Quiche, cold soup & quinoa!

Yep, I know - another 4+ months have passed since the last post. I can definitely use pregnancy, labor and recovery as an excuse! Jakob Steaven Risser was born May 13 (Mother's Day!) and is as perfect as they come. Here he is about 2 weeks old - cute, huh?

We've been lucky enough to have another round of meals provided by the MOMS Club, but now that they are winding down I have to go back to cooking. I still have some pregnancy weight to lose and with all of the fresh fruits and vegetables available over the summer, no better way to attack the weight loss with a little bit of healthy eating, as well as some cross-fit training sessions from a good friend (a totally tough broad!). I stocked up on lots from Wegmans this week - corn, asparagus, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, carrots, peppers...and we picked a nice crop of green beans from our garden. Speaking of which, we're growing red and green peppers, jalapeno peppers, zucchini, beans and corn - yep, corn! We have four stalks planted, so we'll see how that works out. Hoping to do some major expansion next year and get some fruits planted (and fenced so the critters stay out), but for now, this is just enough.

This morning the baby was especially cooperative and the kids were entertained enough with the trampoline, Wii Just Dance Kids, and general goofing around, so I had at it. I made red quinoa-avacado salad, crab and asparagus quiche and strawberry soup. I spent a couple hours cooking peacefully which almost rarely happens! I may need to start prepping meals in the morning if it's always that easy. The "witching hour(s)" hits our house around 5 p.m. and lasts until bed time. Never easy to juggle all of the melt downs with meal preparation...practically impossible!

I was a little nervous about the salad and soup since I've never made either, but all the ingredients seemed like things that would work well together and taste good, so what the hell?! And boy-oh-boy did they ever work! No one else will eat the quinoa (which is fine...I'm happy to tackle that on my own), but the quiche is a fan-favorite and the soup seemed to be a hit, too. We're still struggling with Luke on eating things other than mac-n-cheese, hot dogs, nuggets, etc., but he's improving. He loves hummus and is slowly coming around to trying new things. I can't remember how old Linds was when she started eating "for real," but I'm sure Luke will come around soon enough.

Soooo, without further ado, here are the recipes!

Red Quinoa-Avacado Salad (courtesy of Wegmans)
Ingredients

7 oz red quinoa, cooked per pkg directions, chilled
12 oz frozen corn, thawed
1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup green onions, thinly sliced on the bias
2 plum tomatoes, 1/4-inch dice (about 1 cup)
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, cubed small
1/2 cup lemon vinaigrette (I used the Wegmans brand, but if you aren't local to one you can find recipes all over the 'net)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions

1. Add cooked quinoa, corn, cilantro, green onions, and tomatoes to mixing bowl. 
2. Fold in avocados and dressing; mix until well-combined. 
3. Season with salt and pepper; serve.

Strawberry Soup (courtesy All Recipes)

Ingredients

2 pints strawberries

2 cups plain yogurt

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup water

Directions

1. In a blender, combine the strawberries, yogurt, orange juice, sugar, and water. 
2. Puree until well mixed. Chill and serve.

Crab & Asparagus Quiche

Ingredients

1/2 cup light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cans crab meat (or 1 cup fresh)
1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions
8 spears asparagus, chopped
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, mayonnaise, flour, milk, crab, cheese, asparagus and onion. Spread into pie shell.
3. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.