Buddha Bowls (From Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

 INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ cups quinoa (see note)
• Chicken broth or water
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 red onion, peeled and diced
• 1 to 2 tablespoons oil
• Salt and black pepper, I use coarse for both
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger or ginger paste (see note)
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 seedless/English cucumber, peeled and diced
• 2 to 3 cups baby spinach
• Diced avocado
• Chopped, fresh cilantro

Peanut Sauce:

• ⅓ cup fresh lime juice
• ¼ cup creamy peanut butter or tahini
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil or toasted sesame oil
• 1 to 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce, optional, but adds great flavor and a little kick
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Cook the quinoa according to package directions, substituting chicken broth for water.
• While the quinoa cooks, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the sweet potatoes and onion on a large sheet pan with a tablespoon of oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until tender, 20 minutes or so, flipping once or twice.
• Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon oil. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds until sizzling (don’t let the garlic burn). Pat the chicken pieces dry and add them to the skillet, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken, stirring occasionally, until cooked through 5-6 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.
• For the dressing, whisk or blend all the ingredients together until smooth (this can be done several days in advance; refrigerate the dressing).
• Add a scoop of cooked quinoa to serving bowls. Add roasted sweet potatoes, onions, chicken, handful of spinach, diced avocado, chopped cucumbers, and a sprinkle of cilantro. Drizzle dressing over the top and dig in.

NOTES

Using Leftovers: this recipe works really well to use already cooked, leftover quinoa and same with leftover chicken (grilled, rotisserie, etc). If using already cooked chicken, you can add the ginger/garlic to the sweet potato/onion mixture or even to the sauce to get that gingery kick.

Ginger: my life has been transformed by ginger paste. I use it almost every time fresh ginger is called for in a recipe and it’s amazing (no chopping knobby fresh ginger!). It’s very easily and widely found in grocery store produce sections near the fresh herbs/salads. However, keeping fresh ginger on hand is easy…cut fresh ginger into 1-inch pieces and store in the freezer. When ready to use, it can be grated on a box grater straight from the freezer (no need to peel!).

serving: 1 Serving, calories: 343kcal, carbohydrates: 34g, protein: 24g, fat: 13g, saturated fat: 2g, cholesterol: 48mg, sodium: 568mg, fiber: 5g, sugar: 8g

Antipasto Cheese Ball

 This is a Christmas recipe, but I make it with most charcuterie and it is ALWAYS a hit. 

Antipasto Cheese Ball Christmas Tree

For The Dip:

4 cups cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup red bell peppers (or capsicum
), diced

1/4 cup dill pickles, finely diced

1/4 cup chives, chopped

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon onion powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder


Salt, to taste (if desired)

For The Decorations:


1 1/2 - 2 cups pitted mixed olives (I use a variety of black, green and Kalamata olives, I buy them individually its cheaper) -- dried with paper towel

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (dried with paper towel)

Rosemary leaves/sprigs to decorate

Ritz, water crackers or pretzels for serving

Salami slices, for serving

Prosciutto slices, for serving

Instructions

In a bowl combine all the ingredients for the dip and mix until the ingredients are well combined.

Place a piece of non-stick plastic wrap on a clean bench top or work surface. Scoop the cream cheese mixture out onto the plastic wrap and completely cover with another piece of wrap (you may need two pieces to cover it).

Use your hands to mold the cream cheese into a tree shape. Then, carefully pick up the tree with one hand and peel off the plastic wrap on the bottom of the tree with your other hand. Place the tree straight onto a serving plate.

Use a cake spatula to smooth the edges. Decorate with olives, sun-dried tomatoes and rosemary leaves/sprigs, lightly pressing each element into the cream cheese to ensure they stay on. Brush with some sun dried tomato oil from the jar (optional but adds even more flavour)!

Top with a star cut out of a yellow or orange bell pepper OR a thick slice of cheese.

Serve with crackers of your choice, salami and prosciutto slices rolled up!