Quinoa Recipes Galore

We tried two new quinoa recipes recently and they were both phenomenal!

First up: Grilled Corn and Quinoa Salad.
Oh man.
This is so summery.
And oh so good.

It takes a little bit of time to chop up all the veggies, but trust me, it's worth it. This could totally be a side dish but we had it as our main meal with a side of grilled zucchini. It makes wonderful lunch leftovers. The original recipe calls for 2 cups of quinoa, which is what we made, but it seemed like wayyy too much when it was done cooking so I took out 1 cooked cup and saved it to make quinoa pancakes the next day.

Grilled Corn and Quinoa Salad

(Adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients

5 ears of corn, grilled

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1.5-2 cups quinoa

1 pint cherry tomatoes, chopped

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Juice of 3 limes 

2 tbsp olive oil

S&P to taste

Directions

Prep & grill the corn (we just toss ears in a ziplock bag with evoo and s&p). 

When done, cut the kernels off the cobs.

Cook the quinoa.

Chop yo veggies.

Toss all ingredients together and voila!

Next up: Quinoa Pancakes.

I might just be in love with these.
I had them for the first time a few weeks ago for brunch at one of my favorite restaurants, True Food Kitchen. I knew then and there that I had to try to make them myself.

Surprisingly enough, they are way easier than you'd think!

Quinoa Pancakes

(Adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 large egg

1 egg white

1 tbsp EVOO

1/4 cup milk

2 tbsp maple syrup (the good kind)

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix quinoa, flour, baking powder, and salt. 

In a small bowl, whisk together egg, egg white, evoo, milk, and syrup.

Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir.

Heat your griddle or pan.

Make pancakes the way you normally do.

Serve with butter, maple syrup, some fresh berries, and my personal favorite: a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. Yes, seriously. Try it! I was totally skeptical the first time I tried it but it gives the pancakes a light taste and just the perfect tang to compliment the maple syrup.

I'm hooked, yall. 

On The Menu: Black Bean & Tomato Quinoa

I cannot get enough of this salad lately.
It's light, easy to make, and packed with filling protein.
Quinoa + black beans for the win!

Oh and did I mention that it practically doesn't have a scent? That's especially appealing to this pregnant person.

Over the past two months I learned that strong-smelling foods were my enemy. I'd get 15 minutes into preparing a meal and the smell would be so overwhelming that I couldn't finish cooking! Food and smell aversions are no joke, people. It actually became pretty comical by the middle of the first trimester: we'd meal plan at the beginning of the week and then realize by Thursday that all the meals had been total failures because I couldn't handle the smells.

So we turned to a lot of cold dishes. It was the only way to make sure that my sweet husband didn't end up eating cold cereal again for dinner. Or toast. We've been eating a lot of toast lately.

Anyway, we found this recipe about 4-5 years on Epicurious and absolutely love it. In the past, we typically made it as a side to this Fish Taco recipe - which is amazing - totally recommend it. Both recipes have cilantro & onion and just go so well together.

However, fish tacos have been out lately, for obvious smelly reasons. So we've been making this salad solo, or as a side to grilled (outside) chicken. And it always seems to make enough to have fabulous leftovers for lunch the next day.

Black Bean & Tomato Quinoa

Recipe adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients

2 tsp grated lime zest

juice from 1-2 limes* 

(*depending on size & how tangy you want the dish. I  typically use 2 small limes)

2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sugar

1 cup quinoa (uncooked)

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 bunch of green onions, chopped

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

Dressing: 

Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, and s&p in a large bowl.

Quinoa:

Stir 2 cups water + 1 cup quinoa in a pot & bring to a boil. Let boil for 10 minutes.

Partially cover and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes until water is mostly absorbed. 

Remove from heat, put a paper-towel between the pot and the lid, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed.

Then stir in remaining ingredients (beans, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro) and s&p to taste.

On The Menu: Tilapia with Peppers and Olives

The past few weeks have been full of new dinner recipes for us! Typically I try to only work in one or two new recipes into our meal plan each week since they tend to take more time to prepare, but for some reason I've been on a new-recipe kick lately!

On the menu for last night was: Tilapia with Peppers and Olives (over Herbed Basmati Rice). I incorporated three recipes into our meal - I promise it's not as complicated as it sounds! In fact, the whole meal was very easy to prepare and didn't take very long at all.

First up: the fish! The original Tilapia recipe (found here) calls for the fish to be pan fried. Our kitchen stove doesn't have a vent over it, so whenever we cook anything, the smell permeates the entire house - awesome for things like cookies; bad for things like fish. So, I decided to bake the tilapia instead (it helps with the smell, trust me!).

