More food

I got to celebrate some friend's birthdays today, so I made a new recipe Moroccan Carrot Soup (hat tip to my younger brother, Jeff) and my absolute favorite ciabatta bread. I experimented and let it rise on the pan instead of wrapped in a towel and it worked. (Yay! I love the bread, but hate scrubbing the dough out of my towels).

For dinner I made a new quinoa salad that I loved. Nobody else was a fan; Moira and Ellie picked out the spinach and even Clark pushed out his mouthful of the little seeds. If you're brave (and have good taste, like me) here's the recipe:

Warm Quinoa and Spinach Salad with Mushrooms and Sharp Cheddar

Mix:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Pour half of dressing mixture over 1 lb of sliced shitake mushroom caps. Broil, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes until they are softened and most of the liquid has evaporated/been absorbed.

Meanwhile, bring 1 1/2 cups water and 3/4 cups of rinsed quinoa to a boil and simmer 20 minutes until softened (and the spiral pops. This will make sense when you actually cook the grain). Most all of the liquid will be absorbed here as well.

Toss quinoa, mushrooms, remaining dressing, and 1/2 a bag of baby spinach. Toss in 2-4 ounces of the sharpest cheddar you can find(I like Tillamook Vintage white), grated or diced. Serve immediately.