Cilantro Week: Mexican Beans and Quinoa

Hey there! For the last post of cilantro week, I have a recipe for Mexican Beans and Quinoa. It’s a great way to use up cooked quinoa that you have in your fridge, and makes an awesome side dish. The cilantro and lime work super well together, and some Mexican spices kick it up a notch. The final product actually turned out kind of creamy in texture, which is nice. I hope you enjoy!

Mexican Beans and Quinoa

Serves: 2-3

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

    1 cup cooked quinoa
    1/2 cup water
    1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
    1 tsp cumin
    1/2 tsp Chili Powder
    1/2 tsp paprika
    Salt and pepper to taste
    1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
    Juice of 1/2 a lime

Directions:

  1. Combine the beans, quinoa, water, cumin, paprika and Chili powder in a pot.
  2. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, and cook for about 5-7 minutes. The water should be absorbed by this point.
  3. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper.
  4. Enjoy!

I can’t wait to get into next week’s basil recipes! See you then;)

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked

Parsley Week: Vegetable Soup

Hi! I’m a bit late in posting this, but I’m going to post Cilantro recipes tomorrow and Wednesday to make up for it. So, Vegetable Soup; a classic, simple dish that is easy to make and totally customizable. I used carrots, cauliflower and kale in my soup, but you can use broccoli, peas, corn, beans, the list goes on and on. When the zucchini in my garden is ready I’m for sure using it in this recipe! Parsley works really well in this soup as a flavour enhancer. I also used some chives just to brighten things up;) Here’s the recipe for my vegetable soup!

Vegetable Soup

Serves: 3-4

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 a white onion, diced
  • Water
  • 1/2 tsp ground thyme
  • 2 cups chopped kale (I used Dino)
  • 2 cups cauliflower florets
  • 1/2 cup chopped carrots
  • 1 L vegetable broth (or 938ml to be exact)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  • A few chives, chopped
  • Pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Grab a large pot and put enough water in it so that it just covers the bottom. Place over medium heat.
  2. Once the water is hot, put the garlic and onion in the pot and cook until translucent, about 6-8 minutes. If the water evaporates, add a little bit more.
  3. Add the thyme and stir, cooking for a couple more minutes.
  4. Dump the kale, cauliflower, carrots, broth and salt into the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 25-30 minutes, until the kale is wilted and carrots and cauliflower are soft.
  5. At this point, you can add in the parsley and chives, then simmer for another 5 minutes.
  6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Enjoy!

So yeah, tomorrow is that start of cilantro week! Hope you liked using parsley;)

Yours Truly,

MuDayIsBooked;)

Parsley Week: Corn and Bean Salad

Hi there! As promised, today I’m starting parsley week off with a refreshing corn and bean salad. Parsley is an great herb with lots of flavour, and can be used in a variety of different dishes. Before I get into the salad recipe, here’s some tips on how to grow some awesome parsley!

Like most other herbs, parsley should be exposed to a lot of sun during the summer months. Make sure to water your plants evenly so they don’t dry out though. You can tell when the parsley is ready to be harvested when the stem segments have three leaves on them. Then you can cut off these leaves, leaving the segments with less than three leaves to mature. If you want to store your harvested parsley for later use, cut off whole stem segments and put them in the fridge in a ziplock bag with some paper towel in it to soak up any moisture. Now that you know how to look after your parsley, here’s a delicious salad recipe to use it in!

Corn and Bean Salad

Serves: 4

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 small tomato, diced
  • 1 cup of yellow corn
  • 1/2 a cucumber, cut into half circles
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

For the dressing:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Toss all salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
  2. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix until the vegetables are coated.
  3. Enjoy!

This salad is great for summer because it’s so light and refreshing. To make it more of a meal, I mix some quinoa in with it. There’s another quick and easy lunch idea!

Some more awesome parsley recipes are coming your way this week! Thanks for reading and see you then;)

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;)))

Dill Week: Hungarian Dill and Cucumber Salad

Hi!! To continue on with Dill Week, I have a great recipe for a Dill and Cucumber Salad, which I adapted from a Hungarian cookbook:) It traditionally uses sour cream, but I created a lighter version with Greek yogurt. Hungarian food is very homey and fresh-tasting, and I feel like this salad embodies that. The dill really comes through, and the dressing just enhances everything.

To slice the cucumbers really thin, you can use a mandalin if you have one, or you can just use a knife. My cheese grater has one side where you can move the cucumber up and down and it slices thinly. I sliced the onion by hand, and split up the layers so that when I was done I got thin strips. Hope you enjoy this dill-ightful recipe! (Sorry for the bad puns this week😂)

Hungarian Dill and Cucumber Salad

Serves: 2

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1/2-3/4 of a large cucumber, sliced thinly
  • 1/4 of a medium onion, sliced thinly
  • 2 tbs of fresh dill, chopped
  • 1/2 cup non fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Toss the cucumber, onion, and dill in a medium sized bowl.
  2. Whisk together the yogurt, vinegar, maple syrup, paprika, salt and pepper together in a separate bowl. Pour over the cucumber and onion and mix together until everything is coated.
  3. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend everyone! My final dill post will come out soon;)

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked❤️❤️

Dill Week: Dill Tzatziki

Hello! For the first week of Herb Month I’m featuring dill:) I have a delicious tzatziki recipe that is garlicky and lemony and of course, full of dill. But first, I wanted to share some tips on how to take care of your dill plants. You can just as easily buy fresh dill at the grocery store, but there’s something special about picking fresh produce from a garden.

Dill in my herb garden;)

I didn’t start any of the herbs in my garden from seed- I bought them already sprouted from a garden centre. I then planted them in a large pot with some other herbs. Make sure that the plants aren’t too close to each other and have room to grow. Water your dill well during the summer months. You can start harvesting as soon as your plant has about five leaves (it will probably have five when you buy it from the store). Just pinch off the leaves or use scissors to cut them off. Once you rinse off your dill, you’re ready to start cooking!

Dill Tzatziki

Serves: 4-6

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt (I used non-fat but it’ll only get tastier if you up the fat content!)
  • 1/2 cup grated cucumber (juice included)
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • About 1 tbs fresh dill
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Mix all ingredients together and enjoy!

Hope you liked this dill recipe/information session! I’ll post my source for dill tips below so that you guys can check that out if you have any questions. Keep your eyes open for two more dill recipes this week!

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;))🌱🌱

Source: https://www.almanac.com/plant/dill