I think I should probably start out my new blog by stating for the record that I am not nor ever will I claim to be a "great cook." I am a self-taught, home cook... That is to say, I have made many, many mistakes and tried to learn from each one. I usually don't though, and end up making the same mistakes again and again. I do, however, have a few signature dishes that I think are pretty darn good. In any case, I am here because I just really like to share recipes. My favorite pasttime is clipping recipes out of cooking magazines... notice I said "clipping recipes" not necessarily making them. If I cooked every night for the next five years I still probably wouldn't get through all the recipes I have collected. I only actually cook about once a week, but not for lack of interest mind you - mainly due to a lack of time.

Oh, also, I rarely get it right the first time. Most of the time I have to make a recipe many times before I get it right where I like it - even if I follow the recipe to a T. My husband always claims to love it on the first try, but then again he wouldn't tell me even if he hated it...

As for my food tastes... I am from the south so I definitely have a taste for good southern style food. Although, since my recent birthday (Big 3-0) I have become more aware of my plummeting metabolism and have been trying to eat more healthy and less deep-fried. I am a bit obsessed with antioxidants and whole grains at the moment and am trying to incorporate more of both into mine and my husband's diets.

So, if any of this sounds interesting to you then stick around and see what I've got in store. I hope that you will try some of the recipes I post and most importantly let me know how they turn out for you... and please make suggestions for how I could improve them. Trust me, I need all the help I can get!

Now for the first recipe... I was having dinner at my favorite Thai restaurant the other night (Land Thai Kitchen) and I got the mango sticky rice for dessert. Although I really love this dessert, I was lamenting the fact that it contained processed as opposed to whole grains. So, I decided to make my own mango sticky rice of sorts using the oh-so-en-vogue grain-that's-really-a-seed, quinoa. I am new to quinoa, but apparently the stuff has been around for more than 5,000 years and was really popular with the Incas too. Quinoa is also classified by some as a "superfood" as it contains a very high-quality protein and is a great source of iron, lysine (a very important amino acid), riboflavin, potassium and B vitamins. Ok, I know that this recipe is still pretty high-fat thanks to the coconut milk, but at least using the quinoa makes it healthiER... and lets not forget the antioxidants in the mango!

Mango Not-So-Sticky Quinoa

1 cup quinoa, cleaned (rinse with cold water several times)
2 cups water
Pinch of Salt
1/2 Cup light coconut milk
1 Tbs sugar
1 mango, diced

In a dry saucepan, toast the quinoa and the nuts over low heat for about 5 minutes.
Next add water and salt and bring almost to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer lightly for about 15 minutes until the quinoa is soft.

In the meantime, in a small saucepan, heat the coconut milk, sugar and a dash of salt (you could actually probably do this part in the microwave if you feel so inclined).

Once the quinoa is cooked, stir in coconut milk and diced mango.

Now you're ready to enjoy!