Hello All & Welcome to my Blog

This blog is a work in progress. I still have a lot of organization to do but I have been talking about starting a blog for a few years now and I have kept delaying it and delaying it. So much time has passed and now I have finally decided to do it. There is a lot that I will share on it as I work on my life’s current project which I am calling Project Me. I will explain a bit more later, but for now I just wanted to share an Asparagus & Quinoa Salad recipe that I tried a few weeks ago which was absolutely delicious!

Recipe Inspiration: Green Valley Kitchen 

Link to original recipe: https://greenvalleykitchen.com/quinoa-salad-asparagus-cherry-tomatoes-pecans/

My Version of the Recipe (makes 2 large servings)

Ingredients

• ½ cup of dry quinoa
• 1 cup of water
• 1 bunch of asparagus
• ¾ cup of cherry or grape tomatoes
• 2 big handfuls of spinach
• 1/3 cup of walnuts or pecans 
• ¾ cup pressed cottage cheese
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic – finely minced
• ½ lemon
• Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Wash quinoa. Add quinoa to 1 cup of boiling water with a pinch of salt and cook on low heat for about 10-15 minutes. When done, set aside to cool.
2. As quinoa is cooking, prepare the asparagus. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and slice into bite sized pieces. Sauté chopped asparagus and 1 clove of minced garlic in 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute in a large sauté pan. Sprinkle some salt to the asparagus. Turn down heat to low, cover the pan and sauté for 4 more minutes – stirring occasionally. Test your asparagus to see if it’s done – it should be tender but not overcooked. When asparagus is done, set aside to cool.
3. Roughly chop the spinach and add to a bowl.
4. Slice cherry tomatoes in half and add to the bowl.
5. Dice pressed cottage cheese into bite-sized pieces and walnuts in half and add to the bowl.
6. Add cooked asparagus and quinoa to the large bowl.
7. Make the dressing by whisking together 3 tbsp of olive oil, juice of half a lemon, 1 minced clove of garlic and black pepper and salt, to taste.
8. Pour the dressing over salad and toss gently to combine.

Thanks for reading and be sure to let me know if you try the recipe & how it turns out. Stay tuned for more healthy and delicious recipes coming soon!