quinoa fritters

these are amazing. so amazing that i want to eat them every day. and easy enough that i probably could. if you watch top chef masters you might recognize these as half of mary sue's winning dish from the fast food challenge a couple of weeks ago. after watching eight? ten? seasons of top chef this is the first time i've ever made one of the recipes. sure, i've seen things on the show that i've thought about making before but then i go look at the recipe and it's too many steps/too many funky ingredients/too not do at home-y (i'm looking at you hector's tofu ceviche). but this was different! so simple there was no excuse not to make them.

i changed the recipe a bit to make it vegan and they turned out so well i have a hard time believing that the original version is any better. seriously. the first thing that makes these awesome is a little step that i alway mean to do when making quinoa but always forget...toasting it! yep, toss the quinoa around in a dry pan over high heat for a few minutes until it smells toasty and then cook as usual, it brings out a fantastic nuttiness in the quinoa that you don't want to miss out on.

the second thing that makes these awesome is that, despite being fried they are not greasy at all. we all know about quinoa's super health properties but i'm wondering if it also has an oil repelling quality because seriously, it's like they soaked up none of the cooking oil.

and the third thing that makes these awesome is crunchy on the outside soft and moist on the inside. perfection.

mary sue served hers with some kind of mayo something or other, i made a batch of aleppo aioli to accompany mine. mary sue served these as a side with quesadilla's, i went with the yuca tortillas from veganomicon. i did not want this dinner to end.

quinoa fritters
ingredients:
2/3 cup quinoa
1 1/3 cups water
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
black pepper, to taste
4 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 bunch italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water
spoonful of tahini
oil for frying

place a dry pan over high heat. add quinoa and toast for about 5 minutes, shaking and stirring constantly to prevent scorching. transfer to a pot and add water. bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, until water is absorbed, about 10 minutes. set aside to cool.in a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa, flour, nutritional yeast, and salt. add onions, parsley, tahini and cornstarch mixture. stir thoroughly with a spoon until the mixture holds together.

heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. form the quinoa mixture into fritters and add to the oil. fry until the bottoms are golden and brown. turn and fry the second side until golden. drain on paper towels and serve warm.

-d

breakfast quinoa

kris and i have bagels for breakfast every weekend and it's a little routine that i love. but this weekend kris is in boston and since i know he'll be coming back with the good stuff i decided to take a saturday off from bagels to try out something that's been on my list...breakfast quinoa! just like oatmeal you can dress this up to your tastes but here's what i did.

breakfast quinoa
ingredients:
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup water
blueberries
toasted almonds
cinnamon
maple syrup

first toast the quinoa in a dry pan for a few minutes, this gives it a nice toasty, nutty flavor. cook the quinoa in the water and milk covered at a low simmer* for about 15 minutes or until the quinoa is tender and most of the milk is absorbed. remove from heat and add blueberries, syrup, cinnamon and almonds and a splash more milk if desired. eat it!

theoretically this should serve two but since i'm here all by my lonesome i ate it all. this made for a very filling breakfast and i did not really get hungry again until dinner time. that was no fun...i like lunch!

so the verdict? while this is yummy and a nice way to switch things up i went ahead and got bagel fixin's for sunday morning. what can i say? i'm a creature of habit i suppose.

-d

coconut quinoa

alright vegan fire and spice, time to give you another try. this time we decided to try out the indonesian coconut rice for an easy weeknight dinner, but we made it coconut quinoa instead cause we weren't feeling rice-y. this dish was bursting with flavor i certainly can't fault it there. it had garlic, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, pepper flakes, mustard powder, cloves...phew! so yes. flavorful indeed. and they recommend serving it with vegetables so we mixed in some zucchini and mushrooms. in the end this was a pretty good dish but my gripe is that the whole time i was eating it i just kept thinking that the coconut should have been toasted before adding it into the mix. it's just one tiny step and i think it really would have stepped the whole thing up a notch with a deeper, toastier flavor as well as a little crunch. the suggested peanut garnish probably would have been a good move too...it just felt like something was missing.

