Mojo Pork Steak, Quinoa Tabouli, Savory Carrot+ Soup

Mojo Pork Steak
Here's a simple lunch.  Add some "Spanish" rice to make it a dinner.  All you need is a bottle of Mojo sauce -- the Caribbean citrus & garlic marinade, some bell peppers, and a pork cube steak.

Saute the pepper strips in a splash of EVOO until you get some nice blackening along the edges, for extra flavor.  Then in the same skillet sear the pork steak and pour some of the mojo sauce around and under and let the first side cook -- say 4 minutes.  Flip the steak, add a bit more Mojo, and cook until the steak is done through -- maybe another 3-4 minutes. 
   

Listo!  A fabulous tasting quick lunch.


Quinoa Tabouli
Classic Tabouli (or Tabouleh) salad is bulgar wheat soaked with tomato juice, LOTS of chopped parsley, some chopped tomatoes, and maybe a bit of diced onion.  Really excellent lite meal for hot climates, especially if you can chill it for an hour or more before serving.   This version, from The Splendid Table on PBS, uses cooked, cooled Quinoa instead of bulgar wheat, and adds black beans for vegans who need their protein.

2 cups cooked Quinoa (follow package directions)
3-4 cups chopped Parsley
a couple dozen Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
4-6 Scallions cut into 1" lengths then split down the middle
1 can Black Beans drained and rinsed
1/2-3/4 cup fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 cup EVOO
Salt to taste (not much)

Toss the "dry" ingredients together in a large bowl to distribute everything.  Add the lemon juice, oil and salt to taste.  Toss again before serving.  

Chill for at least 1 hour before serving with crackers on the side.


Carrot, Chickpea & Farro Soup
Got giant carrots.  Got some farro.  Got a can of chickpeas.  Can I make a soup?   Of course I can!

4 cups shredded Carrot
1/2 cup dry Farro
1 cup diced Onion
1 tsp Cavender'stm spice blend
4 cups Water
1 cup Half & half
1 can Chickpeas

Bring the first 5 ingredients to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.  Take all but about half a cup of the cooked veg and liquid for a spin in your food processor to make a puree.  Return the puree to your soup pot.  Add the half & half plus the chickpeas with their liquid.  

Cover and simmer another 15-20 minutes, stirring to keep things from sticking.  

Serve with toast points and leftover Tabouli as a side salad.

The amazing thing that we both remarked on is that this tastes like cheese soup!  Sally said it was like Pimento Cheese soup; I thought mild Cheddar.  If you pureed this entirely, including the garbanzos, you'd have a darn good Vegan/Plant Based Whole Food  "cheese" sauce better than any we've tried making from the Blue Zones or Forks Over Knives recipe collections.