Tag Archives: quinoa

Quinoa Fridays

eggs sprouted quinoa

So, perhaps you know about my odd oatmeal-with-egg-and-hotsauce breakfast.

I’m still doing it most days of the week (though the technique is a little different). Iris also eats it, but with less hot sauce. In typical three year-old fashion, she swings between loving and hating cooked oats.

A while back, my sister-in-law was talking about her fondness for farro as a breakfast dish. I decided to try it in place of oats, and was pleasantly surprised. It got me thinking… could any grain work? I’d been trying to up my quinoa consumption, and thought this might be an easy way to do so.

Turns out I’m a genius. Or, maybe eggs and grain are just pretty tasty in general. Either way, I’ve now got the quinoa-egg breakfast in rotation, and have declared the last morning of the work week “Quinoa Fridays.”

My husband is amused at how excited this makes me every week. Whatever. Food is my favorite.

So:

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup dry quinoa
  • 1/2 cup water
  • dash dried, minced onion
  • dash dried cilantro
  • one egg of quality
  • hot sauce

Directions

  1. Pour the quinoa, onion, cilantro and water into a small sauce pan.
  2. Bring to a boil, then turn to a low simmer, cover, and let cook according to directions on quinoa package (maybe for a minute or two less).
  3. When the quinoa is nearly finished, crack in the egg, recover, and cook on very low heat for 5 to 10 minutes (until egg is to desired consistency).
  4. After turning off the heat, let the pan sit covered for a few more minutes. The steam will loosen any quinoa stuck to the bottom of the pan.
  5. Uncover, dash in a little hot sauce, and devour.

Happy Wednesday (Quinoa Friday Eve Eve)

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Quinoa Meal for a Greenie

Halloween dinner table set food

My sister came over for the evening last night, and it struck me that our meal was quite green in color.

While she is not a vegetarian, my sister makes a point of eating very healthfully. Since we have similar taste (in just about everything, it seems), having dinner with her is usually awesome. Sushi, Indian, vegetarian sub sandwiches and seafood pastas are among the favorites, and we do well eating in or out.

This time, we stayed in, and threw together a hearty but healthy meal with ingredients I had and a few things she grabbed from the store. Oh, and wine. We were raised (responsibly) with the idea that a nice dinner simply isn’t complete without a glass of wine.

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Gold Beet Soup with Grains and Greens

gold beet carrot onion grain vegan soup

Say that title five times fast.

You may remember my little ode to beets from a few weeks back. Now, I’ve discovered gold beets. The photo above does not do them justice (I never claimed to be a photographer). Simply lovely are these delicate relatives of the more familiar red beet.

There is nothing terribly impressive about this Haphazard Recipe. I’ve been trying to buy fruits and veggies that are new to me, and work them into my cooking and eating habits. As the weather gets cooler and the evenings darker, no answer was easier for the gold beets than soup. Happily, I found a basic recipe that included the greens, and took it a little further with the addition of grains and carrots.

Ingredients: Continue reading

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Getting Varied, Whole Grains

picture of whole grain parts

I think we all know that whole grains are best.

Hopefully, we all know why. If not, quick reminder:

Whole grains are left intact after harvesting. The bran, endosperm and germ are all ground up together to make the ingredients for our bread, cereals and crackers. This is why whole grain foods are often grainier and darker than their refined counterparts.

The refined grains are typically made of just the endosperm. Sure this makes them softer, prettier and longer lasting. But, it also leaves them void of nutrition and often full of filler. More scary stuff here.

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Quinoa Salad with Avocado and Goat Cheese

avocados

I’m still trying to get in the habit of posting at least once a week, and this week I’m pushing it with two.

But this one’s a cheat. I’m sending you to a recipe that I used for our Father’s Day salad buffet.

I made way more of this quinoa salad than the recipe calls for. I’m glad I did, as it’s been supplying lunches for the past few days. It’s filling, tasty and pretty healthy. The quinoa and goat cheese make it creamy, and the pine nuts give it a nice toasty flavor.

Quinoa Salad with Avocado and Goat Cheese

Enjoy!

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My New Love Affair: Quinoa

It all happened so fast…

I’d been perfectly happy with my brown rice and occasional couscous for a long time. Even after I stopped eating meat, those old standbys always did the trick when I needed a traditional meal base, or something a little more exotic with herbs and pine nuts.

But last night, everything changed.

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