 Chicken Flavored Quinoa I was terrified of quinoa, especially right after it became super trendy a few years back. It just... looked weird. And then I tried it, and OMG! It's kinda the perfect side dish to so many of my favorite things. Chicken flavored quinoa and roasted brussel sprouts is one of my favorite combinations now and it couldn't be easier. I'll post my roasted brussel sprouts recipe here: (once I get it done) Key: Palm = roughly a tablespoon Pinch = roughly a teaspoon Ingredients: 1 cups whole grain quinoa (there are several yummy kinds) 2 cups chicken broth 1 tsp Better Than Bullion chicken bullion 2 pinches of onion powder
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 Greek Inspired Farro Salad
I grew up eating boxed mac and cheese and burgers. Ancient grains were about as far removed from my diet as it gets. However, after I realized there is a whole world of food that is not found in the typical American diet, I decided to start branching out to include more foods my ancestors would have prepared. Absolutely packed with nutrition (see bottom of recipe), this Greek inspired farro salad is a combination of a variety of recipes found online, where I took just my favorite flavors from each. If you look up other recipes you will find this salad can be made dozens if not hundreds of different ways and still tastes fantastic. *If you grow a garden in the summer this is an excellent way to use up a lot of your fresh herbs and veggies. Key: Palm = roughly a tablespoon Pinch = roughly a teaspoon Ingredients: 1 cup dry Farro 1 quart (4 cups) vegetable or chicken broth 1 can drained and rinsed great northern beans ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup red wine vinegar 1 palm of onion powder 2 pinches garlic powder 2 pinches salt (I like pink Himalayan in this) 1 palm of dried or fresh basil 1 pinch dried or fresh oregano 1 palm of dried or fresh parsley (I prefer flat leaf) 1 cup feta crumbled cheese 1 cup chopped red peppers 1 cup chopped green peppers 1 cup diced tomatoes ¼ cup sliced banana peppers ½ cup diced red onion 1 cup seeded and diced cucumber 1 tbs lemon juice Black pepper to taste  When I first left home I didn't know the first thing about cooking most things. And tacos were one of those things I was absolutely confused by. So, for the first decade or so I used those store-bought packages and called it good enough. Then my health started to tank and my budget started to decrease, so I decided to learn how to make it for myself - for beef, chicken, tofu, and fish tacos. (Fish tacos I'll post as a separate recipe, as it's cooked quite differently.) And you know what? It's ridiculously easy. Like... so easy, I am ashamed I never bothered to try before. Hint: as long as you have two magic ingredients you can fashion yourself a decent taco. The Two Magic Ingredients: Cumin Ancho Powder Key: Palm = roughly a tablespoon Pinch = roughly a teaspoon Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef or chuck, or 2 large chicken breasts diced, or cubed tofu 1/2 palm granular or powdered onion 1 palm cumin 1 palm ancho 1 pinch cayenne pepper 1 pinch salt (good quality salt helps neurological processes - I prefer pink Himalayan) 1 glug (2 tbs approx.) of white vinegar a bit of black pepper 2 tabs of butter 1 cup of filtered water  I finally splurged and bought myself a bread machine (an Amazon Basics for less than $85.00 USD including tax). And I don't regret it one tiny little bit.
Honestly, if someone had told me it was this easy to make bread in a bread machine I would have 'splurged' YEARS AGO! Oh well. At least I get to enjoy the ease of homemade bread, without the dough conditioners and other nasty chemicals in modern bread, that quite frankly - makes me sick. Now, with just wholesome ingredients, I can have sandwich ready bread in less than 4 hours. And with about 10 minutes' worth of work. And cleanup is even easier, if you can believe it. Normally I don't advertise brands, but if you're pinched for money (and need to find a way to reduce the food conglomerates disease-making ingredients) the Amazon Basics bread machine is worth every penny. Now I'm making a week's worth of sandwich bread for less than $1.50 USD, when typically a loaf of organic bread goes for more than $7.00 USD at the store. So, if you're like me and think every little kitchen gadget is a luxury - take a minute to rethink. This so-called luxury item will pay for itself in just a few months. Key: Palm = roughly a tablespoon Pinch = roughly a teaspoon Ingredients: 1 ¾ cups whole milk (warmed on stove to 110° F) ¼ cup water (warmed to 110° F) ¼ cup butter, melted 2 tbs olive oil (cold pressed preferred for taste) 2 ¼ pinches yeast (I do not recommend instant yeast) 1 palm of sugar 1 egg 2 pinches of salt (I prefer kosher) 4 cups all-purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur’s non-enriched organic flour)  White Loaf Sandwich Bread For a long time, I thought I had a gluten sensitivity - when in fact - I have an 'enrichment' sensitivity.
