Anything in your kitchen Quinoa salad and all those Beautiful Bloggers.......

Why do you like blogging? 

This question is probably the same as asking me, why do you like cooking?

Here's one scenario that might help explain why...

You didn't sleep well.

Your dog was barking at odd hours, probably from hearing some angry doggie conversation 20 km away that only doggies can hear.

You are grumpy, out of lunch ideas, and don't want to waste precious dollars on overpriced cafeteria food.


Opening the cupboard, you spot almonds.

Opening the fridge: parsley, cilantro...

Then you divert your eyes to the doggie sitting in the middle of the kitchen and behind her on the countertop sits the dried cranberries, the plump raisins.

Some bright yellow lemons in the fruit basket catch your eye.

Almonds, parsley, cilantro, craisins, lemons, AH. Quinoa it is.

And in about 20 mins, a few chops and mixing, you come out of your sallow mood and realize that this quinoa is damn yummy. And that you want to share this recipe with everyone. And that sharing and writing and posting and even photography have become a pretty important part of connecting with others who love the same things you do. 

ALL OF YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL BLOGGERS!

That's probably the best answer I can give for "why I like blogging/cooking".....

A special thanks goes to Choco Chip Uru for nominating this award to me - this woman is one clever baker. She's also one of the sweetest bloggers around with awesome dessert ideas and always brings a smile to my face.

Ok, here goes:

1. Copy the Beautiful Blogger Award logo and place it in your post.
2. Thank the person who nominated you, and link back to their blog.
3. Tell six things about yourself.
4. Nominate six other bloggers for their own Beautiful Blogger Award (and let them know you have done so)

Instead of listing 6 things about myself, I'll just improvise my thoughts at the moment:

- I met CCU through FoodBuzz when FoodBuzz was still alive and kickin' and it's great that she's still an active blogger so that I could get my CCU-fix!
- Many foodies in Australia and by looking at lots of Australian food blogs, restaurant reviews/cafe reviews/whatnot, I need to get myself down there to EAT!
- My sister and her boyfriend will be moving to Australia in a few days so I've actually got this continent/country in my mind for awhile now.
- I guess lastly, some open questions to you: what's a good place to eat? To surf? To do yoga? And why do you like blogging and baking/cooking?
 
Of course, the list of 6 beautiful bloggers (but not limited to):
http://traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.ca/
http://swirlandscramble.blogspot.ca/
http://prairiesummers.wordpress.com/
http://www.boxofstolensocks.com/
http://heoyeahyum.com/
http://yuehandicrafts.blogspot.ca/


And the recipe. Something nutritious for the body and nourishing for the soul, always good for just one-of-those-days:

1 cup dried quinoa, cooked according to package instructions
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1/4 cup Thompson raisins
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/3 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup chevre
1 medium tomato, diced
1 medium ripe avocado, diced
1 small red sweet bell pepper, diced
3 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup beet juice
salt and pepper to taste
chili flakes optional

Mix everything into a large bowl and serve immediately although it tastes better the next day because the quinoa, raisins, and cranberries have absorbs some of the fruit juices and plumped up.