I did a quick search online and decided on a Paula Deen recipe (found here). I adapted it a little bit: I used slightly less butter, cooked the fish in a glass Pyrex, and found that our fillets needed 20 minutes instead of 12 (maybe they were thicker?).

Next, I got started on the rice. I think the original intention of Tilapia + Peppers was to limit the amount of carbs in the meal, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that last night...so we added rice.

I did another quick search and decided to try my hand at Ina Garten's Herbed Basmati Rice. I took a few more liberties with this recipe (seeing a trend here?). First, we have a rice cooker that I absolutely LOVE, so I cooked the rice in that instead of in a pan. The rice cooker is easy and fast and turns itself off when the rice is done so you don't overcook it (genius!).

I added the rice, water, salt, and butter to the cooker and let it go to work. At this point I went on with prepping the pepper part of our dinner, but I'll  wrap up the rice part now so I don't confuse you!

Since I decided to make this side dish on a whim, I didn't have a bunch of the herbs listed in the recipe on hand. I only had fresh parsley and dried herbs. You gotta make due with what you have! So, once the rice was done, I added some chapped parsley, dried rosemary, and some S&P. I let the rice sit a bit while we prepped the rest of dinner.

Now on to the last part - the peppers! This is where I actually followed the original recipe pretty exactly (except for the part where I cooked the fish differently - ha!). Here are the ingredients and instructions:

Tilapia With Peppers and Olives

Ingredients

1 tablespoons olive oil

S&P

2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 green), thinly sliced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup pitted green olives (sliced lengthwise)
{We used garlic olives from the olive bar at our super market and they were perfect}

1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Cook the peppers and onion, stirring often, 5 minutes.

Stir in the olives, parsley, lime juice, and S&P into the vegetables. 

Serve with the fish.

I just love brightly colored veggies! Don't they just look healthy?

You might be able to tell that I also added in some orange pepper - the red, green, and purple were begging for it!

Scoop some rice into the bottom of a low-bowl, add a few scoops of veggies and peppers, and top with tilapia!

This meal was SO good. We were both thoroughly impressed with it! The flavor profile is Mediterranean - the lime and the herbs keep the dish bright and light, and the olives give each bite a good tangy taste. We'll be making this again for sure!

On The Menu: Boeuf Bourguignon a la Julia Child

Taylor and I recently decided that we have a new mission in life.

A food mission.

Or, more specifically:

A cooking mission.

We love to cook.

In fact, we make dinner at home together just about every night.

We love it.

Little factoid you may not know?

Taylor is a mean chopping machine.

Set a stack of veggies in front of him, and in just minutes, everything will be perfectly chopped and set into size-appropriate prep bowls.

We consider ourselves pretty good cooks.

We have a good handle on all the "classic" stuff:
 chicken, fish, beef, soups, salads, pasta, sandwiches, etc.

We started branching out lately with slightly more complicated dishes like
brown-rice mushroom risotto

and
homemade chicken pot pie

and
restaurant-style pan-seared steak.

Mmmmm.

Our goal is to get really good at cooking well.
Not a bad mission, huh?

And so, a few weeks ago, we made a big purchase.
Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"

First recipe we wanted to try?
Boeuf Bourguignon.
Beef stew a la delicious.

I followed the recipe as well as I could.
But I did improvise a little.

I love Julia's intro to the recipe: "As is the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good boeuf bourguignon. Carefully done, and perfectly flavored, it is certainly one of the most delicious beef dished concocted by man."

Alright Julila, it's on!

The Ingredients
6 oz. bacon
[we used about 4 pieces of thick bacon]
1 tbsp olive oil
3 lbs of stewing beef (cut into 2-inch pieces)
1 sliced carrot
[I would double (or even triple) this next time]
1 sliced onion
salt & pepper
2 tbsp flour
3 cups red wine
2-3 cups beef stock
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves minced garlic
1 crumbled bay leaf
1/2 tsp thyme

Directions
Start by prepping everything.
 I didn't and was running around like a crazy person trying to chop things while others cooked.
Also, pre-heat the oven to 450.

Chop the bacon into slices
[The recipe talks about lardons and doing something complicated to the rind.
I opted for just chopping the bacon the way it was]

Prep the meat - cut into two-inch pieces.

The recipe calls for lean meat, so we cut out as much fat as we could.

And prep the veggies.

Our onion to carrot ratio was clearly a little off.

(Like I said before, next time I'd use 2 or 3 carrots)

Heat the oil in an over-proof casserole dish.

Add the bacon and saute until crispy.

Take the bacon out with a slotted spoon.

[Sample bacon]

Keep the oil in the casserole - you'll use it in the next step!

