Tagged with quinoa

Greatist Collaboration: Quinoa Apple Cake

Just a quick hello to share this cake that I made for Greatist with you.  When I saw this cake in Home Made Winter (p.s., you still have until midnight tonight to win a copy!), I was immediately intrigued.  Cooked whole quinoa to replace some of the flour?  Sounded like a good idea for a nutritious cake, and I didn’t need any fancy flours to make it.  Add to this the fact that I had a bunch of apples leftover from apple-picking slowly softening on the counter, and that it was full of fall spices, and I was sold on trying it.

Still, I’m always a little bit skeptical of “healthy” cakes, and this one was no exception.  Granted, it’s not über-healthy – it still has butter and sugar in it – but it’s no chocolate-peanut butter health monster.  So I was pleasantly surprised by how much I genuinely liked the flavor of this cake – enough to immediately crave (but resist!) another slice.  It’s very moist, very apple-y, and just cinnamon/ginger/nutmeg-y enough.  It’s a little bit loose in its texture and so falls apart pretty easily, but I think this could be combatted by adding an egg.  I’m planning on making this cake again next week to have as a snack before my half-marathon, so I’ll try the egg thing then and report back!  Speaking of half-marathons… I’m so tired of training for them.  But I did my last long run on Saturday, and I’m almost ready to taper.  Then I’m taking two weeks off – and I can’t wait!  I take my hat off to those of you who run them regularly, and those of you who go for twice (or three, or four times!) as long.  Training for these two halfs this fall has made me realize that I will never be running a full marathon, but I will make this cake for everyone I know who does.  The rest of you lazy-like-me people should make it for yourselves – head on over to Greatist for the recipe!

Also, I have to give a shout out to my little brother, who turns 22 today!  Happy Birthday, Rynie, I love you :-).  Last year I made him these Dark and Stormy Brownies, and they quickly became my most popular post of all time by a long shot (like, 6 times more popular than the 2nd most popular post on this site).  So Ryan, maybe you’re my lucky charm!  Have a great day, bro.

Greatist Collaboration: Quinoa Puttanesca

Sitting at my desk on Monday, thinking deeply about insurance and strategy and research like I’m paid to do, I had an epiphany: “Tomato-quinoa arancini! With olives!”  Some of you might point out that this has nothing to do with insurance, and you would be correct, but I’ll take inspiration anytime, anyplace.

Now, I’ll be up front with you: I didn’t actually end up making quinoa arancini.  But it was a jumping off point for what just might be the most successful and flavorful recipe I’ve ever come up with myself – quinoa puttanesca.  Obviously, I didn’t come up with puttanesca sauce, nor am I the first person to have replaced spaghetti with the healthier quinoa in a classic Italian dish, but the proportions, timing, etc.?  My doing.  And I’m pretty proud.

 

The thought process that took me to this moment of triumph was as follows: “I need a recipe for my Greatist post this week.  Hmmmm.  I have a lot of cooked quinoa in the fridge because I’m vaguely following the Self Drop 10 plan this week and practically all the recipes call for quinoa.  Like these quinoa-banana pancakes.   And this quinoa edamame salad with carrot-ginger dressing.   So I should definitely use quinoa for Greatist.  Mmm, I haven’t had spaghetti sauce in ages.  Tomato-quinoa arancini!  With olives! [See above.]  Yeah, I should definitely use up those olives.  But tomatoes plus olives makes me think of anchovies, why is that?  Oh, puttanesca!  That could work.  But it can only have 8 ingredients to fit within Greatist requirements…”

And so on, and so forth.  I’m obviously no James Joyce, so I’ll spare you the rest of my stream of consciousness, at least for now.  In the end, with only seven ingredients – quinoa, tomatoes, kalamata olives, garlic, anchovies, red pepper flakes, and spinach – this recipe totally rocked.  It’s packed full of flavor and richness, while still being healthy.  I mean, it has two superfoods in it (although, let’s be honest, almost everything seems to be a “superfood” these days), no dairy, and no gluten, and the only real source of fat is the olives, so it’s healthy fat.  Plus, it’s easy and satisfying and just the right amount of spicy.  Head on over to Greatist to check out the recipe!

