Quinoa Salad

1/2 c tri-color quinoa
1 c chicken broth (or Vegetable Broth)
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp Bacon Jam(Optional)  
Vegetables on hand:
broccoli, chopped and cooked
beets, diced and cooked
tomato
avocado

Cook Quinoa like rice; add quinoa and broth into a small pot, cover and bring to a boil. Let simmer until they start to split. Then let stand for at least 10-15 minutes. Once cooled, stir in bacon jam and  chopped vegetables.

Bacon Rice Krispies

What do you bring to a Bacon potluck party? Find inspiration on Pinterest http://pin.it/NFXAwkE Then be a fat kid and bring several things instead of just one.

1 10oz bag marshmallows

4 strips of Bacon, chopped and fried

3 tbs Butter

6 c rice krispies cereal

Optional: Tempered chocolate for topping

Fry Bacon pieces in a large pot and set aside. Leave the grease in the pot and melt butter on a medium heat. Add Marshmallows until melted, stirring constantly. When fully melted, turn off heat add bacon bits and rice krispies cereal. Fold in until cereal is evenly coated. Place in a parchment lined brownie pan and press down. Melt chocolate wafers and drizzle on top. Let cool 15 minutes to set and cut into squares.

Bacon Jam

Bacon, it's my JAM!!!! And a really good addition to everything...Cheese platters, mac and cheese, quinoa salad, grilled cheese sandwiches, literally everything!

1 1/2 pounds sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces 

2 medium yellow onions, diced small 
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled 
1/2 cup cider vinegar 
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar 
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tbs freeze dried coffee 
3/4 cup rum

Fry the bacon until browned set aside. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan. Add onions and garlic, and cook until onions are translucent. Add vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup, coffee and rum. Bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up browned bits from skillet with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes. Add bacon and stir to combine. 

Transfer mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker and cook on high, uncovered, until liquid is syrupy, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Transfer to a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Let cool, then refrigerate in airtight containers, up to 4 weeks.

Shaved Fennel Salad

Now that the holidays are long over and summer is coming, it's time to get out of the spandex and fit into my shorts again. I've been on a kick to get more veggies into my routine and curb the sweet tooth. Super easy and delicious salads are my go to.

Shaved Fennel 
Hearts of Palm
Avocado
Pine Nuts
Goat Cheese
Dressing(Cider Vinegar, olive oil, pressed garlic, honey, salt & pepper to taste)

Shred the fennel in a mandolin and toss with dressing. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes. Heap the Fennel slaw on a plate and add dress with all other ingredients.

Three Bean Turkey Chili

2 lbs Ground Turkey
1 Medium Onion, diced
1 8oz Can Tomato Sauce
1 28oz Can Diced Tomatoes
1 16oz Can Kidney Beans
1 15oz Can Black Beans
1 16oz Can Pinto Beans
1 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
2 Garlic cloves, diced
3 Tbs Chili Powder
1 Tbs Chicken Powder

Pick your own chili powder blend according to how spicy you like it. Toss all the ingredients into a crock pot in the morning and eat at night! If using a conventional pot, use a dutch oven to cook the meat with a little bit of vegetable oil. Place all remaining ingredients in the pot and let cook at a low boil for 1-2 hours, until the meat is tender.  

Avocado & Beet Salad

Not surprising that my dad also loves to eat (it must be genetic). For his Birthday this year, he picked a new restaurant that opened in Hawaii, Senia. He starts out with 'these guys came from Per Se in New York' and my first thought is, how much is this going to cost. But we get there and it's not the upscale French Laundry, Per Se atmosphere. It's much more quaint and the food was pretty good too. Their menu rotates, but one of my favorites was the BBQ Beet Salad. Here's my version of it.

Beet Root

Olive Oil

Cider Vinegar

Salt & Pepper to taste

Arugula

Puffed Brown rice

Avocado

Roast the Beets until tender thru, peel and cube. Drizzle olive oil and vinegar, toss and set aside. Deep fry the brown rice blend (I used a brown rice medley from Trader Joe's) in grapeseed oil until they puff, strain immediately and set aside. 

Mash the avocado with salt and pepper then spread evenly on the bottom of the plate. Sprinkle the puffed rice, arugula and beet cubes. Or Cube the Avocado and toss together with the other ingredients.