Tomato and Chickpea Quinoa Salad

Hi everyone! Sorry (again) for being away for so long. Life with a baby has been more hectic than anticipated so I haven't had my act together enough to blog regularly like I had planned. I consider it a success to just get dinner on the table so I haven't taken much time to actually take pictures in the process.

I have missed blogging, though, and with spring coming soon (or so I keep telling myself) I am making grand plans for many new projects around the house and kitchen and am going to do my best to get back to blogging somewhat regularly to document it all.

Chicken Stew

Hello everyone! I apologize (again) for yet another long absence. I am now the proud mother of a two-and-a-half-month-old baby boy. I had all these grand visions of trying great recipes and blogging away after maternity leave started but before the baby came, but instead I mostly nested and tried to sleep. Since the baby came, life has been more hectic (but in the best possible way) so there hasn't been much time for blogging, hence the absence of recent posts.

Now that things are starting to settle into more of a routine (though I probably just jinxed myself), I'm hoping I will have more time to get back to blogging again. I want to try out more recipes involving short cooking times and/or my slow cooker, since most of the time whatever I am doing gets sidelined by a crying baby. It would be great to be able to just toss things into a pot and let it simmer away rather than making something that requires a lot of preparation time or having to stick close by the stove and hoping that the baby stays asleep until dinner is ready, because that doesn't work most of the time.

Tomato and Herb Quinoa Salad

I'm a big fan of quinoa. It's a grain that is apparently quite high in protein. I find it similar to couscous. It's great to make as a side because it's quick to prepare and is tasty served hot like rice, or cold like pasta salad. I recently made a simple version with cherry tomatoes, herbs and garlic. It was fresh and delicious - perfect for summertime!

Quick and Easy Spanish Rice

We are well into barbecue season, which is great. When the sun is out, we tend to grill our dinner rather than cook something inside. As much as I love having steak or chicken on the barbecue, I haven't been very creative with the sides that we have with the meat. Usually we just toss some potatoes on the grill, or some sort of rice dish that is usually (and unfortunately) rather boring - usually just some veggies and herbs without much pizzazz.

Salmon, Asparagus and Lemon Risotto

I have to confess that I had never made risotto before this - that's how much of an amateur chef I am. I've always wanted to try it, though. I saw a mention of salmon risotto somewhere on Pinterest and thought that sounded amazing, so I went hunting for a good recipe.

Tomato Braised Chicken with Broccoli and Brown Rice

We came home late from work a few nights ago and I didn't feel like having something frozen for dinner (again) so I made chicken braised in tomatoes and chicken broth with broccoli and brown rice. It was very good - especially for something that I threw together without using a recipe. We both really liked it so I think we'll add it to our dinner rotation.

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

I love finding new slow cooker recipes. It's so convenient being able to toss things into the slow cooker and just set it to do the work for you all day. This recipe is adapted from the recipe for chicken enchilada soup on Chef in Training. There's a bit of prep work to do in the beginning, but it's well worth it. It's hearty and full of delicious flavours.