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April 15, 2013 - 4:44pm

Quinoa for dessert? Oh yes. Just wait’ll you try this amazing quinoa blondie recipe

By Wendy Ruopp in Food Blog

Confession time: I’m a brownie snob. For years I’ve turned up my nose at “blondies.” (OK, maybe there’s a little “brunettes vs. blondes” thing going on too.) Given the choice, I’d always pick a fudgy brownie over a wan beige blondie more defined by its lack of chocolate than the presence of any particular identity of its own.

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But recently I’ve reconsidered my prejudices. A story in the March/April issue of EatingWell Magazine, “Rediscovering Quinoa,” brought Almond Butter-Quinoa Blondies into my life and that changed everything.

These beautiful squares mix up in 10 minutes with just a few...

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TAGS: Dessert, Food Blog, Recipe Makeover, Wendy Ruopp

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April 1, 2013 - 3:51pm

How to make simple Taiwanese three-cup chicken on the stovetop

By Wendy Ruopp in Food Blog

I just have two questions about this chicken recipe: Why is it called “Three-Cup Chicken”? And can I please have it for dinner tonight? It has the Asian flavors I love: Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, fresh ginger and fresh basil. And lots of garlic: 12 cloves plus 1 tablespoon minced garlic. That’s why Kathy Gunst included it in her story “A Fresh Look at Garlic” in the March/April issue of EatingWell. (Find 25 healthy garlic recipes, including more of her new garlic recipes for garlic scape pesto and more.)

According to her, the name of this classic Taiwanese dish comes from the combination of...

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TAGS: Budget meals, Dinner, Family meals, Food Blog, Wendy Ruopp

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April 1, 2013 - 3:06pm

Crazy-healthy casserole: zucchini quinoa lasagna

By Wendy Ruopp in Food Blog

Quinoa is all the rage these days—and once you’ve made a few quinoa recipes, it’s not hard to see why. It cooks in 15 to 20 minutes, which means it is a truly convenient whole grain, and makes itself at home in lots of different kinds of recipes—soups, salads, casseroles, even desserts (Hello, quinoa blondies.)

When the EatingWell Test Kitchen was testing the new quinoa recipes in the March/April issue of EatingWell magazine and putting the results out for lunch at our office, the Quinoa Lasagna was a huge hit. A pan of it disappeared in minutes and people clamored for the recipe to make it at home.

For this quinoa lasagna recipe, the quinoa stands in for lasagna noodles. To assemble, you spread cooked quinoa in...

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TAGS: Budget meals, Dinner, Family meals, Food Blog, Wendy Ruopp

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April 1, 2013 - 2:54pm

Quick microwaved stuffed baked potatoes for a cheap dinner

By Wendy Ruopp in Food Blog

The scene: My kitchen. The time: Tonight, about 30 minutes before everyone melts down from starvation. The options: Join in the meltdown; scrounge around for enough money to order pizza; or do something special with those innocent-looking potatoes in the pantry. I bought them recently, thinking it would be a good idea to have potatoes in the house, just in case. And in this case, I can turn them into Asparagus & Ham Stuffed Potatoes in 30 minutes and turn dinner drama into a satisfying family meal. (At less than $3 per serving, it’s cheaper than pizza too.)

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The potatoes are easily cooked in the microwave while you organize the “stuff” to stuff them...

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TAGS: Budget meals, Dinner, Family meals, Food Blog, Quick meals, Wendy Ruopp

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March 18, 2013 - 9:57am

Quick, budget-friendly stovetop ziti (no chopping required!)

By Wendy Ruopp in Food Blog

I used to do my own taxes, but in the last few years, with the complications of kids in and out of college and so on, I (gratefully) handed everything over to a professional. I’ve just dropped off everything with her for last year’s taxes—and immediately resolved to get our spending under control. Starting with grocery shopping. My idea of shopping within a budget is typically to ask the budget to look the other way. (After all, it doesn’t want me to go without good bread and wine, does it?) Is it any wonder that now I’m afraid I’ll be digging through the couch cushions to pay our taxes when I should have been saving money all along?

Don’t Miss: 7-Day Budget-Friendly Dinner Plan & Shopping List...

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TAGS: Budget meals, Dinner, Family meals, Food Blog, Quick meals, Recipe Makeover, Wendy Ruopp