Quinoa and Bean Salad

Hi Drunks!

I know it's been a longgggg time since I've posted.  Our travel schedule has made my cooking pretty much non-existent (I know nobody feels bad for me :), but now that we're back I'm ready to share some recipes again! We shared a delicious dinner with the newlyweds last night and I brought this as a side.

This salad is delish, healthy, and pretty easy to make.  You can put in pretty much any veggies / beans that you have lying around, and could also add some chopped nuts for an extra crunch.  This makes a large batch (it's great leftover / for lunch), so feel free to half.  I pretty much just wing it on the spices, so below are estimates, but definitely give it a taste and adjust to your liking.  Happy Mailmanning!

KReh

This is only ~half the batch :)

Ingredients

• 1.5c quinoa, rinsed if needed
• 3c water
• 1 bouillon cube, chicken or vegetable-flavored (optional)
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can corn (or ~1.5c fresh or frozen corn, thawed)
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 a red onion
• 1 lime
• 1/2 c olive oil
• ~1 tbsp garlic powder
• ~1 tbsp chili powder
• ~1 tsp cayenne pepper (gives it a bit of a kick)
• ~1 tsp salt
• ~1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

• Cook quinoa in water, adding bouillon cube prior to boiling if desired (will give it a bit more flavor); let quinoa cool to room temperature
• Drain and rinse beans / corn and let dry
• Finely chop onion and red pepper
• Combine quinoa, veggies, and beans in large bowl; mix well
• Cut lime into halves and juice over mixture 
• Add olive oil and spices to mixture
• Mix everything up really well!



Mellerho mailmanned the whole bowl!

• Mailman!

Mailman! (The mellerho's steak salad was also delish)

Asparagus Bruschetta

This is the perfect light dinner/appetizer for a hangover recovery. Natalie and I were both feeling drained yesterday, so we made this quickly to get us over the hump.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb asparagus
• 1.5-2 large tomatoes, sliced
• Olive Oil
• Basalmic Vinegar
• Parmesan Cheese
• Salt
• Pepper
• Basil (julienne or dried both work fine)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400º F
2. Place asparagus on a baking sheet dowse with olive oil, salt, pepper, and Parmesan
3. Place asparagus in oven for 10 minutes
4. Once asparagus is done, mix tomatoes, asparagus, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar (OO:BV should be 1:1)
5. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper
6. Serve over toasted bread and fresh mozzerella, triscuits, or by itself as a salad

If salad tasted more like this, I'd eat it every day

Happy cooking mailmanning!

Holy Moly Guacamole

Hey guys! This recipe is very simple so if anyone has some suggestions or ideas of what to add post them! I like to change it up every time I make guacamole (which is becoming weekly because Mr. California inhales it).

Ingredients:

Avocados: 2 (good for serving 2-4 people)
Tomato: 1
Lime/ Lime juice
Cumin
Paprika


Instructions:

Peel and pit the avocados. Slice them up a bit to help with the mixing after other ingredients are in. 
Squeeze lime juice on the sliced avocados immediately. This helps prevent the brownish color they turn after being out for a bit. 
Cut up the tomato, throw it in the bowl, and using a fork smash and mix up the guac. I use a fork because I like the guacamole to have avocado chunks in it instead of being blended smooth, but either way is delicious. 
Then go ahead and add some spices. You can do anything from Taco seasoning to just some cumin and paprika, but it is totally up to you. Give me some suggestions of what you have used in the past! 

A dramatic mailman for a dramatically delicious dip. 

Buffalo Chicken Burgers

So this is a new recipe that I just tried last night and it turned out pretty delicious!  It was also really quick and easy, so a good weeknight meal.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup grated onion
• 1/2 cup grated carrots
• 2-3 cloves garlic, grated (or chopped if you have that pre-chopped kind)
• 1 lb. ground chicken (or ground turkey would work)
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs (seasoned or unseasoned, or panko if you want)
• 1/4 cup Frank's Hot Sauce + extra for topping
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup blue cheese (if desired -- Joe doesn't like it so I left it out in a few)
• 4 buns / rolls
• Toppings: chopped carrot / celery / onion, ranch or blue cheese, extra Frank's

Instructions:
1. Grate your veggies if needed
2. In a bowl, mix grated veggies/garlic, chicken, bread crumbs, spices, and blue cheese until well combined
3. Cook on a hot griddle or grill ~6 minutes per side (will totally depend on the grill or stove you use, but that's about what mine was) -- make sure they are cooked through until all the way white
4. Put on bun, top with assorted toppings (see ideas above), mailman!

Delish!  I added a bit of blue cheese dressing and some carrots / onions...

Spicy Tomato Soup with beans, veggies and pasta

a.k.a. I'm not very good at creating a name for this one

This is a very quick soup which combines two of my favorite food items: soup and beans.

Ready to begin my food photography career.

Ingredients:

Olive Oil (as much as you need to cook veggies)
2 carrots (peeled & chopped)
1 red onion (or another type if you're a weirdo)
1 red pepper (or green for kitten)
3-4 cloves garlic
26 oz jar marinara sauce or crushed tomatoes
28 oz veggie broth (two cans)
1 can white beans (I like cannellini beans)
1/2 c small pasta (like small shells or something)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (depends on how spicy you like it. A little goes a long way)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese for garnish

1. Saute the veggies for 5-10 minutes in olive oil in a soup pt.

2. Add everything else except for cheese: seasonings, broth, pasta, beans and tomatoes (sauce or crushed). Simmer for at least 20 minutes or however long you can wait.

3. Garnish with cheese and don't burn your mouth.

8/10 difficulty: Selfie, at work, mailmanning a hot food

Spaghetti Carbonara

looks good huh? 

Well this is one of my favorite mom dishes that I had growing up and I always thought it would be so hard to duplicate, but it's one of the easiest things I have made recently. Also there literally is no way to screw this one up, which is good for me because I tend to lose focus halfway through recipes anyways. 

The ingredients
1lb of spaghetti
6 slices of bacon
2 eggs
1 cup of milk
3/4 cup of parmesan cheese
salt 
freshly ground pepper 

Here we go...

First thing, you need a glass of wine or brewski to enhance your cooking abilities.

1. BACON! Cook the bacon and smell the goodness. Save 2 tbsp of bacon grease for the pasta. 
2. Cook the noodles just like you did all of senior year of college when we pretended we could cook.
3. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and salt together. 
4. Cut the bacon up into small pieces (a food processor is ideal, but I do not have one so I just let the bacon cool and I did it with a knife). 
5. In a pot add the pasta, milk/egg mixture, bacon, bacon grease, and a half cup of cold water. Mix everything up quickly so the eggs don't cook too much. 
6. Sprinkle the parmesan and freshly ground pepper on top and serve. 


HEALTHY UPDATE! The Italian way uses cream instead of milk, so this is actually a healthy recipe! 

Here is a grad student in his element, however he has no support for the Iowan team. Sorry Hawkeyes, but you stink.