Ok, so I got sucked into The Bachelorette this season.  Roll your eyes, say what you will, it was some good old fashion entertainment and I enjoyed it!  Last night, a few friends and I set aside our evenings to gather together in front of the television for the final episode.  In honor of the two remaining contestants, I decided to make a little something special for dinner:  “white bread” sandwiches and Puerto Rican rice and beans. Since I don’t like to eat white bread and I’m not the biggest fan of black beans and white rice, I decided to put my twist on it.  So, I made tuna sandwiches on Ezekiel toast with caperberries, lemon and soy dijon mayo, along with red quinoa with white beans and onions.  Both were perfect snacks during commercial breaks when stomachs stopped churning with suspense and excitement. Recipes for both are below, but first, a little recap some priceless reactions throughout the evening.  I swear the cat got into it too….

Tuna Sandwiches 4 slices Ezekiel bread
2 tbs dijon soy mayo
1 can tuna
half a lemon
5 caperberries chopped

combine tuna, dijon soy mayo, lemon and capers and serve on toasted Ezekiel bread

Red Quinoa with White Beans and Onions
1 box Quinoa (about 2 cups)
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 can cannellini beans
1 cup chopped white onions

Combine quinoa, 2 cups vegetable broth and water in a pot and bring to boil. Once boiling, turn down heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until broth is cooked out (or see instructions on quinoa package). While quinoa is simmering, drizzle some olive oil in a pan and add onions – stir around for a few minutes. Poor beans (strain liquid from can first) and 1/2 cup vegetable broth into pan with onions and let simmer while quinoa finishes cooking. Strain liquid from beans and onions and add beans and onions to quinoa. Stir together, let cool a bit and serve.