Fresh Tart

Consider quinoa, an example of yet another delicious, nutritious (gluten-free to boot) food that I love and that my family won't touch.  I make it anyhow (I'll post an easy pilaf recipe as soon as I pay attention to how I do it) and happily compose beautiful, satisfying lunch salads from the leftovers.  Quinoa is good that way - its nutty flavor goes with just about anything.  Improvise away (fun!) with raw or cooked vegetables, vinaigrettes of any flavor, your favorite herbs, toasted nuts, cheeses, olives, dried or fresh fruits.  On and on.  For inspiration, check out this link to the lovely, innovative 101 Cookbooks blog, she (Heidi) has a whole category of fabulous-looking quinoa recipes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today, hungry for something a little sweet and a lotta healthy for breakfast, I decided to experiment with a warm quinoa cereal.  Good move, my friends, good move, because it was the best breakfast I've had in...I don't know...forever.  Better than biscuits, eggs, pancakes, or cinnamon rolls.  Well, not really, but better today, because this is exactly what I was hungry for today, this warm, nutty, sweet, creamy quinoa.

Here's where I should point out that at least half the reason for the deliciousness was beyond the quinoa.  You see, this craving really began with the leftover roasted hazelnuts I had sitting around.  (Have you seen the inside of my fridge?  That sentence would sound far less ridiculous if you had.  You'd realize I have leftover everything sitting around, the source of my inspiration.)

I knew I could make oatmeal with hazelnuts - not bad, clearly.  But then quinoa popped into my head, oh yes, that would be perfect with hazelnuts.  And to gild the lily, I added hazelnut oil as well (see fridge) and oh my - this was seriously good.  Dried cherries and just a bit of brown sugar or honey to finish pushed it over the top.  (I also ate mine with a splash of milk, but you wouldn't need to - quinoa quite nicely doesn't become sticky when cooked.)  I checked 101 Cookbooks for technique (she cooks beautifully with all manner of whole grains) and voila, she had a recipe - Warm & Nutty Cinnamon Quinoa.  This version ended up a take on hers.

Given my improvisation rave above, feel free to use almond oil/almonds, walnut oil/walnuts, add citrus zest, substitute raisins, grate in some apple.  On and on.

Hazelnut Quinoa Cereal with Dried Cherries

Adapted from www.101cookbooks.com

Serves 4

1 c. quinoa

1 c. water + 1 c. milk (substitute almond or soy milk if you like)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

dash of salt

1 Tbsp. hazelnut oil

1/2 c. dried cherries

1/2 c. toasted hazelnuts, chopped

1/4 c. brown sugar or honey

Rinse quinoa in a strainer under running water.  Put quinoa in a medium saucepan, add water, milk, cinnamon, and salt, and bring to a boil.  Turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in hazelnut oil, dried cherries, and brown sugar or honey, and continue to simmer, until liquid is absorbed, another 5-10 minutes.  Serve hot with toasted hazelnuts, additional brown sugar or honey, and/or milk, if you like.

Check out this antioxidant-packed lunch. I felt so virtuous eating it - not to mention, it was delicious! Quinoa (red) with sauteed swiss chard. Mmm... I've been experimenting with different whole grains, especially those that are high in protein and with a big antioxidant punch to boot. For breakfast I had rolled rye - very similar to rolled oats, quick to cook, I just ate it with a drizzle of honey. And for lunch, this red quinoa.

From World's Healthiest Foods:

A recently rediscovered ancient "grain" native to Central America, quinoa was once called "the gold of the Incas," who recognized its value in increasing the stamina of their warriors. Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. Not only is quinoa's amino acid profile well balanced, making it a good choice for vegans concerned about adequate protein intake, but quinoa is especially well-endowed with the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair. In addition to protein, quinoa features a host of other health-building nutrients. Because quinoa is a very good source of manganese as well as a good source of magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorous, this "grain" may be especially valuable for persons with migraine headaches, diabetes and atherosclerosis.

