Tag Archives: quinoa

Todays Breakfast: Quinoa!?

once upon a time i used to always make oatmeal for breakfast, and then it got hot out so i switched to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. and then i went GF and switched to pb&j’s on gluten free english muffins, and then GF english muffins became $6.50 for a half dozen- i was running out of delicious breakfast options! i love me some oatmeal, but i can only handle gumming steel cut oats for so long. coincidentally, an old friend forwarded me a recipe for breakfast quinoa.    it’s an incredibly simple equation; 1 c quinoa cooked in 2 cups of whatever milk you desire, lightly sweetened, and like oatmeal you dress it up with fruits, nuts, and spices. however, unlike oatmeal, quinoa maintains a nutty, chewy texture-score!

yesterday i dressed mine in diced minneola’s (a crazy tasty tangerine/clementine/orange hybrid of sorts), raw pecans, cranberries, and agave nectar.

 

today i reheated leftover cranberry quinoa and topped it with more raw pecans, agave, and added a sliced banana. so satisfying!

cranberry banana pecan breakfast quinoa!

i’m one of those people who wants  needs to eat every 3-4 hours or i’ll go cuckoo; this actually keeps me sated the whole time so i’m not obsessing over lunch time. yay!

here’s my base recipe- this can boil over very easily so keep a sharp lookout, or make it in your crockpot!

breakfast quinoa base

makes roughly 4 servings

1 c quinoa, rinsed well

2 c almond milk

pinch salt

3 tbs maple syrup or agave nectar

1/2 mix ins for serving- dried or fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, spices etc

toast your quinoa in a dry high-walled skillet or pan until golden brown. add almond milk, sugar and salt and bring to a boil. cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook until almost all the liquid has absorbed. let stand for a minute or two before topping and serving.

More Porn!

i guess there were more food pictures on my camera! enjoy!

stew!

delicata squash, kale, carrots, chickpeas, and leeks floating in a lightly seasoned broth

TLAT Salad!

TLAT salad, but with kale and smoky eggplant strips instead of lettuce and tempeh bacon. on the side are GF flax crackers with raw cashew cheese

4-part epic!?

tarragon and balsamic grilled portobello cap, roasted mashed sweet potatoes, grilled peppers and string beans. i marinated the portobellos in a mixture of balsamic vinegar, braggs, dijon mustard, and tarragon. i reduced the marinade with white wine to make a simple pan sauce.

 

Quinoa with Grilled Zucchini and Chickpeas

another already vegan, epicurious find! since we don’t have the luxury of a grill, and its damn cold out, the hubby roasted the zucchini in the toaster oven till the outside was browned, but so that it was still crunchy inside. a lot of the comments suggested upping the garlic/lemon marinade for the chickpeas, so i doubled the garlic, and let it marinate for 6 hours. tofu would have been incredible had i had some lying around. i did add some crushed red pepper flakes, too. this is also a great lunch the next day!

Quinoa with Grilled Zucchini and Chickpeas

Quinoa with Grilled Zucchini and Chickpeas

Soup!

soup is pretty magical. and so are crock pots. and when you have to orchestrate 6 well-rounded dinners a week around work, social, and nightlife schedules, the idea of cooking can be extremely daunting. thankfully, i love soups, crockpots, and can have the foresight to soak a few beans the night before so that when i come home covered in hair, starving, and frazzled, i can look over and say “aw shucks would you look at that-dinners ready!”

Cannelini and Quinoa Soup

makes 6 huge bowls

1 lb dried Cannelini beans, soaked overnight

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, sliced

1 onion, diced

1 pint cherry tomatoes

8 cups vegetable stock

3 stems fresh thyme

combine the onion and garlic in a pan with a few tablespoons olive oil, and saute over medium heat until soft and beginning to brown. combine in your slow cooker with all the other ingredients and set on high for 6 hours, or low for 8. check at 6 hours to see if the beans are soft, or to see if you need more water. season with salt and pepper only after the beans have finished cooking.

cannelini and quinoa soup

cannelini and quinoa soup

Creamy Golden Wild Rice Stew

3/4 golden or regular wild rice

4 cups almond milk

1 lb cremini or white button mushrooms, sliced thinly

1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 dice

2 cups vegetable stock

1 large white onion, diced

2 shallots minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

2 carrots, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp each of thyme and rosemary

1 bay leaf

combine the onion, shallot, and garlic with olive oil in a pan and saute until soft and beginning to brown, add mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms have released their liquid. combine all ingredients  in your slow cooker and set for 6 or 8 hours. when the potatoes are soft, remove the bay leaf, and puree up to half the soup in a blender, and add back to the pot. season with salt and pepper, and if you’re super fancy, a drizzle of truffle oil on the top of each serving

creamy golden wild rice soup

creamy golden wild rice soup


Curried Mango Quinoa Salad

Told you there was a quinoa explosion going on around here. Ridiculously easy, light, and tasty. you can pile this with extra greens into a wedge of pita if you’re looking for something with more “substance”.

Curried Mango Quinoa Salad

serves 4

1 c quinoa, soaked, and cooked in 3 cups water, drained and cooled

1 pound tofu, cubed

1 large mango, peeled, pitted and diced

1 large cucumber, seeds removed, and diced

1 bunch green onions, sliced

4 cups baby spinach

1/4 c canola or grapeseed oil

2 tbs curry powder

2 tbs white wine vinegar.

in a food processor, combine 1/2 of the mango, the oil, curry, and vinegar and combine until smooth. season with a pinch of salt. cook the tofu in a tbs of oil until browned and set aside. in a large bowl, mix the quinoa with the dressing, and add all of the other ingredients except for the spinach. divide the spinach evenly between 4 plates, and top with the salad.

Quinoa Explosion!

i know i always give some excuse or reason for being an absentee blogger, and this month is no different! its summer, duh. until yesterday, i had found myself amidst a sweltering, humid heat wave, and the thought of heating up an oven brought tears to my eyes. what to do? well, i’ve begun dabbling in cold/raw soups and salads! although its not raw, quinoa has become a frequent guest in my kitchen. if you’re not familiar with quinoa, its an ancient grain that was cultivated by the mayans, has a mild, nutty flavor, and is a “complete” protein due to the complex amino acids it contains. cooking quinoa is also a cinch; cover 1 cup quinoa with 2 inches water and soak for ten minutes. drain and add to 3 cups boiling water and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the little germ, or “hula hoop” as i call them, to appear. the center of the grain will be translucent as well. another big happening at the cortez house is our garden. we’re starting to hit the ripening stride with our tomatoes, and after additional bunny-proofing, our kale has really started to thrive! so, what i’m getting at is when its hot, and you have a jar of quinoa and a garden full of tomatoes, you make heirloom gazpacho with quinoa! duh!

gazpacho, beer, garlic toast with cashew cheeze

Heirloom Tomato and Quinoa Gazpacho

serves 4-6

1 quart cold tomato juice

3 c heirloom tomatoes, finely chopped. i used striped germans, green zebras, and wild cherry

1 10oz jar roasted peppers, finely chopped

1/4c regular, or garlic olive oil

3 tbs balsamic vinegar

1 tsp hot pepper sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt

pepper

fresh herbs: thyme, cilantro, basil. minced

1/2 c red or white quinoa, cooked and cooled.

stir everything together except for the quinoa and fresh herbs. let it hang in the fridge for 2 hours to chill, and taste for salt, garlic, pepper. spoon the quinoa between 4 bowls, add the soup, and top with fresh herbs.

heirloom and quinoa gazpacho