Quinoa and Brussel Sprout Primavera

Before leaving for Miami I thought that going a full week without access to a kitchen was going to be horrible.  That I would come back dying for something freshly prepared with my own two hands.  That I would feel gross and weighed down by too-hearty breakfasts and unhealthy dinners.  For most people, a week of fully-paid-for restaurant food would be a cause for celebration, not concern, but I was seriously worried.  Turns out I was being a little bit ridiculous.  The breakfasts are a little bit on the heavy side, but seeing as it’s a buffet, it’s totally within my control.  The buffet lunches actually have a surprising number of fresh and interesting dishes – yesterday they had three separate dishes incorporating three of my favorite foods –  pesto, chickpeas, and avocados – and today spinach ravioli and a chorizo bar.  Last night, we had an incredible dinner at Red Fish Grill – I was really stunned by how much flavor each of the ingredients in my salad had (super sharp and creamy blue cheese, slightly smoky and slightly sweet candied pecans, smoky smoky smoky bacon, and crisp-tart apples) and the key lime pie was perfect.  Literally, perfect.  Plus, having a gym a 60 second walk from my bed and my “office” right downstairs decidedly increases the frequency of my visits to the gym.  So, really, not much to complain about here.

Still, I do sort of miss the act of cooking.  It’s one of my favorite ways of unwinding on weeknights.  Occasionally on weekends when the cooking I’m doing is for the blog and I’m racing against the daylight, it gets stressful, but I still enjoy it.  And it’s certainly nice to have homemade food for lunch every day (well, most days… sometimes it’s nice to just get pizza).  Since starting work, as you might have noticed, I’ve been concentrating a little more on quick and healthy recipes – recipes that I can make before I leave in the morning, and that counteract the serious increase in eating out that I’ve experienced since moving to the city … and having an income.  This recipe is one of my favorites for fulfilling both those purposes – with the added bonus that I find it absolutely delicious.  The idea for this comes from Let’s Dish, but I’ve tailored it to my own tastes – which is sort of what the original recipe encourages you to do, anyways.

This recipe was also the first way that I tried brussel sprouts, about 2 months ago.  Brussel sprouts have never been on my family’s table, because my mom absolutely hates them.  I think it’s because she was forced to eat them in a very unpleasant, boiled soggy, flavorless form as a kid, and swore never to force her own children to eat them.  I’m the complete opposite though, and absolutely love them, enough to have made them several times since first trying them.  I always blanch them in water or broth before caramelizing them with butter, half because I love the flavor the caramelization gives them, and half because that ridged golden brown effect makes them so pretty!  For this dish, I then toss them with hot quinoa, a bit of cream cheese, a sprinkling of parm, and whatever other vegetables happen to be in my kitchen at the time, briefly sauteed with garlic – I’ve included carrots, green beans, asparagus, and onions, but the brussel sprouts are so far the only mandatory vegetable.  I brought this along to Vermont with us, but we didn’t have a microwave in our hotel room, and it’s really best heated up.  Also, cooking the quinoa in chicken broth seriously ups the flavor because it absorbs so much of it – water is OK, but definitely inferior.  If you don’t like brussel sprouts, give the original recipe a try with whatever vegetables you do like, and enjoy a quick, healthy lunch!

Quinoa and Brussel Sprout Primavera

Adapted from Let’s Dish.  Serves 2.

  • 1 c. quinoa
  • 2 c. chicken broth
  • 3 oz. cream cheese
  • 3 c. fresh brussel sprouts, washed and halved
  • 2 c. other vegetables, cut into small chunks (optional)
  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 3 TBS butter
  • parmesan cheese, for topping
  1. Bring chicken broth to a low boil.  Immediately upon boiling, add halved brussel sprouts and blanch by cooking for 2 minutes, then removing with a slotted spoon and rinsing in cold water.  Add quinoa to boiling chicken broth and turn heat down to medium.  Cook qunioa for around 15 minutes, until it has absorbed all the broth and the “tails” of the quinoa grains have unfurled.
  2. While quinoa is cooking, heat half the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the garlic slices and cook for 1 minute, until golden.  Add the brussel sprouts and let cook without disturbing for 2-3 minutes, then flip sprouts so that both sides can brown.  Remove brussel sprouts when they are golden-brown in places, and set aside.  Add remaining butter to pan along with other vegetables, if using.  Cook veggies until they are just a bit more tender than when fresh, about 2-7 minutes depending on the vegetables.  Toss brussel sprouts, vegetables, and quinoa together.  Stir in cream cheese until melted throughout.  Top with parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper, if needed.  Serve hot.

