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Posts Tagged ‘Quinoa’

Spanish Quinoa

Posted in Dinner, Sides, tagged , , , on August 26, 2011 | 5 Comments »

I’m always looking for new things to add to my black bean burgers.  I don’t usually eat them with a bun so just the burger alone is never enough.  One of the first recipes I flipped to when I got Sarah Matheny’s cookbook was the Spanish Quinoa.  Bingo!  I love the versatility of quinoa and I already know I am going to love the flexibility of this gem of a recipe.  Tasty on a burger, tasty as a side……really tasty when potato chips (preferably Wavy Lays) are used as the spoon!  I can’t wait to try out many more “recipeas”!

(Printable Recipe)

Spanish Quinoa

Recipe from Peas and Thank You

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dry quinoa
  • 1/4 cup onion
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 1 yellow squash, chopped
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • salt and pepper to taste

1.  Place a large saucepan of medium heat.  Add quinoa and toast until grains are slightly golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes.

2.  Add onion, zucchini, squash, broth, tomato sauce, and chili powder to quinoa and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

3.  Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.  Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Notes

  • Add some black beans and this would make a great filling to tacos or fajitas.
  • Would be great with mushrooms
  • Original recipe did not call for zucchini and squash.  I just had some I wanted to use up.

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Quinoa and Mushroom Stuffed Peppers

Posted in Dinner, tagged , , , , , on August 30, 2010 | 1 Comment »

A few weekends ago we went to the lake for my mom’s birthday and the weather was crappy!  It rained all day Saturday, and it was very windy and rough on Sunday.  Not ideal lake conditions.  Next best option, hang out in the kitchen cooking all day.  Earlier that week, we were chatting and she mentioned she had a HUGE zucchini from her garden to use up.  She wasn’t kidding.

It could have been in the running for a contest somewhere.   And here’s one with my brother holding it up.  He can’t even wrap his hand around the bottom of it….and he has big hands!

We decided to stuff it…..I mean what else do you do with something that big.  So long story short, we combined about 4 different recipes, threw in some of our own ideas, and 2 hours later we were putting it in the oven.  We were both being very indecisive which led to a much longer process than intended.  But I had so much fun just hanging out with her in the kitchen!!! We don’t get to do that enough.  Because it took another hour to cook, I was starving by the time it was done and forgot to take pictures.  oops!  So I re-created the mixture for some peppers that we needed to use up.

The quinoa mixture is sooo good!!  It has a bit of spiciness, heartiness, and lots of flavor.  This might have to become one of my go-to recipes.

 

(Printable Recipe)

Quinoa and Mushroom Stuffed Peppers

Servings: 4 peppers

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 – 8 oz pkg button mushrooms
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3/4 cup tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
  • 3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
  • 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper flakes (optional)
  • Salt, to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup water and 1/2 cup quinoa and bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed (10-15 minutes).

2.  In a large skilled, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and sauté until they start to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes.  Add garlic and mushrooms.  Cook for 8-10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low.  Add tomato sauce, basil, parsley, and fold in quinoa. ((if using Crushed Red Pepper flakes, add in with tomato sauce.)  Add breadcrumbs, stir all ingredients together.  If mixture seems to runny add more breadcrumbs.  Stir in Parmesan cheese, reserving some for the top of peppers.

3.  Cut tops off of peppers and place in a baking dish.  Fill peppers with quinoa mixture.

4.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Turn on broiler and top peppers with remaining Parmesan cheese.  **Make sure to watch the oven, it might brown quickly.**

Notes:

*I prefer my peppers to have some crunch so I only baked for 15 minutes and then broiled for an additional 2-3 minutes.

*Next time I would add more Red Pepper Flakes for a bit more spiciness.