we're now half way through the month and i've only made two recipes from the book...yikes! time to step it up and find something awesome in here.

baked quinoa

i stole the idea of baked quinoa from kate. i had never thought of cooking it this way before and after talking about it with her i was excited to give it a try. i used kate's method as a general guideline and then started winging it and i think it turned out quite well! however mine took twice as long to cook as hers did (an hour rather than 30 minutes) so, while it was tasty, i couldn't help thinking that i could have made this normal quinoa-bowl style in a third of the time. still! a fun experiment and a great solution if you're in the mood to just throw a bunch of stuff together and forget about it for awhile while you go about your business.


for vegetables i used red onion, scallions and rainbow chard and then bulked it up with maple-mustard marinated tempeh and sprinkled almonds on top for crunch. the flavor was good but i felt that it was missing something. kris suggested that indian spices might be a nice addition and i completely agree so that might be a fun avenue to explore.

baked quinoa
ingredients
for tempeh marinade:
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
quinoa ingredients:
8 ounces tempeh, cubed
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 bunch rainbow chard, finely chopped
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste

preheat your oven to 350. mix together the marinade ingredients in a baking dish (i used a 1.5 quart oval dish) and let tempeh marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

heat a splash of oil in a pan and saute the onion and scallions until softened, add the chard and cook until just wilted. add the broth to the pan and when it boils add the quinoa a stir. season with salt and pepper. pour into the baking dish with the tempeh and marinade and mix to combine. cover with foil and cook for about an hour or until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is soft. sprinkle toasted almonds on top and serve!

-d

quinoa risotto with mushrooms and thyme

i enjoy risotto but i never make it at home anymore because i just get too impatient. stirring and stirring and stirring.....no thanks, i'll just make something else. this recipe in bon appetit intrigued me because you get a risotto-like result with way less work. i also like that it is made with quinoa instead of rice because, as i'm sure we all know by now, quinoa is a "super grain" (even though it's not a grain) packed with protein and essential amino acids, and thus makes this dish much healthier than a traditional risotto. this version is full of mushrooms, flavorful and creamy and i would definitely make it again but i look forward to experimenting with different ingredients and flavors as the seasons change. so if you're lazy and wanting some risotto, this is for you!

quinoa risotto with mushrooms and thyme
(from bon appetit, january 2010)
ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 garlic clove, pressed
8 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced
6 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced
3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
1 cup dry white wine

bring 2 cups salted water to boil in medium saucepan. add quinoa, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender and water is absorbed, about 13 minutes.

meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. add onion and sauté until onion begins to brown, 5 minutes. add garlic; stir 30 seconds. add mushrooms and thyme. saute until mushrooms are tender, 6 minutes. add wine; stir until wine is reduced and liquid is syrupy, 2 minutes.

mix quinoa into mushroom mixture; season with salt and pepper.

-d

quinoa with grilled zucchini and garbanzo beans

Here is another take on quinoa salad. I really liked this, but it made A LOT of quinoa. So if you are making it for two, I would make half the recipe. You will have plenty for dinner and leftovers. Also, do not forget to add the lemon juice. It brings a nice bright contrast to the headiness of the spices.

Quinoa with Grilled Zucchini and Garbanzo Beans
from Bon Appetit, August 2008

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric, divided
1 teaspoon smoked paprika,* divided
2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds medium zucchini (about 5), trimmed, quartered lengthwise
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Combine garbanzo beans and lemon juice in large bowl. Add 3 tablespoons oil; press in garlic and stir to combine. Let marinate at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 2 cups water, quinoa, and coarse salt; bring to simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until all water is absorbed, about 16 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare barbecue (medium high heat). Place zucchini on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Toss to coat evenly.

Place zucchini on grill; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Grill until tender and browned on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to work surface. Cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Add zucchini, green onions, and parsley, then garbanzo bean mixture to quinoa. Toss to blend. Season with salt and pepper.

Can be made two hours ahead; let stand at room temperature.

*Sometimes labeled Pimentón Dulce or Pimentón de La Vera Dulce.

- e

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