Garlic Gold: Tri-Color Quinoa Grain Vegetable Medley Salad that can be Baked too #MeatlessMonday #recipe

 

This recipe is a 2-in-1, where you can make a salad or go for a a little protein kick by adding an egg and baking. Bakes in less than 15 minutes!  A Great Spring dish and perfect for our latest California’s weather where it is hot in the day but cold at night.

Let’s begin….

1/4 cup of Tri-Color Quinoa (measure dry and pre-cook with water, with a little salt and pepper)
1/2 cup of Kale (roughly chopped)
1/3 of a cup of Broccoli
1/8 of a cup of Green Bell Pepper
1/2 a Zucchini
1 Slice of Red Onion
1 Slice of White Onion
1 tablespoon of Garlic Gold Red Wine Vinaigrette
1 teaspoon of Olive Oil (reserved for cooking phase)

Garlic Gold Nuggets to taste and you can also add a Goat Cheese crumble

Optional (if Baking)-
1 egg
Fat of your choice (butter, olive oil, coconut oil, ect.) to oil the dish
Honey Goat Cheese crumbled on top
Garlic Gold Nuggets and an Arugula toss (raw arugula with a drizzle of the Garlic Gold Red Wine Vinaigrette)

I start by cooking the Quinoa and it takes about 10 minutes. If any water is left, drain and just set aside in a bowl.

I then start chopping all the vegetables and this is roughly done because I am aiming for bite size.

Heat up a skillet and add the 1 teaspoon of Olive Oil or any fat of your choice (or even none). Start sauteing the onions and bell pepper until you get a nice golden color but keep in mind you want crunch left.

I add the saute onions and bell peppers to the bowl with the Quinoa. Using the same pan, I saute the zucchini for a little over 1 minute because again I aiming for a par-cooked texture and I want the vegetable to get color but preserve some firmness.

The zucchini gets added to the bowl. I then add the broccoli and kale and again saute for under a minute.

The cooking intensifies the flavors and takes the bore out of eating your vegetables 🙂 Once everything is in the bowl, I add the Garlic Gold Red Wine Vinaigrette.

The Garlic Gold adds flavor and this is why we used little to no seasonings beforehand. Toss and then you can enjoy as-is, add the goat cheese and/or move on to baking.

If Baking-
Preheat oven to 400 degrees

I used an oven-safe au gratin dish that fits the above contents nicely and allows the egg to have room. It’s approximately 2-cups in size. I used a Coconut Oil and a Butter blend to oil my dish and prevent the egg from sticking.

I then add the vegetables and Quinoa mix, make sure everything is evenly spread and leveled.

I cracked 1 egg an it’s up to you if you wish to add a little milk when whisking. Once the egg is whisked, I then simply pour it over the vegetables and add the crumbled goat cheese.

I bake the dish for 15 minutes, with the first half covered (tented with foil so it does not come in contact with the cheese) and the other half uncovered. The vegetables remain with a nice crunch and full of flavor.

I opted to top my bake with an Arugula toss (arugula and a little dash of the Garlic Gold vinaigrette) and a dash of the Garlic Gold Nuggets. This adds flavor and you get a nice warm and cold contrast.

This dish can be made ahead and just add the egg and bake when you are ready. You can have the salad on top of romaine lettuce with a toasted pita on the side, but it’s filling, low in calories and fat but most importantly……Garlic Gold delicious! Enjoy!’

 

 

You can also make this easy dish by getting your own Garlic Gold Products at:

On-line– http://garlicgold.com/

Visit Garlic Gold on Facebook– https://www.facebook.com/GarlicGold

Twitter– https://twitter.com/garlicgold

See the pretty Garlic Gold products and the other dishes you can create on Pinterest– http://www.pinterest.com/garlicgold/

 

I received the above product free of charge from Garlic Gold.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

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Arbonne Essentials Energy Fizz sticks Review

Everyone needs a little pick-me-up from time to time, I know. And the markets are positively flooded with energy drinks from every company, in every possible variation of color, potency, size and composition. It can get confusing especially with some of the, shall we say…dubious claims made on the cans, bottles or packets.

So it’s nice to see Arbonne throw their hats into this crowded ring with their Arbonne Essentials Energy fizz sticks. The pamphlet included states that these little packets are loaded with antioxidants, B-vitamins, and chromium. They also claim to “promote alertness, enhance cognitive function, promote endurance, and enhance motor skills”. Wow. That’s a lot to pack into a little “stick”. Key ingredients include green tea, ginseng, and guarana. My first try-out was the pomegranate flavor. Here goes!

First things first: I have no idea how much water to include because the packet says to refer to the box, and the pamphlet I got says nothing about it either. So I guestimate about 8 ounces. It does indeed fizz, so much so that it speckles the mixer bottle I’m stirring it into. I’m keeping an open mind because after the protein shake crashed and burned, I approached this with some trepidation. But it smells pleasantly fruity, and my first sip confirms it. This is yummy. Reminiscent of Red Bull, but much, much lighter. There are light pomegranate notes here too, but not a smack in the face some Pom drinks have. The fizz dies out pretty quickly, but the flavor stays nice. My only quibbles would be that it does thicken up the saliva at the back of your throat, and the. lack of an ingredient list. Those issues might be exclusive to my situation, though, so don’t hold that against them. I also noticed nothing the way of a boost, pick-me-up. or extra energy. But again, this could be me just being used to green tea drinks and caffeine in my coffee.

Like all Arbonne products, this one is vegan, free of artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners. This particular product comes in both citrus and pomegranate flavors. I label this product a “buy”, and it’s something I would look forward to and enjoy from time to time.

• Arbonne Fizz Sticks: http://www.arbonne.com/shop_online/showCatalog.asp?category=198

I received this product free of charge from an Arbonne representative.  I am not obligated to provide a favorable/positive review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product/brand, which may differ from yours.