For some reason my body rejects bread that is 'enriched', and all of the symptoms of this rejection mimics perfectly the same symptoms of 'gluten sensitivity'. Whew! Because I love bread. Not all the time, mind you, as I believe it's best to source your nutrition from a vast variety of foods, if you can. However, this... this is my absolute go-to-recipe for sandwich bread. It was stolen in part from The Norske Nook, a roadside cafe in tree covered Wisconsin, and then changed to fit my family's tastes and needs. However, it would be greatly remiss of me if I did not credit Helen Myhre with the basis of this incredible recipe. Key: Palm = roughly a tablespoon Pinch = roughly a teaspoon Ingredients: 2 cups whole milk (warmed on stove to 110° F) ¼ cup water (warmed to 110° F) ¼ cup butter, melted 2 pinches yeast (I do not recommend instant yeast) 2 palmfuls of sugar 1 ½ pinches of salt (I prefer kosher) 5 cups all-purpose *flour (I prefer King Arthur’s non-enriched organic flour) 4 tbs butter, melted (for brushing on top of dough & finished bread) *Maybe a bit more – depending upon the humidity where you are.  Tamales – Any Kind Tamales were super scary for me to even consider – considering how many steps are involved in making them. But when you get right down to it – they are actually pretty darn easy. They just take a doggone long time to prep. Meat Filling: From pork, to beef, to chicken, to vegetarian, you can literally fill tamales with anything. Taco meat, pork butt cooked in salsa, shredded chicken seasoned with green chiles – even sloppy joe meat could fill a tamale and probably taste amazing. For this one I cooked a pork shoulder in a favorite adovada seasoning mix I can easily find here in New Mexico. I also tipped in some veggies. In the near future I will post a wonderful chicken recipe that works amazingly well as a meat filling in tamales. Key: Palm = roughly a tablespoon Pinch = roughly a teaspoon Ingredients for Meat: ¾ lb. pork shoulder 3 tbs fat (butter, olive oil, lard, or bacon grease) 1 pkg adovada seasoning (or: 2 pinches cumin, 2 pinches ancho seasoning, 1 pinch Mexican oregano, 2 palmfuls *chili powder, 1 palmful onion powder, half pinch of salt) 2 cups chicken stock small onion, chopped diced tomato (peeled and seeded if you have a sensitive tummy) Ingredients for Dough: 3 cups masa harina flour (I prefer organic because of the glyphosates used in growing corn) 1 ½ cups fat (lard, butter, or bacon grease) 1 pinch baking powder ½ pinch of garlic salt 1 pinch cayenne (optional) 1 pinch onion powder (optional) 2 ½ cups of liquid from cooking the meat (or chicken stock) 12 large corn husks * New Mexico Chimayo Red Chili is a great route to take here. Makes roughly 12 tamales.  Refried Pinto Beans – Crockpot Method
Beans, beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat the more you poot. The more you poot the better you feel, so eat your beans at every meal! I’m not gonna lie, I used to spend over $3.00 USD for 2 servings of canned refried pinto beans. And then I started buying dehydrated beans (*to get away from the endocrine disrupting chemicals they use to line canned goods - see below for more info), which was even more expensive. Then one day I decided to go crazy and attempt making them from scratch, and OMG! They are stupid easy and even better than anything you can get in a can. And super inexpensive. The only drag is the time it takes to make them. So, I started making them in quantity and freezing meal-sized portions. Prepping and Cooking Dried Pinto Beans Ingredients: 6 cups dried pinto beans Enough Water to cover (I prefer filtered water)  Hatch Green Chile Sauce (For Enchiladas, Tamales, Etc.) For this recipe I like to buy my Hatch green chiles from the freezer section if they are out of season here in New Mexico. I also make sure they only have one ingredient – frozen green chiles. You can alternatively use two 4 oz cans of green chiles (drained and chopped). *Hatch chiles are harvested here in New Mexico during a short six-week period in late summer. Key: Palm = roughly a tablespoon Pinch = roughly a teaspoon Seasoning a matter of taste and freshness. It’s best to play around with the seasonings to find out how you like it best. What you see here is just a suggestion – based on what my family likes. Ingredients: 1 ½ cups green chiles (roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped) 1 small white onion, finely chopped 2 tbs of fat (I prefer bacon grease, butter, or olive oil) 1 jalapeño, finely chopped (can also be roasted, peeled, and seeded) 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped pinch garlic salt or any other seasoned salt you like (creole salt works well here too) palm of onion powder pinch of cumin large tsp wet chicken bouillon (*I like Better Than Bullion) 1 cup boiling water pinch dried oregano pinch (or more) of cayenne ½ cup cold water 2 palms of flour (I use non-enriched organic because it's easier on our tummies) 
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