Welcome to Saturday's edition of Carol's Corner. Another beautiful day in Central New York. And can I say it's about time! Tonight was dance night and my picture was taken on our dance floor. I really love how this picture turned out. Even like my arms in this pic. Actually I must say my arms look better all the time. In fact I just did a small arm workout with weights as part of my Leslie workout. I can only use three pounds weights for the moment because I don't want my shoulder problem to get worse again. I totally think this blouse rocks! I loved it so much I bought another one in a golden yellow combo. At first I couldn't come up with a name for this, but after putting my thinking cap on for awhile I think I came up with the perfect one. Calling this ” Drapes and Borders”. I guess when I wear the other color combo I'll have to called it “Drapes and Borders the 2nd”.

I finally got my black bracelet restrung. I have some things to repair but haven't taken the time. Gonna start doing a little each day. This FitBit band went well with the aesthetics of the blouse design and my black ring also goes just right.

Picked the yellow BandCuff to add a pop of color and to pull in the gold from the blouse.

Now for tonight's edition I decided to give you some recipes. I'm going to start with one I made this week and it is yummy and also healthy for you. Read up on Quinoa and you will see it is an amazing food. I am most definitely going to use it much more in my diet in the days to come. It's a Quinoa Salad. If you've never tried Quinoa, this would be the perfect way to try it. For those of you who aren't familiar with it is is a grain. I made one ingredient swap because I don't really like sunflower seeds and can't chew them. In place of the sunflower seeds I use a three bean salad in the sprout section to still have a crunch. They are awesome by the way in this salad, so you decide what you'd like to use.

QUINOA SALAD

1 cup of quinoa-cooked according to package

1 red pepper chopped ( I wanted mine small so I did it in my Ninja)

1 bunch of scallions chopped

1 bunch fresh parsley-chopped ( this came out perfectly in the Ninja). This is the first time I ever used fresh parsley.

1 cup craisons. This makes this recipe along with the dressing.

1/2 cup sunflower seeds or anything else you think you would like better in it. I loved what I swapped the sunflower seeds for.

DRESSING

1/2-3/4 cup oil ( I used olive oil)

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

Salt , pepper, and garlic powder to taste. I use a peppercorn medley grinder.

Cook Quinoa according to package directions. Once cooked and somewhat cooled, transferred to a large serving bowl. ( I mixed everything together in the pot I cooked the quinoa in and transferred the finished product into the serving bowl). Mix in the bell peppers, scallions,parsley, craisons, and whatever you decide to use for your last ingredient. Then add dressing and mix well. The longer this sits the better it tastes. I think you are going to love this recipe. If any of you make this, I would love to hear from you and let me know if you loved it as much as I did.

Ok I haven't tried this yet , but since I love cauliflower it is one I am going to try soon. Don't let the name deceive you, no rice in it at all.

CILANTRO LIME CAULIFLOWER RICE

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower

1 lime

2 cloves of garlic

1 handful of chopped cilantro

Instructions

1.) Remove the leaves from the cauliflower, and cut the head in half. Remove the cauliflower from the core so you only have the florets. Place half the cauliflower into the processor and process until only small pieces remain. (Think I will try my Ninja with this too. I have the Ninja that has three different types of containers and blades. It's quite powerful and useful when cooking). Remove from processer and place into a pan. Process the remaining cauliflower repeating the steps.

2.) Mince the garlic and add the cauliflower to the pan. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. When cauliflower is slightly toasted, and garlic cooked, remove from heat.

3.) Toss with cilantro and juice from the whole lime.

The next recipe I have to try also . This is a cookie that uses amond meal flour and sugar substitute. I bought the almond meal flour sometime ago. This is suitable for a diabetic or anyone who wants to lower their carbs. Almond meal flour is low in carbohydrates, and a good source of protein, fiber, vitamin E, and magnesium. I am using Bob's Red Mill Brand.

Here is what else it says about it. Almond Meal/Flour is simply skinless, blanched almonds that have been finely ground. It lends a moist texture and rich buttery flavor to cakes, cookies, muffins, sweet breads, and a host of other desserts, especially the classic French frangipane. Since I don't know what that is, guess I will have to look that up later. It is also superb as a breading for meats and vegetables. Of course it isn't cheap, but sometimes healthier ingredients aren't.

ALMOND SPICE COOKIES

Ingredients

2 cups almond meal flour

1 1/2 Tablespoons apple pie spice, or 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, and a pinch of cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup sugar substitute ( I use Splenda) just make sure it is zero carb

1 large egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Sugar substitute to sprinkle on top

Sliced almonds ( optional)

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Combine all dry ingredients– a wisk works well. Add the wet ingredients, and combine well, until mixture has formed a large ball.

Form balls about one inch in size. Flatten with hands or a spoon to about a 1/4 inch thickness. Sprinkle sugar substitute on the tops. Place on baking sheet covered with parchment paper or silicon mat. ( Alternatively, grease the baking sheet). Top with slivered almonds if desired.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies are slightly brown on bottom. Splenda does not brown the same as regular sugar, so just use your judgement. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Nutritional Information: Each cookie has a little over half a gram effective carbohydrate plus 1 gram fiber, 2 grams protein, and 50 calories. What cookies do you know that even contain protein? I am going to try and fit in time to bake a batch this week.

So there you have it. Recipe Night in Carol's Corner. I think I am going to try and do this once a week. If anyone has recipes they think should be part of my Recipe Night, please PM me the recipe and I will include it in one of my future recipe segments. I hope this is something you will enjoy. Let me know if you try any of these and what you thought of the recipe. Till next time, God Bless.