Using a paper towel, dry off each piece of meat.
This will help the meat brown properly!
(Julia was totally on to something with this!)

Next, saute the meat, a few pieces at a time,

 in the oil and bacon fat until "nicely browned on all sides," and then set aside.

[The cookbook said to let the oil/fat get very hot 

before doing this ("until almost smoking," they said).

I didn't follow that direction very closely, 

and so my meat only slightly browned and instead just cooked a little.]

In the same fat, brown the veggies.

[Or in our case, brown the (mass quantity of) onions and carrot pieces!]

Then drain the oil.

Return the beef and bacon to the pan and toss with salt & pepper.

Sprinkle on the flour and toss to coat the beef.

Set the casserole, uncovered, in the oven for 4 minutes.

Take it out, toss the meat, and then put it back in for 4 more minutes.

(This will brown the flour and coat the beef with a light crust.)

Take the casserole out, and turn the oven down to 325.

Stir in the wine and enough stock so the beef is barely covered.

[I missed the barely part - I clearly went for fully covered instead!]

Add the tomato paste, garlic, and herbs.

Bring to a simmer on the stove.

Then cover the casserole, set it in the oven, and let it simmer for 2 1/2-3 hours.

During the 2 1/2 to 3 hour wait, you have plenty of time to cook the onions and mushrooms.

These aren't just any old onions and mushrooms. These are:

"Oignons Glaces A Brun"

and 

"Champignons Sautes au Beurre"

We're knee-deep in fancy french cooking here!

So the onions and mushrooms are technically an optional part of Boeuf Bourguignon

 (they even have their own recipes) 

But they really add to the stew so I totally recommend making them.

Champignons Sautes au Beurre

(Sauteed Mushrooms)

Ingredients

1/2 lb mushrooms

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp oil

Directions

Heat the butter and oil.

Add the mushrooms (make sure they're well dried!)

Toss and shake the pan for 4-5 mins.

Remove from heat.

Try a mushroom.

And do a little dance.

Have you ever seen the movie Julia & Julia? 

This is part where Julie (the writer) repeats over and over: "don't crowd the mushrooms!"

I said that to myself many times as I was cooking them!

According to Julia (the chef), "successfully sauteed mushrooms are lightly browned and exude none of their juice while being cooked. To achieve this, the mushrooms must be dry and the butter very hot. And the mushrooms must not be crowded in the pan. If you saute too many at once, they steam rather than fry and their juices escape and they do not brown."

Whoa whoa whoa.

This is life changing stuff yall.

She is totally right!

You may have an urge to repeat the last two steps:

Try a mushroom.

And do a little dance.

Now that your world has been rocked, lets move on to the onions.

Onions Glaces a Brun 

(Brown-Braised Onions)

Ingredients

18-24 while pearl onions

1 1/2 tbsp butter

1 1/2 tbsp oil

1/2 cup brown stock

salt & pepper

herbs (parsley, bay leaf, 1/4 tsp thyme)

Directions

Heat the butter and oil in a skillet.

Add the onions and saute over medium heat (about 10 mins).

Roll the onions in the pan so they will brown evenly.

Then pour in the stock, s&p, and herbs.

Cover and simmer slowly for 40-50 minutes

(the onions will be tender but retain their shape - the liquid will have evaporated)

Remove from heat.

Now, back to our Boeuf.

When the meat is tender,
[and believe you me, after 3 hours, it will be wonderfully tender]
 pour the contents of the casserole through a strainer set over a sauce-pan.
[The recipe calls for a "metal sieve" - we used a plastic pasta strainer and it worked just fine]

Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it.
[Genius step btw - presentation is everything! Who wants to serve dinner in a crusty pot!?]

Distribute the onions and mushrooms over the beef.
[Swoon a little]

Now simmer the sauce for a minute or two, skimming the fat off the top.

You'll end up with about 2 1/2 cups of sauce.

Taste, and season if needed.

When it's slightly thickened, pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.

[At this point you'll want to bring out your best china dishes

 because you'll realize that this ain't no ordinary meal.]

Serve with potatoes and a green veggie.

(It would also be delicious over noodles)

Next, take a minute and be amazed that you just made boeuf bourguignon.

Now sadly, I have to admit that Taylor and I were so focused on sitting down and trying our delicious creation, that we totally forgot to take a picture of it!

I searched online until I found something that looked slightly similar to ours!

(I just couldn't leave you hanging after all that, could I!?)

This dish was, without a doubt, the most impressive meal we've made to date.

It does take all day to make, and it is, really, just beef stew.

But it absolutely rocks.