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Quinoa-Avocado Verrines

Posted in Appetizers, Dinner, tagged , , on August 12, 2010 | 3 Comments »

I tore this recipe out of my May/June issue of  ”Vegetarian Times” and have thought about making it on several occasions since then.  I never seemed to have all the ingredients at the same time.  I didn’t have avocado, or I forgot to pick up red quinoa (regular quinoa would have worked just fine but it wasn’t the fun red color  :)  ).  I was walking out to my car from work and thinking about what I wanted to make for dinner, which I do most days, and realized the ingredients had aligned.  I finally had everything with no extra running around.  I mean it only calls for 7 ingredients (4 of which I always have readily available), it shouldn’t have been that difficult.

This light dinner hit the spot tonight.  It was just enough to fill me up without the “I’m full feeling”. You get a little bit of crunch from the sprouts, buttery smoothness from the avocado and a slightly spicy grain at the end.  And I know it sounds silly, but the presentation itself made it taste that much better.  I added some cremini mushrooms to my quinoa mixture to make it a bit more sustainable.  I also realized while typing out the recipe that I used 3 tbsp of lime juice instead of 3 tsp.  Brent commented on the zest from the lime but I didn’t really think much of it.  I actually enjoyed the extra lime taste.  So tsp or tbsp, whatever your pleasure, it’s still delish!  You could easily make this an appetizer by placing in smaller glasses…how cute would that be.  ;)

 

(Printable Recipe)

Quinoa-Avocado Verrines

Recipe from vegetariantimes.com

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup red quinoa
  • 6-7 baby cremini mushrooms
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder, divided
  • 3 tsp lime juice, divided
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 2-3 drops Tabasco sauce (or Sirracha)
  • 1/3 cup alfalfa sprouts

1.  Bring quinoa, 1/4 tsp chili powder, and 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan.  Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 12-15 minutes, or until most liquid is absorbed.

2.  In a medium skillet, sautee mushrooms over medium heat for 7-10 minutes.

3.  Whisk together 2 tsp lime juice, oil, and remaining 1/4 tsp chili powder in a bowl.  Add quinoa and mushrooms, toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then place in refrigerator for another 5-10 minutes.

4.  Divide quinoa among glasses.  (Recipe can be prepared ahead up to this point; cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours.)

5.  Dice avocado, season with salt and pepper (if desired), and toss with Tabasco sauce and remaining 1 tsp lime juice.

6.  Divide avocado among glasses, and top each with sprouts.  Serve immediately with small forks or spoons.

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Herbed Quinoa

Posted in Dinner, tagged on January 11, 2010 | 3 Comments »

What is going on with this weather?!?!  I get that it’s the dead of winter and only January but still.  These single and teen digit temperatures are getting old.  I shouldn’t be complaining though….there are many others that would kill for a day in the mid 20′s.  Spring will be here before we know it.  :)

In the winter most of my Saturdays or Sundays start with me catching up on my dvr…..more importantly the food network shows.  I’m a big fan of Giada and Barefoot Contessa.  The other day Giada made Herbed Quinoa that looked delicious.  I’ve been trying to keep my meals light and healthy post holidays and to help get back on track.  This dish is a great addition in place of pasta, rice or even a change from couscous.  And all of the herbs made me think of spring….so happy!  I paired the quinoa with an Avocado (added after I took the picture), Cherry Tomato Salad with balsamic vinegar.  Oh so very spring!!

Herbed Quinoa

Prep Time: 10min   Total Time: 25min

Ingredients

  • 2 3/4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 cups quinoa

Dressing

  • 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (I used 4 frozen basil cubes from Trader Joe’s that worked great)
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves (I used 1 tsp dried thyme)
  • 2 tsp lemon zest
  • Kosher salt and pepper to taste

For the quinoa: In a medium saucepan, add the vegetable stock, lemon juice and quinoa.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until all the liquid is absorbed.  About 12-15 min (mine took 15min).

For the dressing:  In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, basil, parsley, thyme, and lemon zest.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the dressing over the quinoa and toss until all ingredients are combined.  Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.

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