beer, but this beer is made in the traditional manner of Octoberfest beers. That means that there is a hint of chocolate and it's not quite as bitter. I can definitely taste the chocolate notes, but I am more of a fan of the pumpkin and spice notes person. I guess I am not the ideal Oktoberfest participant, but I would love to go sometime and am sure I would be a huge fan of the food. I probably won't buy this again, but there are tons of seasonal October beers right now, so get them before their gone.

Pumpkin Pie Bagel

Pumpkin is the special at any food establishment you go to these days and Panera Bread is no exception. I happened to be passing by on my morning walk and remembered that I had a coupon for a free cup of coffee. I do enjoy their hazelnut coffee and decided to pop in and grab a cup. While I was in there, I saw the pumpkin pie bagel and decided that I should give it a try. (I have been trying really hard to all the pumpkin stuff, even though it kills me at times.) This bagel, which was more like a large flat donut because there was no hole in the middle, was full of cinnamon and nutmeg flavors with cranberries mixed it. There was a cinnamon crunch topping that added a little bit of texture to the bagel and a very light dusting of powdered sugar. I got even more festive and put some of my pumpkin butter on it to add an extra dose of pumpkin. The bagel wasn't too sweet and would be perfect with some fresh coffee and the morning news. Be sure to stop in to Panera Bread to try this before it's gone!