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I had a wonderful trip to Miami — it was so nice to be in the sun and walk around without a heavy coat! (in fact, I was so used to not wearing my coat that I left it in Miami, which made deboarding the plane at La Guardia not a lot of fun).
While down there, I visited a few health food restaurants and got a few ideas for some meals, all of which I will make over the next few weeks. My favorite was quinoa tabbouleh, which I had at a place called Java Cafe in South Beach. I decided to recreate it this weekend. It turned out well! It’s light, super easy to make, and gluten-free (tabbouleh normally calls for bulghur, or cracked wheat).
TABBOULEH QUINOA
- 1 cup quinoa, cooked and cooled
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 3 tomatoes, diced
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 2 bunches green onions, diced
- 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Stir all ingredients together. Enjoy!
I’ve found that people want to eat whole grains — but they don’t think they have time to cook them. Good news: there are plenty of delicious, whole grains that cook in 20 minutes or less. The best part is that you can make the rest of your meal while they slowly simmer. You can also make several servings and eat them for several days; reheat by steaming for a minute or so.
If you’ve been wanting to try a new grain, but can’t seem to find the time, I invite you to try:
- quinoa: my favorite grain! quinoa is chock full of protein and is very filling. I prefer red quinoa, but you can also buy tan or black quinoa. Make sure you rinse it well in cool water before cooking.
- millet: a staple in Africa that cooks up very quickly. The texture is like cous cous, but fluffier. Tastes great if you stir in sauted mushrooms, onions, or peppers.
- brown kajira rice: an heirloom, aromatic rice from Bengal. Smaller than traditional brown rice, but just as flavorful.
- bhutanese red rice: a coloured, short grain rice that is soft with a nutty flavor. Great by itself or mixed into pilafs with other grains. (pictured above)
I found this recipe while flipping through a recent issue of Bon Appetite. It’s super easy to make and very flavorful. I whipped it up to take to work for lunch this week. If you’re in a hurry, you can use canned black beans; if you have some time to spare, try dry beans–they’re more flavorful and have more nutrients.
Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro
Bon Appetite
1 tbsp olive oil
2 c chopped white onions
1 c chopped red bell pepper
1 c quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 tsp chili powder [I didn't have this, so used a few shakes of red pepper flakes]
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c water
15 oz black beans, rinsed, drained
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro
crumbled cotija or feta cheese (optional) [I used Bulgarian feta]
Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and red pepper; saute until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in next four ingredients. Add water; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until quinoa is almost tender, about 14 minutes. Add beans and 1/4 c cilantro, cook uncovered until heated through and liquid if fully absorbed, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle wih 1/4 c cilantro and cheese, if desired.
I had some leftover red quinoa in the fridge and decided to try an idea I’ve had for a while. It was inspired by Chef MD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine, which I received a few months ago, as well as Heidi Swanson’s adaptation of the original recipe. However, I haven’t been keen on trying it until now… because it’s freezing outside. I woke up this morning, my teeth chattering, and decided this was definitely a morning for a heart, warming breakfast.
This is similar to my Hearty Morning Porridge made with steel cut oats… except I prefer the quinoa version, I think. It’s a bit lighter, but just as filling and protein-packed. I am also going to try it again by making the dry quinoa with part water, part almond milk and see how that turns out.
Warming Quinoa Porridge
(serves one)
1/2 c cooked quinoa (I used red, as I like its texture more, but you could also use white)
1/4 c plus 2 tbsp unsweetened, vanilla almond milk
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1 tsp agave nectar (could also use maple syrup or honey)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
handful chopped almonds
Bring almond milk to a simmer. Add quinoa and let it cook down, until most of the almond milk has been absorbed, 3-4 mins. Add agave and vanilla and stir. Turn off heat, add flax seed and almonds. Pour 2 tbsp almond milk on top, and stir. Enjoy!
Last week I received a signed copy of Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking–I was so excited. I love her blog and was excited to read her approach to eating and try some recipes not on the web.
I picked this week’s recipe because I was intrigued by the notion of mixing quinoa with cheese. I’m also a huge fan of cooking with wine–I find it lends a really lovely flavor to vegetables.
I liked the recipe… I want to play around with the cheese I use… It would also be good with goat cheese or french feta, I think. Do note that it makes A LOT of quinoa–a lot. Unless you’re cooking for a ton of people and this is your only source of food for that meal, I would make 1 cup of (dry) quinoa… 1 1/2 cups tops.
Quinoa and Crescenza with Sauteed Mushroom
Heidi Swanson
6 tbsp clarified butter or olive oil [I used half of each]
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cups quinoa, rinsed
1 cup good quality dry white wine [I used pinot grigio]
2 cups water
2 big pinches of red pepper flakes
1 lb mushrooms, slice
3-4 oz Crescenza cheese*
* If you can’t find this tangy cheese, try substituting taleggio, gruyere, or brie. I used taleggio.