Image/Via

Farfalle with Creamy Mushroom Gorgonzola Sauce

This yumminess happened last Friday evening. Recipe numero due from my awesome cookbook, Everyday Pasta. Cheesy mushroomy goodness. Without further ado, the recipe (with a few extra tips/thoughts/ideas from yours truly):

How much do you love looking at a new recipe and realizing that you already have just about every ingredient in your pantry? I dig it! It's so, so much fun incorporating a special new ingredient or two (like fancy-shmancy mushrooms or a random but exciting new cheese) with ones you're already familiar with.

Start by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

You can prep the cheese and mushrooms beforehand if you want, but I'm a fan of doing everything while I go, so while the butter is melting...I chopped the gorgonzola into chunks.  Gorgonzola is a slightly soft, strong smelling cheese. I had to go to Whole Foods to find it, and then had to decide between three varieties! It definitely wasn't an everyday ingredient for me.

When the butter is hot, add the flour and whisk until smooth (about 2 minutes). It doesn't look very pretty, but it sure wasn't lumpy!

Add the milk, whisk until smooth, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Whisk, whisk, whisk! Whisking is fun. Simmer for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. 

At this point...Presto! The sauce thickens! Kitchen-cooking chemistry. Love it!

Now remove the pan from the heat. Add the gorgonzola and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Set the pan aside and cover it to keep it warm. This is the step where you really feel like a chef. The cheese melts perfectly into the sauce and the result is deliciously cheesy. 

At this point, put a large pot of water on to boil. Lest you wonder if there is actually any pasta involved in this pasta dish! 

Bring out a new pan and heat the oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and saute! I chose white button mushrooms, crimini mushrooms and oyster mushrooms. The oyster mushrooms had a different texture than I was used to (larger & squishier), and retained a lot of water when I washed them...so over all I think next time I would use portabello instead. I also added in a shallot at this point because why not?

While the mushrooms are coking away, add your pasta to the happily boiling water. See? It's all about multi-tasking.

After your shroomies are sautéed (about 12 mins), add the peas. The recipe says to thaw the peas beforehand...which might be a good idea. I didn't. It turned out okay, but there was a little bit of extra water for a while (which really perplexed me then but makes sense now). Season with salt & pepper.

Since I'm usually just cooking for Taylor and me, I try to minimize the amount of serving dishes we use, so I often just mix and serve meals like this from the pot on the stove. Don't judge me. It's worth it when we're not cleaning a zillion dishes after a meal. I'm sure it'll change when we're feeding more than just us. Anyway, when the pasta is perfectly al dente, strain and return to the pot. Pour in the cheese sauce and mix together. The sauce is amazing and will perfectly coat every little nook and cranny of the bowties. 

Then, stir in your mushroom mixture and voila! Perfection. Deliciousness. Dinner.

This should be where you see a picture of two steaming bowls full of pasta sitting on a beautifully decorated, candle-lit table, right next to a loaf of crusty French bread and two glasses of wine. Alas, the picture of the finished product that I did take on my phone didn't turn out well...and, while we did have all those delicious extras to go along with our meal, we enjoyed it sitting on the sofa together with a movie on instead!

This was a great recipe. It was fun to make, a little different, but not too complicated. The gorgonzola is a little strong, so don't make it for someone who is a little wary about cheese. Unfortunately it's not as good heated up the next day as fresh, so only make enough for one meal. I think it needs a little protein too, so I'd grill and slice up some chicken to go with it next time. Final consensus? I'll be making this again.

On The Menu: Rigatoni with Sausage, Peppers, and Onions...Mmmmm!

One of my Christmas gifts this year was an (awesome) cookbook by Giada De Laurentis called Everyday Pasta.

Perfect cookbook for Taylor and me? I think yes. We eat pasta a lot. As soon as I opened it, I immediately sat down and went through the entire book, marking every single recipe I wanted to try with a bright green sticky note. Now my cookbook looks like this:

Yesterday evening I got to try my first recipe. Rigatoni with Sausage, Peppers, and Onions. Like my title says, Mmmm!

It took a little longer than I'd anticipated (after you get everything in the pan it still needs another 20 mins to simmer), but it turned out to be absolutely delicious! I loved the fresh peppers and Taylor was thrilled that our pasta dinner included chunks of sausage (oh yea, none of the turkey sausage for us!). The recipe is below (it's tiny on this page, but click it and it will open in a new page), and I definitely recommend it! I did alter the recipe a tiny bit: I used only one onion (two seemed like too many, and it was just fine with one), and used one red and one green pepper to mix up the colors of the dish. I also didn't have the marsala wine, so I used a little less than a cup of water instead (since you do need the liquid in the dish).

So far we're 1 for 1, go cookbook! We had the leftovers for lunch today and it was almost even better than it was yesterday! Stay tuned for more pasts recipe reviews!