Banana-Quinoa Waffles

I stumbled across this recipe in the June 2012 issue of Parents Magazine and decided to give it a try!  I hadn't made anything with quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) yet, but have seen so many recipes with it, I was ready to incorporate it into my family's diet!

These banana-quinoa waffles were both tasty and filling.  You do need to cook the quinoa ahead of time, only about 10-12 minutes, then let cool.  But the beauty of this recipe is that you can make the batter the night before and it is ready to go for breakfast the next day!  I made these on a Thursday night, which is brinner in our house (breakfast for dinner) and prepared the batter earlier in the day just to see how it would hold up - they were delicious! 

I hope you make these for your family, either for breakfast or brinner!

Banana-Quinoa Waffles
Makes 10 waffles

Recipe adapted from Parents Magazine.

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup quinoa
1 2/3 cups white whole-wheat flour (I just used whole-wheat flour)
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed bananas
3 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
Real maple syrup, butter, blueberries, raspberries, and/or sliced strawberries for serving

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil.  Stir in quinoa.  Reduce heat; cover, and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender and liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat.  Transfer to a small bowl and chill 1 to 2 hours. 

In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar baking powder, and salt.  Add quinoa, banana, egg yolks, butter, and milk.  Stir to combine.

In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.  Fold them into batter.

At this point, the batter can be stored overnight if preparing ahead for breakfast.

Preheat waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions. 

Cook batter in waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions.  Top with butter, syrup, and berries.

Corporate Sunset Dinner Cruise on The Desert Belle

I recently planned an event that was held this week - it was a corporate sunset dinner cruise, and it was a huge success!  The party was held on the Desert Belle that launched from the Saguaro Lake Marina in Mesa, AZ.  We chartered the Desert Belle to cruise around the lake for three hours and served a dinner buffet from Special Moments Catering along with the beverages from the bar on board. 

The guests were allowed to board 30 minutes prior to the boat launching.  I did take a photo of each group/couple as they arrived as a keepsake for them.  Once we left the dock, some key members of the company welcomed the guests, thanked everyone for their hard work, and reminded everyone to drink responsibly - always important! 

The Desert Belle offered a guided tour, provided music, or allowed us to bring our own.  We decided to have the captain point out key areas of the lake while it was still daylight, but for the most part we hooked up the music we brought on an iPhone and listened to a playlist we put together.  We had four crew members - captain, concierge, and two bartenders.  They all had great personalities which made it that much more fun for our guests!  - and definitely helped each other out throughout the party!

Special Moments Catering did an awesome job with the food!  We had some very specific requirements with one of the dishes as there is a large Indian population within the company.  They prepared Paneer Mekhani, which I learned (from Wikipedia of course!) while planning this event that Paneer is a fresh cheese found in South Asian cuisine.  To make Paneer Mekhani, the cheese is cubed and cooked in a rich cream-based, tomato gravy.  This is typically served with Vegetable Biryani, Indian rice to which vegetables are added.   For our event, we offered Lemon Zest and Herb Mediterranean Quinoa, which was a great pairing!  This was not something Special Moments had created before, but they knocked it out of the park!  It was delicious and a big hit with everyone on board.  We also served a more traditional Lemon Chicken along with rolls, butter, mixed greens with a raspberry vinaigrette and an assortment of mini desserts.  We had a banquet captain and a server from Special Moments throughout the event. 

At the end of the night, we handed out favor bags to all of our guests. Since we were hosting the event in Mesa, I decided to reach out to the Mesa Visitors Bureau.  They were kind enough to give us bags, chapstick, and some literature about Mesa.  We also included mints with the company's logo along with small bags of cookies and some candy. 

I would highly recommend using either one of these companies for a future party!  Or - even taking a tour on the Desert Belle is a great time too.  Because of the private charter, I was able to bring the hubby and two boys on a regular tour about a week before the event so that we could check it out, meet our concierge, and finalize details for our party.    Thanks to the Desert Belle, Special Moments Catering, and the Mesa Visitors Bureau for helping us make our party a big success!

Grilled Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella, Provolone, and Parmesan Topped with Arugula Salad

With the rising temperatures, the last thing I want to do is turn on the oven....I'd much rather heat up the grill!  I thought my boys would be more interested in making their own pizzas, not so much, perhaps the novelty has worn off!  The older one did help me make the dough earlier in the day - but neither one wanted to get too crazy with the toppings, they both chose their standard - cheese pizza.

I, on the other hand, made a grilled pizza with fresh Mozzarella, Provolone, grated Parmesan and I topped it with an arugula salad tossed in salt, pepper, Queen Creek Olive Mill's Tuscan Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Queen Creek Olive Mill's White Balsamic Vinegar.  It was soooooo good!  I love salad on a pizza!  I'm such a multi-tasker, might as well eat your salad right on top of your pizza!  If you have never tried arugula, I highly recommend it!  It is very unique and has a "peppery" taste, it pairs well with the creamy cheese on the pizza.  This was excellent with a glass of Sterling Vineyards Pinot Grigio.

Grilled Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmesan Topped with Arugula Salad
Serves 2

I started with my standard pizza dough recipe which can be found here.  I did double the recipe and then cut the dough into thirds once it was fully risen.  This gave me two good sized kid pizzas and one larger grown up pizza. 

Pizza dough before it rose:

Pizza dough after it rose (probably should have used a larger bowl!)

Other ingredients:
note: this is for arugula topped pizza only

1/2 cup store bought tomato/pizza sauce (or homemade!)  You can add more here, but I'm not a huge fan of a ton of sauce on my pizza!
3 slices Provolone cheese
4 slices fresh Mozzarella
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 big handfuls of arugula
2 tablespoons (or to taste) extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons (or to taste) white balsamic vinegar (could also use a "regular" balsamic vinegar)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Once you are ready to roll out your pizza, go ahead and heat up your grill.  Roll out your pizzas and I would recommend that you still put the cornmeal on the pizza stone (can also use larger cutting board) so that the pizza will easily slide off onto the grill. You could also use a pizza paddle:



I topped mine with store bought tomato sauce, could certainly use homemade, along with the fresh Mozzarella cheese, Provolone cheese, and grated Parmesan.  

Once topped, take it out to the grill.  Clean your hot grill very well before adding your pizza.  Gently slide your pizza onto the grill.  Cook for 10 - 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the crust is cooked.

 
When you pizza is cooked, gently move it from the grill back to the pizza stone, cutting board, pizza paddle - whatever you used to get it out there.  Let is sit for 5 minutes or so.  Meanwhile, toss your arugula with your salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.  Top the pizza with the arugula salad.   Cut, serve, enjoy!