Thursday, February 26, 2009

quinoa for jill

jill requested a quinoa recipe and i have been meaning to post one for her for weeks. it took me long enough but, at last, here you go my dear.

i came up with this recipe with jill in mind. she likes chickpeas. she likes spinach. and she likes chickpeas and spinach together. she wants more tofu ideas. i have also heard that the grocery stores of lincoln, nebraska tend to lack in the exciting ingredient department. so, keeping all these things in mind, a perfectly jilly (i think) quinoa was born.

quinoa with spicy chickpeas, spinach and tofu
ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 bunch spinach
1 shallot (or onion), chopped
extra firm tofu, well drained and dried
soy sauce
olive oil
smoked paprika
chili powder
cayenne pepper
salt

combine the quinoa and water in a pot and bring to a boil. reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes until water is absorbed.

heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pan and add the chickpeas. season with salt, paprika, chili powder and cayenne to your liking. cook over medium-high heat until chickpeas start to get brown and cunchy on the outside.

while your chickpeas are cooking, heat a little more oil in another pot and add shallots and a pinch of salt. cook a few minutes until soft and fragrant. add spinach and cook until just wilted.

when the chickpeas are done move them into a bowl and use the same pan to cook the tofu (no need to rinse, the spices are good!). slice tofu into 1/4 - 1/2 inch slabs. cook over high heat in the pan with a little oil and a splash of soy sauce. cook a few minutes on each side until they get browned and a little crusty. remove from heat, let cool a minute then cut into bite sized pieces.
place everything in a bowl over quinoa, adjust seasoning with more salt if you want and enjoy!

-d

6 comments:

Jill said...

THANKS DAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! can't wait to make this with the quinoa you sent me :)
yum yum yum

Jill said...

one thing though - how do you well drain and dry tofu?? :(

Unknown said...

oh yeah!
put your block of tofu on a plate and put another plate on top of it. then put something heavy on top (a jar, some books...) and leave it for about 10 or 15 minutes. when you come back the water will be pressed out and you can pour it out and pat your tofu nice and dry.

Jill said...

thanks dar! i knew you had some sort of trick but i couldn't remember what it was :)

Jill said...

now that i made it, i have to comment (in addition to my text to you) -- it was awesome! kate and i both loved it. i'm going to try to make it for chris too.

Chris said...

Mmm! Spicy chickpeas are one of my favorites. Dried out in the oven I can snack on them like popcorn.