Impulsive Pulse and Quinoa Salad

The scene.  Carpooling to a winery potluck with friends at 10:45 am on a gorgeous Saturday for a afternoon jazz festival.  Woke up the same day with no idea what to make.  (I'll blame it on the nutty week I'd had.)  Open the fridge/pantry.  This is what came about.

Ingredients:
1 cup dry quinoa - cook it according to directions.
1 cup dry lentils - cook according to directions.  (But first spill about a half of a cup on the floor and trash them because you hadn't had coffee yet.)
3 green onions sliced thin
1 bunch asparagus
Awesome garlic scape pesto made earlier in the week (you could get the same flavor profile with garlic powder, salt, lemon, oil, and  parm, probably.)
More lemon juice (~1 T)
More olive oil (~2 T)
A smidge more parm (~2 T)
Salt to taste

Directions:
Cook lentils and throw in a bowl and put in the fridge to cool.  Cook quinoa.  The last few minutes of the quinoa throw in chopped asparagus to blanch.  (I didn't feel like getting another pot dirty.  You could steam the asparagus.  I wanted some crunch still left.)  Add into the lentils.  Mix in remaining ingredients.

This makes a lot.  I saved 2 servings for later and the rest went to the potluck with 10 people and a bit was leftover.  It had good reviews for something so impulsive!

Fun hayride with the owners schooling us on vineyard vs. wineries

Kitchen Sink Crustless Quiche

That sigh when you've cleaned the kitchen after playing in it and you sit on the couch with your feet-up.  I love that feeling. It's like winning.  A combination of being well-nourished and de-stressed.  That just happened and I just heard myself sigh.

Tonight, I fetched veggies, rushed to Pilate's, came home and cranked up a sappy Joni Mitchell Pandora station and got into veggie prep mode.  

Inspired by being overrun with CSA eggs and veggies, a veggie quiche came to mind... I was mildly following this recipe... for time, temp, and a rough idea of ingredients.

After some stressful days at work, it was a nice mind and body reset to exercise and cook with tunes cranked.  My therapy.

Ingredients:
6 farm fresh eggs.  One of them had 2 yolks.  Because, you know, that's how the CSA do.  So not sure if that's 7 eggs?  But, I cracked 6 shells, so...
A 2 cup package mexican cheese, 2% that has been in the freezer for awhile.
1 zucchini leftover from beach weekend.

2 bunches of CSA spinach.
2 green/purpley scallions from the CSA.
Healthy drizzle of canola oil.
2 tsp garlic diced.

Directions:
Saute chopped zucchini, onion, and garlic in canola oil until cooked with salt and pepper.

Beat eggs in a bowl.  Add 2 C package of 2% Mexican cheese. Add cooked veggies and dump in casserole pan.  (I couldn't find my pie pans.  Probably in my trunk, knowing me.)

Cook at 350 for half hour.  Let rest for 10 minutes.

Portion out. Freeze half a dozen portions, so you don't feel overwhelmed by a quiche.  (Food shouldn't overwhelm.)  Save 3 portions for now, or meals later in the week.