Cooking Class!

Hey friends....It's about time for my next cooking class! Feel free to talk about it, rave about it or quite simply, forward it! I cannot wait for spring; although in retrospect, I think our winter was not that bad; considering what the other parts of the globe had/have to face. Everyday is a blessing and putting things in perspective, changes the......perspective! Right?

I have added a jpeg of my class schedule and menu. I hope the items on the menu sounds enticing and lures you to my humble kitchen.

Looking forward to cooking with; and for my friends!

And as promised...here's another recipe from "Girls-night-in'.

Butternut squash, lentils and
goat cheese salad

For the salad:

2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash

3 cups green french lentils

1 medium onion; peeled and sliced

1/4 cup dry roasted sunflower seeeds

1/2 cup goat cheese

For the dressing:

In a separate small bowl, blend together 3 Tbsp. extra virgin
olive oil, 2 Tbsp. balsmic vinegar, 1 tsp. honey, salt and pepper to taste.

Pre-heat the overn to 425^oF. Spread the cubed butternut squash in a baking tray and mix in 1 Tbsp. olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Bake; stirring once or twice; for 25 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.

Wash the lentils and boil in 5 cups of water for 20 minutes or until the grains are tender. Drain and set aside.

Heat 1 tsp. oilive oil in a pan on medium high. Add the sliced onions and saute for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix in the cooled lentils, the cooked squash and the onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the
dressing and stir to combine all.

Sprinkle with the sunflower seeds and add dollops of goat cheeese and serve at room temperature.

Girls-nights-in

Few weeks back, I had the wonderful opportunity to feature my food at a 'Girls-night-in' at a friend's house. It was a great evening, spent, talking, mingling and networking with a bunch of awesome women. It was indeed a very inspiring night and am hoping that my friend's kind gesture to host the event will lead to more recognition and more opportunities for me to cook.

Here is one of the 5 recipes featured that evening. Stay tuned and will add more soon. Enjoy :)

Quinoa salad with cranberries and arugula

For the salad:

3 cups cooked quinoa (cooked as per package directions.)

¼ cup frozen corn; defrosted

¼ cup scallions; finely chopped

¼ cup green pepper; finely diced (optional)

1 cup baby arugula leaves
¼ cup cucumber; peeled and finely chopped

¼ cup halved green grapes (optional)

½ cup dried cranberries

2 Tbsps. chopped cilantro leaves

salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing:
In a separate small bowl, blend together 3 Tbsp. extra virgin
olive oil, 2 Tbsp. orange juice, 1 tsp. honey, salt and pepper to taste.

Combine all the salad ingredients in a large shallow bowl. Mix in the blended dressing. Serve either cold or at room temperature.