We didn't intend to eat healthy. Sometimes it just happens.

Ever get excited when you find a recipe that uses a vegetable you actually grew and really bought the plant just because and even though you know you will use them, you don't really have anything planned? Ya, me neither. Are you kidding! Of course I do!  If you remember a couple of summers ago I grew kale for the first time and well....... I was just a little over the top silly about it. Guess what? This recipe also has kale in it- and poblano peppers!! 

Our weeknight dinner was accidentally healthy- swai fillets
baked with lemon and herbs and this healthy quinoa kale toss.

I found the original recipe on a food blog called Eat Drink Garden With Valerie and immediately thought it fit perfectly in my quest to use up some of my quinoa stockpile and get lots of fresh veggies into my lunch. This salad has a Latin flair with the poblanos, black beans, cilantro tossed in a cumin lime dressing. Valerie used feta cheese in her recipe but I decided to pass on the cheese.

Have you ever used poblano peppers in a salad? I think most people use them in Mexican recipes, but I am always looking for something different. Of course I was minding my own business looking for cherry tomato plants at the garden center one day when the poblano plant fell into my cart *wink wink* I might as well get it since it ended up there, right?  Poblano peppers really are a great choice for experimenting with chilies. They aren't hot, I like to call them "warm" and they have such a nice pepper flavor. Roasting them makes it incredibly easy to get the skin off and adds a smoky hint. You can roast peppers on a grill or under your broiler. Need help? Click HERE to read about roasting Hatch chilies- use the same method. Hmm, speaking of Hatch chilies, those would be awesome in this dish too.

Black beans are a pantry staple at our house. They show up in all kinds of dishes here and salads are perfect for beans. So are nachos, but I'm trying to be healthy for a day.

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Kale

adapted from Eat Drink Garden With Valerie

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled and diced**

1 3/4 cups cooked black beans, rinsed

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

2 cups baby kale, lightly packed*

1/4 cup Lemon Herb Dressing, plus more for serving (recipe follows)

* You can use any salad green you like if you don't have baby kale. Radish greens, arugula, tatsoi are all great choices. If you have regular kale, tear it into bite sized pieces. I used a package of Kalettes, chopped coarsely.

** I didn't have any poblanos, sadly, so I used a green bell pepper. It was good, and I think next time I'll use a mix of colors of bell peppers. I didn't roast the pepper and really liked the fresh crunch.

In a dry saucepan, toast the quinoa for about 5 minutes over medium heat, until golden brown. Add the water and turn up the heat. Bring the quinoa to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and let rest 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, and then spread it out onto a lightly oiled sheet pan to cool.

Roast the peppers, then remove the charred skins, stems, seeds and membranes and dice. I just used a fresh unroasted bell pepper so if you go with that too just dice it up. Chop the kale into nice bite sized pieces. Roughly chop the cilantro.

Toss the quinoa, peppers, beans, cilantro and kale in a large bowl with the dressing. Add the cheese and toss again. Serve!

Lemon Herb Dressing

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon lemon garlic seasoning (I used Trinidad from Penzey's)
2 teaspoons herb seasoning of your choice (I used Feiny's Everything)

Combine everything in a bowl or jar. Whisk or shake to combine. 

I'm a big zest lover, since it has so much flavor, so I added some lemon zest and tossed that in the dressing too. 

I really love kale in this salad because it's a sturdy green and doesn't get wilty and gross. I love the flavor of kale too. I often grow baby Russian kale or mixed baby kales and they are perfect in salads like this. I love this dressing with lime too. So bright and flavorful. Salads like this make perfect lunches too- just pack a couple bowls ahead of time and tuck in the fridge. No last minute fuss in the morning. We had our salad served alongside some delicious and very healthy baked swai fillets, drizzled with lemon juice and sprinkled with herbs. Lots of healthy protein, lots of fiber and virtually no fat except for the olive oil in the dressing.

The best thing about having a garden is being able to grow vegetables I can't always get at the store, and I get to try a lot of different veggies as well. Here in Des Moines we are lucky to have some of the best farmers markets anywhere and the selection of fresh produce is fantastic. Since this will be my first farmers market season back in the city you can bet I'll be going crazy with all the fresh produce!

Guest Chef- Slinging Mexican, Italian style, by an Irishman- this cannot go wrong !!

As you know, I LOVE sharing not only mine and the Chef's cooking, but highlighting friends and other foodies that are part of our lives. There are MANY. My friend-family includes such a diverse group of people you'd be amazed. The professional. The students. The attorney. The nurses. The doctor. The blue collar workers. The bums. The musicians. The stay home moms. Grandparents and new parents. I enjoy the company of many many people- it makes life interesting, and along with such a diverse group of friends is an extremely adventurous and varied menu of food items that I get to enjoy throughout the years.

For example, the friend whose goal right now is the launch of a fantastic grilled sandwich business. Believe me, as soon as that is up and serving, you will be the first to know !! Tasting shall commence! I have Asian friends who cook some of the most incredible food that I am totally useless at mastering. My friends include cookbook authors, bloggers, reviewers, restaurant critics and some of the best home cooks you will ever meet.

