Quinoa is all the rage.. for GOOD reason!!

Today was another one of those days I went to the grocery store with no plan. I don't know why I do that do myself because I always end up walking around in endless circles. The grocery store clerks have grown to know me as I frequent the grocery quite often. One sweet man always calls me his favorite shopper and asks what's on the menu for supper. Guess thats a perk of living in a smaller town. (Montgomery, AL is the smallest big city ever) Don't do anything your wouldn't want your preacher to know, because he WILL find out. 

Okay sorry for the distracted moment, on to my supper! 

Butterflied Pork Chops w/ Quinoa and Asparagus

Dairy and Gluten Free!!!

Asparagus Ingredients:

one bunch fresh asparagus

salt and pepper to taste

Garlic powder

olive oil

Preheat oven to 375°

First things first, lets trim the asparagus. The easiest way to do this is to take one asparagus and hold with one hand on the opposite end as the leaves and the other hand towards the middle.

Bending the asparagus will allow it to naturally break where it needs to.

Discard the very end

Using this asparagus as a guide, line up the leaves of the remaining asparagus and cut along the same line. Discard ends.

Place asparagus on a parchment covered baking sheet. Season with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and top with olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes. 

helpful hint: Remember not to put your asparagus in the oven too early. Put them in when you are seasoning the quinoa. 

Here are the rest of your ingredients, but lets start preparing the quinoa and I will let you know when to start the pork chops :) 

Quinoa Ingredients: 

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water 

1 T butter

1 T sliced green onions

1/4 t garlic powder

1 t oregano

1/4 t salt 

Pork Chop Ingredients:

2 butterflied boneless pork chops

1 T dairy free buttery spread

Old Bay (amount varies on size of chops)

1 T olive oil 

LETS START COOKING!!

Chop your green onions.

Combine 1 cup uncooked quinoa with 2 cups cold water in small saucepan. Bring to boil and then lower heat and let simmer for 10-15 minutes or until all water is absorbed.

While the quinoa is cooking, lets start with the pork chops. Heat 1 tablespoon buttery spread in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. 

While the pork chops are still in the package, sprinkle only the up side with Old Bay seasoning.

Place the seasoned side down into your hot skillet with the melted buttery spread.

While in the pan, sprinkle the opposite side of the pork chop with Old Bay.

 Cook for 2 1/2 minutes per side.  Remove from heat.

By now, your quinoa should be done. Remove the quinoa from heat and add in the garlic powder, oregano, salt, buttery spread, and green onions. 

Stir to combine and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil in a square baking dish, making sure the bottom is fully covered. 

Place your pork chops in your square baking dish. Cover the top side of the pork chops with the quinoa mixture. 

Bake in the oven at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until no longer pink. Cooking time depends on how thick your chops are. 

Happy Eating!!

Thanks Y'all!

- Wise Wife 

Here we go!

Well hello there! Welcome inside the life of being a Wise Wife. I'm not sure where the blog will take me, but I know it will make me happy. I hope to share some yummy recipes with you, along with a few life lessons along the way.

April of this year I became a wife and was no longer a Conrad but a Wise. I know what you're thinking, oh.. now I get the blog title. :) I know its catchy; now I just have to keep you.

Here is the man that makes my heart sing

I'm a southern girl from Tennessee who has planted her roots in Alabama. I am a proud Mama of two 4-legged children. Gunner is our Chocolate Lab and Pace is our Black Lab.

We are proud to be Aunt and Uncle to so many children you wouldn't believe me if I told you. I will gladly claim the title of Wannabe Chef. Lets just say my husband hasn't complained about my food passion. Lucky for me, my Hubs is a foodie as well. He prefers manning the grill while I take care of the rest. I am dairy free and somewhat gluten free and some of my husband's favorite foods are cheese and pasta. As you can imagine, supper time can be quite a task. I have become quite talented at creating a dinner that we can both enjoy. I hope to share some new ideas for you to tryout in the kitchen.

I just choose gluten free pasta (he NEVER notices the difference) and I only put the cheese on his half

My husband should have been born Italian. In a classic Caprese salad, I make his with cheese and mine with Avocado. I love my camera, I'm an avid Nikon user but still learning to use it to its full potential. :) 

I will share a simple little supper I made recently...

Parchment Paper Fish with Crispy Green Beans

I have decided the easiest way to make yummy fish in the oven is to use parchment paper sacks. If you have never tried this method I suggest you do! In France they technically call this cooking method "en papillote." You are essential steaming the fish inside the parchment paper. 

Ingredients for the Fish:  

2 filets of white fish (I used Scamp but you could use grouper, snapper, whatever you prefer)

1/2 small onion sliced

1/4 cup basil (julienne the basil) 

2 Cloves chopped garlic

2 lemons

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 375°

Start by slicing your lemons in 1/4 in slices

Lay out a piece of Parchment paper on top of a baking sheet. Arrange the lemon slices from one lemon a few inches away from the end of the parchment paper. Lay the Fish directly on top of the lemons and salt and pepper the fish. Continue layering the onions garlic and basil on top of the fish. Finish the fish off with 1 T of the EVOO.

Now to create the sack. Fold the top half of the parchment paper all the way over to meet the opposite edge. Beginning on the left corner of the parchment paper, fold the bottom half over the top half. Continue this method all the way around to the other side, tucking the last edge under the sack. 

Here is your finished Sack. 

Repeat this process with the other filet of fish so you end up with two separate sacks.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes (depending on the thickness of your fish)

Green Bean Ingredients:

3 Cups fresh green beans

1 shallot 

1/2 c bread crumbs (I used Panko for a little extra crunch, but to make it gluten free you could use gluten free regular bread crumbs)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Begin with washing and trimming the green beans

Dice your shallot

In a medium bowl, mix together the green beans, diced shallot, bread crumbs, S/P and Olive oil

Spread the mixture out on a parchment covered baking sheet (you can use tin foil if you prefer)

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until crispy

That my friends is how you get a big smile from your hubs!

Okay thats enough information overload for a first blog post. Hope I have peaked your interest enough to come back again!! 

Thanks Y'all!

- Wise Wife