Tale of Two Seasons

I’m trying to embrace Fall, I really am. I made pumpkin brownies, had a bonfire at a friend’s house the other night, and have made the pretty big switch from cool, crisp white wines to our seriously never ending collection of Cabernet Sauvignon. We went a little Cab crazy over the past few years, and now it’s everywhere! I’m loving the brightly colored mums I see around town, and I really like the creepy feeling that happens around Halloween. I am a big fan of ghost stories, scary movies, and other chilling things.

But I am already over the very dark mornings, being freezing during the work day (I literally wanted to put my feet in the oven after baking the brownies the other day.), and being hungry all the time. And when it comes to food, I never got my fill of tomatoes, fresh salads, cucumbers, and grilled vegetables. With the desire to start eating more healthily (again!), I visited The Fresh Market this Sunday after we dropped the boat off nearby for winter storage (sniffle). I  love The Fresh Market and take any chance I can get to visit.

I have been enjoying quinoa lately where I have not in the past. The difference? I really dislike any dry foods like rice and grains, but if I add some sort of nice sauce, I can eat them just fine. With this easy, healthy lunch recipe, I crossed over two seasons and came up with a beautiful result.

A few cups of mini patty pan squashes, cut in half.

Three cups quinoa, juice of one juicy lemon, and 1/4 cup of fruity olive oil

Lots and lots of fresh cilantro

1/2 chopped white onion

A pint of grape tomatoes

Quickly cook the squash until tender while quinoa is cooking according to package directions. Once done, toss all ingredients together. I topped mine with kalamata olives and goat cheese and enjoyed every healthy bite. Yum.

This solved our lunch dilemma for a few days at least, and it was a valiant effort at bringing some fall flavors into our repertoire. Since discovering ways to make myself like quinoa and the like, I am really looking forward to incorporating more of these healthy things into my life.

Do you have any ingredients that you used to dislike that you have changed your mind on?