Every once in a while, someone will surprise you. As a human, we can't help but occasionally judge a book by it's cover. It happens. You wouldn't expect a glam/punk Irish rocker man to be an ace in the kitchen if he isn't belting out tunes in some raunchy punk club. You just wouldn't. But low and behold, I happen to know just such a person....... my good good friend Dizzy (whose real name is super secret and I'll never tell). Dizzy and I share two passions- music and food. Real food. Like me, dreams of being a chef have also been a part of his plan, and I'm always hoping he achieves that goal. I think he belongs on tv cooking, but....... he may not agree. I know he will make an impact on the culinary world when the time is right. He has too much talent to NOT.

Anyway, he often shares his kitchen masterpieces with the world on his blog, Gutbombs. Cooking, restaurant reviews, an interesting mix of all that makes up this complex character. Music selections that are so incredibly different it's like an education everyday. "What will Dizzy play for me today?" I often wonder. Just the other day he shared a picture of a recipe he had "thrown together" and it was just too good to NOT share with all of you guys. Familiar flavors, an interesting twist on a classic, it's something cooks of just about all skill level can make.

Sadly, my friend now lives far away and we won't be able to share the kitchen and cook this together, but he has shared  his idea and recipe with me and I am going to recreate it and hopefully, do it as well as the originator. So with that in mind....... let's get ready for the ...........drumroll please.............

Irishman's Mexican Lasagna

You are going to need:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb chorizo
• red and green onions
• an ear or two of sweet corn (see note about corn)
• canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• large can enchilada sauce
• tomatoes and green chiles (Rotel- large can)
• an "irresponsible and irrational amount of cheese" - yes he really said that
• lasagna noodles (I am going with the no boil kind because they are easier)
• salsa, sour cream , cilantro for finishing if desired

Before you start the big prep for this dish, we have a corn situation to deal with. Corn brings a unique texture and sweetness to dishes and fits PERFECTLY with this flavor profile. BUT- we don't want to just throw a can of Green Giant Niblets in there. Oh no. A Dizzy Dish is a masterpiece and has unexpected twists and turns to keep you wondering how that guy does it !! You're going to need to prep your corn, and this can be done in several different ways. The goal is roasted sweet corn with little browned and charred bits to add a smoky depth to the dish. You can do this lots of ways- fresh or frozen corn on the cob- brush with a little oil and broil it, turning often. Roast it over an open flame on your stovetop or grill. Use a grill pan or skillet. Any of those will work as long as you get a little bit of browning and caramelizing going on. If you have to use kernel corn, that's ok too- heat a little oil in a skillet and it'll serve just as well. Set that aside to cool so you can cut it off the cobs and then head on over to the meat.

Break up and brown the ground beef with about half of the chopped red onion. Add the chorizo as well. 

Now, depending on the TYPE of chorizo you have you will either be breaking it up like the burger OR dicing it into teeny cubes. Get that going so the chorizo browns up nicely.

Drain off any grease. Add beans, corn, enchilada sauce and Rotel to the pan, cover and simmer. Add about three big handfuls of cheese to sauce and mix in well.

At this point I'm going to talk about seasoning. Because of the addition of chorizo, and your own particular taste buds, you may or may not want to add something a little Mexicany here. I generally avoid commercial taco seasoning in favor of individual spices such as a dash of cumin or chili powder. This is up to you and consider who your serving as well. I've been known to throw a big blob of crushed ghost chile into dishes but then that rules out about 99% of my friends from trying it out. I added NOTHING extra as far as seasoning and the combo of spicy chorizo and Rotel was just perfect.

The rest is easy for anyone who has ever made a lasagna before- start building your dish. Sauce, noodles,  sauce, noodles,  etc until you have filled the pan or run out of sauce. Since this is Mexican inspired, for cheese I would go with a mix of Monterrey Jack, some mild cheddar, maybe queso fresco, maybe pepper jack..... if I'm really wanting some kick. The most important thing to remember is to make sure you END with sauce on top. For now anyway, especially if you're using the no boil noodles or you went crazy overboard and used tortillas (which would also be amazing in this dish). MAKE SURE you save a big pile of cheese for the top !!!!!

Cover the pan loosely with foil and pop in the oven. 350 degrees and an hour or so should get you thoroughly heated and bubbly if you have a typical 9x13 pan. If not, replace the foil and go a little longer. Once the lasagna is piping hot all through, remove foil, cover with a mountain of that insane amount of cheese that you reserved. Back into the oven, or pop under the broiler, to melt and brown up that cheese.

After you have removed from the oven, standing time is vitally important here. You didn't make those layers just to have to scoop it out like a sloppy lunch lady in a prison dining room. Let it rest and firm up just a bit before cutting and serving. You'll appreciate the view so much more.  Serve with salsa, sour cream, sliced green onions and the remaining red onion, and chopped fresh cilantro. I'm thinking a margarita alongside is pretty much a requirement but that's your call.