Tuna Steaks and Curried Quinoa

Hi!
Oh boy was I excited for today. Today was the first time the farmers market has been on campus since Christmas. Finally, we can eat fresh vegetables and fruits again! I totally went overboard and bought tons! Stayed under $20 though. Love the farmers market.

Nick and I bought tuna steaks around Thanksgiving time (before the engagement, when we weren't saving every penny we have) and decided to thaw and cook them tonight, since our new place has a grill. ooooo my favorite food is grilled food... mmmm hot dogs.

On a side note, Mac and Cheese is $2.00 a box here! (thanks Anja!) What ever happened to it being 36 cents a box? Man oh man.

Anyway, we marinated the tuna steaks in spicy stir fry sauce, mustard, and soy sauce. We pretty much just make a marinade out of whatever sauce we have in the fridge. It always ends up being delicious. While Nick was grilling them, (5 mins on each side... flip only once... look at those grill marks!) I was upstairs making a quinoa dish that I found in a cook book that was left here called "the healthiest meals on earth."

Let me tell you, this side dish was amazing! I can't wait to cook it again. sooooo good. Definitely going to make this for visitors!

Curried Quinoa
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2/3 cup quinoa (uncooked)

2 1/2 cups water or vegetable or chicken broth

3 cups kale, stems removed and chopped into bite sized pieces

1 tsp curry powder

pinch of salt

3 Tbs. coconut milk (it says unsweetened and light, but I used regular... so I guess it's not one of the healthiest meals on earth.)

2 tsp. lime juice (I never have lime juice, so skipped it)

1/4 tsp. curry powder (yes more!)

1/4 tsp. agave nectar

1/3 cup peanuts (I bought the little pack that you see in line at the grocery store)

Directions

In a dry, non stick saute pan over medium heat, toast the quinoa for 5-6 minutes until fragrant, gently turning from time to time. Add the water or broth, kale, curry powder, and salt; cover, and raise temperature to high to bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until quinoa and kale are tender, the quinoa "tails" have popped, and the liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Remove pan from heat and transfer to large bowl.

In a small bowl, place the coconut milk, lime juice, curry powder, and agave nectar and whisk together briskly. Pour over the quinoa mixture and toss to combine well. May be served warm or chilled in the fridge overnight. Add the peanuts just before serving.

Like I said, it was pretty amazing! I was surprised at the outcome. Thanks to Nick, the tuna was amazing too! The cats even gobbled up their piece. Yes, we spoil our cats rotten. One time, I went out to a fancy fancy restaurant with Nick and brought home a piece of filet mignon (in my purse) for the cats. They appreciate it.

I'm so excited for lunch tomorrow. I shredded the left over tuna and mixed it with onions, celery, mayo, and mustard and made sandwiches!

Baked Ziti

Oh I've been so lazy! Getting back on track from the holidays and trying to cook real meals. This is an attempt. We moved mid December so we had to food, then we went on vacation so still had no food. Now its after the holidays and have no money... so still no food.

Thankfully my lovely Auntie Bonnie got Nick and I gift cards to a wonderful local market on our way home from work. So we went there and got enough for meals for the week and some bulk items as well. I was lazy my first day of work (really, I just got home from an insanely busy vacation, the worst 9 hour flight of my life, and had to work the next day... I was entitled to be lazy) so I just made Baked Ziti, which is so easy... I didn't even use my own pasta sauce either.

Since I just compiled items that I had in the cupboards, I'm not going to make a recipe this time. Maybe next time I make it I will.

I just boiled some ziti noodles, added them to a 9x13 pan, mixed up some tomato sauce (pre made sauce) 2 oz cream cheese, onion, mushrooms, spices and topped with some cheddar cheese. It was delicious!