Cupboard Cleansing

So yesterday I took my last college final.  And I’m not really sure I’m ready to go into all the weirdness and emotion and excitement and out-of-character behavior that seems to be going hand in hand with all this … endness.  All this time I couldn’t wait to get out into the real world and now I desperately want to stay.  Emotions are running rampant.  We’ll talk more when things calm down.

Even though I’m not ready for the goodbyes, and the moving, and the “what nows,” I am ready to start cleaning out the freezer.  And the pantry.  And the other pantry.  Seriously, between the lamb, chicken, meatballs, beef, veggies, broths, and pizza dough in the freezer, apples, oranges, rhubarb, cabbages, and potatoes in the fridge, and pounds of beans, tomatoes, canned olives, dried fruits, flours, and grains in the pantry, I could probably survive for at least 8 months.  Actually.  I’m not sure how I’ve managed to accumulate such a large amount of extra food in the 16 months that I’ve lived here [that’s not true, I know exactly how it happened], but I am sure that it’s going to be tough to find anyone who wants my half-used bottles of vinegar and bags of beans after I graduate.  So, until I move out in 15 days, no more groceries, except essential dairy products and fresh produce.  (N.B. Chocolate falls firmly into the dairy category).

Using up the odds and ends that I have might stretch my culinary creativity a bit, but hopefully it will result in at least a few good meals.  Luckily, about half of the brainpower I’ve been using all semester on school and learning and stuff has been returned to me and is available for kitchen inventiveness.  As for the remainder of my brain, one quarter has been absorbed by emotional instability and I’m pretty sure the last quarter is on vacation.  Either that or it’s permanently gone.  Anyway.  To start out, I made a corn broth quinoa risotto, which kicked some frozen veggies, a cup of quinoa, and those corn cobs I tossed in my freezer last summer thinking I would be dying for fresh corn broth at some point this winter.  Whatever, Katie.  So maybe it’s a bit of a stretch to call it a risotto, but it worked fairly well, I ate the leftovers (always a sign of a good recipe), and it didn’t require any ingredients not already hanging around.  The corn broth itself is really interesting (in a good way), and I could see it working as the base for a lot of different recipes.  It has a strong corn essence, but not in the sweet way I expected – it’s more of a starchy, nutty corniness.  Topped with some fresh parmesan and a sprinkle of lemon juice, this is a quick and light weeknight dinner.

Corn Broth Quinoa Risotto

Serves 2-3.  Original recipe.

  • 2/3 c. quinoa
  • 1 c. corn broth (recipe below) or vegetable broth
  • 2/3 c. dry white wine
  • 1 TBS butter
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2/3 c. frozen corn and peas
  • 1/2 c. packed grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
  • 1/2 lemon, for dressing
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. In a large dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat.  Sautee onion in butter for 3-4 minutes, then add minced garlic and cook for a minute longer.  Add quinoa to pan and toast, stirring frequently, for another 3-4 minutes.  Add corn broth, bring mixture to a simmer, and allow to cook for 8 minutes, until most of the broth is absorbed.  Add wine and continue to cook quinoa, stirring frequently, until all of the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is tender (the “tails” will unfurl when the quinoa is done).
  2. Add the frozen vegetables and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese until fully melted.  Serve warm with extra parmesan or feta, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Corn Broth

Makes about 4 cups

  • 6 ears of corn, kernels removed and used elsewhere
  • 8 c. water
  • several sprigs of fresh herbs – I used rosemary
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. In a large stockpot, place corn cobs and water and bring to a boil.  Water should fully cover cobs – add more than 8 c. if necessary.  Add herbs and reduce heat to bring stock to a simmer.  Cook for about an hour, checking and stirring frequently, until the stock has a translucent yellow color and a corny flavor.  Remove from heat and strain into a clean container.  If desired, cook stock down further to intensify flavor.  Once flavor is as desired, season with salt and pepper.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days, or the freezer indefinitely.