Southwestern Flair Quinoa Salad

Okay, time to get real, ya'll. This quinoa salad is inspired by a Publix recipe, and it is SO SO SO SO delicious. Did I mention it is delicious? It is a great make-ahead meal; I make this on Sunday and eat it for dinner the entire week.

Ingredients:

-1 bell pepper chopped 

-1/2 red onion chopped

-1 cup of shredded carrots

-2 cups of spinach or kale

-1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)

-1 cup cooked quinoa

-3 to 4 tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro

- 1 teaspoon of cumin

-1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

What to Do:

1. Cook quinoa according to directions on box. 
2. In a large bowl, combine everything together and mix throughly.
3. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

College Contessa Rating: Corporate Pump

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

If there is one thing that these contessas eat more of than anything else, it is quinoa. Quinoa is super simple to make, full of protein, and very versatile!

After contemplating new ways to use quinoa, I (Brown Sugaaa Contessa) decided to make quinoa stuffed peppers and may I just say that they were DELICIOUS!! Get ready for the easiest, healthiest, and most importantly, most delicious version of stuffed peppers you'll ever taste.

Ingredients:

-2 bell peppers (Any Color)

-A handful of shredded carrots

-1/2 cup of quinoa

-1/2 cup of red onion

-1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese

-1 small can of corn

-1 small can of tomato sauce

-1/2 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)

-1/2 packet of taco seasoning

What to Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut tops off peppers and remove core/seeds.
3. Boil peppers in water for 2 minutes, drain, and set aside.
4. Cook quinoa according to directions on box. Usually, you add 1 cup of water to every 1/2 cup of quinoa. Make sure all water is soaked into quinoa after cooking.
5. In a saute pan, add carrots, red onion, corn, tomato sauce, taco seasoning, and black beans. Cook until everything is heated through.
6. Combine everything in a large bowl and mix throughly. 
7. Place boiled peppers in a baking dish and fill peppers with the filling. Any extra filling can just be placed around peppers in dish. Top with mozzarella cheese, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for about 25-30 minutes (until cheese is melty and everything is heated through).

College Contessa Rating: Corporate Pump

Fill up with a second helping of ... us!

Caviar Contessa here and ready to announce that College Contessas are back in the saddle and ready to ride off and cook (more like ride off and eat--let's not kid ourselves here.)

Though resolutions are not really our thang--and this is just slightly past the post-holiday calorie counting craze of three weeks ago--the gals and I are thoroughly, absolutely, COMPLETELY excited for picking up this new year with a bang and some "exotic" quinoa dishes.

This year we're thinking big, y'all. Stinky (but incredible) cheeses. Field trips to little gourmet shops. Ambitious recipe plans. Party planning tips. Farm dreams. A possible vlog component. Foodie internships at Athens Food Tours this semester. And living vicariously through our very own Cafe Contessa living in Italy this semester (check out her blog--masoninitaly.blogspot.com--she's fabulous, y'all!)

We're going to be doing more than watching our idol the Barefoot and dreaming of the good life--this year, we going to taste it, and we hope that you come back for second helpings too!

We've already been cooking it up this month, too. Be on the lookout for a flourless chocolate torte that will leave you in a delightful and delectable cocoa coma, and a sun-dried tomato and pesto risotto that we sent Miss Cafe Contessa across the pond on--and when those have been devoured, there will always be another course.

Peace, love, blessings, and fancy life dreams,
The Caviar Contessa