Cold Quinoa Salad: Easy to Pack, Fun to Say

I make up a decent sized batch of quinoa at the beginning of the week (usually on oatmeal day) and have enough to have this salad for lunch over the next couple of days. It keeps well for about five days--I haven't had enough to push this experiment to the limit because there's never any left after that long, though I'd be interested in seeing how long it takes before it starts walking on its own... Anyway, rock the quinoa early on in the day so it has time to cool before lunch.

Here's What You're Gonna Need:
1 cup quinoa
1 can (low sodium, if possible) vegetable broth

1 can garbanzo beans / Ceci beans / chick peas, however you say it in your neck of the woods
3 stocks celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
(prep time built in)

spring mix / baby lettuce, optional

flax seed
balsamic vinegar
extra virgin olive oil, optional
hard boiled egg, optional

And Here's What You're Gonna Do:

Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a medium pot. While you're waiting for that to happen, rinse and drain quinoa.

Plop clean quinoa into the pot of boiling broth, knock the heat down to medium low, and put a lid on it. Simmer for 11 minutes while chop the celery and carrots.

When the time's up, remove the pot from the heat, keep the lid on and let it hang out for about 5 minutes to finish absorbing the liquid. After five minutes whisk the lid off, and fluff the quinoa with a fork. If it's close-ish to lunch time, take out a bowl of however much you're going to eat today and either set it on the counter or in the fridge to cool. You can let the rest cool down on it's own and then store it in a Tupperware container in the fridge.

Assembly time!
1. salad greens, optional
2. quinoa
3. mix in a little balsamic
4. hard boiled egg, optional
5. carrots and celery
6. more balsamic vinegar and olive oil, if you want it
7. flax seed
8. Ta da! You're full of fiber, omega 3s, and complete protein. Now aren't you smart?

Cheddar Broccoli Quiche with Cornmeal Crust

Gluten Free Cheddar Broccoli Quiche with Cornmeal Crust

Want an egg dish for lunch or dinner? Well then step it up with this hearty quiche! Served with fruit, salad, and a bloody mary, it makes for a quick meal, especially if you make it ahead of time. It's also perfect to pack for lunch, but unless you have a really cool boss you're gonna want to put that bloody mary in a thermos.

Here's What You're Gonna Need:

Crust:
1 cup cornmeal
4 Tbs cold butter
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp water
Whatever seasonings your heart desires (salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne...)

Filling:
1/3ish cup finely chopped onion, lightly browned
frozen chopped broccoli (little pieces, not florets), thawed (eyeball the amount you want-likely 4-6oz)
3/4ish cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 eggs
2 cups 2% milk (skim, whipping cream, or half and half will work, too, depending on how much weight you're looking to gain via quiche)
salt, pepper, cayenne to taste (maybe 1/4ish teaspoon each)

And Here's What You're Gonna Do:
Get your onions browning then rock the crust first. Preheat the oven to 350.

Cut butter into small pieces and pulse it with the cornmeal and your seasonings in the food processor until it looks crumbish. If your mom didn't hand down her 1970s 300lb food processor to you and you haven't bought yourself one, you can use your hands and kind of pluck at it until it crumbishness happens.

Add 1/2 tsp water to the beaten egg and combine with the cornmeal mixture, either with your hands or by pulsing it in the blender. And now you have a lump of crust.

Pat the lump of crust into the bottom of a lightly greased (optional if you're going gluten-free and don't want to use cooking spray) pie or pastry pan and as far up the sides of the pan as it'll go. The crust should be thin.

Bake the crust for ten minutes or so before adding the filling.

While that's baking...
Beat eggs, whichever milk product you chose, and salt, pepper and cayenne together with a mixer. Finishing browning those onions and briefly nuke the broccoli if it's not thawed.

When your crust comes out of the oven, put a foil lined cookie sheet under it if you're prone to slopping stuff all over the place like myself. Add the onions, broccoli and cheddar cheese to the bottom of the crust. Pour in your egg mixture (it's okay if the eggs go above the crust, as long as it all stays in the pan) and put that bad boy in the oven.

Time is tricky on quiche. It can take up to an hour, but start stabbing it after about 40 minutes or so to check for doneness. Let your quiche cool on the counter for at least 20 minutes so it sets, or pop it in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days. You can warm it for dinner or just eat it cold for lunch. Or go cold for dinner and warm for lunch if you want to be difficult.