Heat 2 tablespoons of butter/oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes, or until the onion starts to soften and get translucent. Add the quinoa, wine, and 1 tsp salt, until the liquid has reduced a bit.
Add the water, return to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the quinoa opens up, revealing a little spiral, and is soft and pleasant to chew.
Meanwhile, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter/oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, along with the red pepper flakes and a few pinches of salt. Stir in the mushrooms and cook without stirring for a few minutes, until they’ve begun to brown and release their juices. Then shake the skillet every few minutes until the mushrooms are evenly browned, about 4 more minutes. [I added in a glug of the white wine towards the inn to deglaze the pan]. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Once the quinoa is perfectly tender yet textured, drain off any excess liquid and stir in the cheese. Ladle into big bowls and top with the mushrooms.
Serves 4-6.
Continuing with my recent obsession with both fresh corn and quinoa, this week I decided to try a recipe from Judith Finlayson’s Complete Whole Grains Cookbook. It’s been sitting on my shelf since December, but I never got around to flipping through it. It’s actually a great resource–unlike a like of whole food-esque cookbooks, it has healthy recipes for meat, seafood, etc. There were a ton of recipes in there that I plan on trying.
For those of you don’t know/weren’t raised in the South, corn pudding is a side dish that is made with fresh corn, eggs, and milk. It’s like a souffle, but not as fluffy. This week’s recipe is a play on that dish. I wasn’t sure what the texture would be like, but I was pleased with the results. I served it with dinosaur (or lacinto) kale sauteed in olive oil and garlic. I’m anxious to see how this will keep–I imagine the pudding will be either much better or much worse tomorrow!
Chile-Spiked Quinoa Pudding with Corn
3 c cooked quinoa [I used half red quinoa, half white]
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp dried oregano [I didn't have any, so skipped this]
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 tsp pepper
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced [I used 2]
1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes with juice
1 c corn kernels [I used 2 ears--about 1.5 cups]
3 eggs, beaten
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a shallow, 8-cup (2L) baking dish.
1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add onion and bell pepper. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.
2. Add garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Stir in chipotle pepper. Add quinoa and mis well. Stir in tomatoes with juice and corn. Remove from heat.
3. In a small bowl, combine beaten eggs with about 1/2 c warm water. Gradually return to pot, mixing well. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake in preheated oven until pudding sets and top is crispy and browned, about 45 minutes.
…After I spooned each serving onto the plate, I topped it with some shredded smoked gouda cheese. It was the only cheese I had on hand, but the flavors actually worked quite well together.
I got impatient (and hungry), so pulled it out before it was super crispy on top. Next time, I’ll definitely let it crisp up more–those were the best parts of the dish.
Update: The leftovers were great… I heated them in a pan to let them get a bit more crispy. I froze a few portions (the recipe makes a lot!), so I’ll let you if they freeze/defrost well or not.
I was recently perusing through the ‘coming soon!’ section of barnesandnobles.com. A book called ‘Cooking Beyond Measure’ struck my eye–it’s a cookbook that stresses the individualization of cooking versus a slavish dedication to a recipe. I thought this was great! This is the way I cook–I very rarely follow recipes exactly. Someone’s written a book about it!
I told my boyfriend, who is a trained chef, about it. He thought it was a terrible idea. Why should we trust the general public to decide they want 1/2 cup of onions versus 3/4 cup?! Their taste buds aren’t trained! Their palate may be off! The dish might not come out 100% perfect!
I’ve found that a lot of my clients don’t cook a lot because they have the notion that a home-cooked dinner has to be complicated and involve lots of ingredients (some of which they may not have, such as obscure spices). I disagree. Your cooking is what you make of it. Sometimes you may choose to follow a complicated recipe from the latest Gourmet magazine. Other times, however, you may choose to throw what ingredients you do have into a pot, cook it, and hope for the best.
In the spirit of Cooking Beyond Measure (which I will review here when it is released), I will share a measure-less recipe of my dinner last night. It was a variation of the quinoa salad I made last week. I’m sure I’ll make it again, and I’m sure the proportion of everything will change–and still be just as tasty.
Hadley’s Measureless Quinoa Salad
1 cup red quinoa
2 cups water
Celery, chopped
Firm tofu, cubed
Basil, minced
Roasted red pepper, chopped
Fresh corn, cooked and cut off the cob
French feta, crumbled
Fresh lemon juice
Olive oil
Rinse quinoa well. Combine with water, bring to a boil, add salt, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add tofu and celery. Continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes, until water has evaporated. Cool slightly. Add basil, roasted red pepper, corn. Stir. Add lemon juice and olive oil to taste. When cooled, stir in french feta, to taste. Enjoy!
Next time I make it, I’m going to add greens–e.g., spinach, swiss chard, kale–when I add the tofu and celery.
