A Cook?

SO... I am a cook! Or at least I am trying to be one... After work today I got busy cooking 2 meals i wanted to use for upcoming lunches and dinners. 


But first... LUNCH! For lunch, i went out with a co-worker (their treat!), and I had sushi. I had a spicy tuna roll, a tuna avocado roll, a small salad, and wonton/egg drop soup. (It was between this and pizza, and i thought this was a better option). For a snack, I had a coffee. 


Now onto dinner...
First I made mini stuffed artichokes in the pressure cooker. 

Pressure cookers are a-ma-zing! It cut my cooking time from over 2 hours to 18 minutes, and they tasted awesome!

Next up was Quinoa with Black Beans, Corn and Cilantro:

I combined 2 recipes from Epicurious and AllRecipies and came up with the below:

Quinoa with Black Beans, Corn, and Cilantro
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups chopped white onions

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup quinoa, rinsed, drained
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
11/2 cups water
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained

1 15-ounce can corn, rinsed, drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
Crumbled Cotija cheese or feta cheese (optional)

Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and red pepper; sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in next 4 ingredients. Add water; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until quinoa is almost tender, about 14 minutes. Add beans, corn, and 1/4 cup cilantro; cook uncovered until heated through and liquid is fully absorbed, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with 1/4 cup cilantro and cheese, if desired.

Both recipes had great reviews, and this was easy to make and tasted great! I would probably add more chili powder next time, or even some hot sauce for a kick. 

And below is what I ate for dinner:

I know these 2 meals don't "go" together, but I wanted to try both while they were still hot and fresh. They were both awesome! Now I have to figure out what to cook next...