It's so easy to prepare (similar to rice) and of course, yummy - or why bother, right? I left some plain to eat with honey for breakfast tomorrow, and stirred chopped scallion, radish, red onion, carrot, and garlic into the other half for my lunch today.

And of course swiss-chard, always delicious and nutritious. Trim away the large middle stem/rib, chop the greens, and "saute" in a small amount of water until tender. Right before it's done I stir in minced onion and garlic, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and salt, and a small drizzle each of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Perf.

How gorgeous are these flowers? I love receiving flowers - definitely a sensual pleasure. Plus, just damn fun! These arrived today, via Roger Beck florist, from my in-laws, Dot and John. Occasion? Our four-year anniversary tomorrow. We're celebrating tonight with the kids, a sure-to-be lovely dinner at D'Amico Cucina, where we all celebrated our first anniversary, making it sort of "our spot." We think of it as our family's anniversary, because our marriage brought together not just John and me, but Nathan and A as well.

It should be spelled Bore-at, not Borat. Yawnsville! Why the hell all the buzz on this movie? I found it neither offensive nor funny, just long, boring, and really rather sad. I'm (clearly) no prude and am in fact a big fan of the butt-fart-poop joke genre as well as truly stupid, crude, slapstick humor (Old School?Austin Powers? Even Jackass had its sick moments...). However, I've never been a fan of acts that trick unsuspecting people into looking like complete asses, so I guess Borat and I weren't meant for each other (another big clue, that I clearly should have heeded: I can't stand the Da Ali G show). I fought sleep the whole time and felt a bit depressed when we left. Weird.

Well, on to something much more fascinating...brace yourselves!...quinoa. Ooooh! And again. I know, I've already written about it, but I made up a couple of recipes and got a cool one from reader Donna, for quinoa bars, so here I am again. I had cooked up another - big - batch of plain quinoa, and after eating it for breakfast for a couple of days I decided to innovate with it a bit. First up, quinoa pancakes. As you can tell from reading here, I cook mostly with fresh food, but once in awhile a good mix does come in handy, such as Krusteaz Wheat & Honey Pancake Mix. I loved this stuff in college, since you only have to add water. It makes soft, fluffy, whole-grain pancakes and best of all, you can mess around like crazy with the ingredients. I've been addding nuts, fruit, wheat germ, flax seeds, yogurt, juice - whatever I have on hand or am in the mood for - to these for years. And today, yes, I added cooked quinoa. Since all you add is water, I just put two cups of Krusteaz mix in a bowl, with a bunch (2 cups?) of cooked quinoa, and added enough water to make a thick batter. I cooked the cakes one at a time in a small, non-stick skillet, cooled them on racks, and froze them between sheets of parchment paper (to keep them from freezing together). Voila, instant breakfast! One pancake is one serving - microwaved until warm, topped with a little cottage cheese and sweetened berries, mmmm, a perfect winter's breakfast. (Delicious with maple syrup as well, by the way! And same technique works for other leftover cooked grains - amaranth made yummy pancakes.)

The other recipe I'm experimenting with is quinoa banana bread. I adapted a pretty standard recipe - and by adapted I mean seriously messed with, so we'll see how it turns out. Luckily quick breads are pretty forgiving. It's just out of the oven, smelling quite fabulous, I must say. Update: tastes quite fabulous as well, John agrees. Sweet, dense, crunchy (with nuts), definitely whole-grain looking and tasting, yet moist. (Recipes posted in comments, below.)

Little bonus with John's bro Tom coming to stay with us tonight. He's in town on business, and therefore busy for din, but able to pull off sleeping here (and perhaps a little ice cream eating?) so we can see him at least a bit before he flies back to NYC at some ungodly hour tomorrow morning.

Today I cooked whole grain, protein-and-anti-oxidant-packed amaranth (I'm still on my new whole grains kick). Delicious! I had a bit drizzled with a little maple syrup as something sweet after lunch. Somewhat similar to quinoa in appearance and texture, I really like it, rarrr. Would make a nice tabbouleh-esque salad as well as a delicious warm cereal for breakfast, with dried fruit, nuts, and honey. I also baked yet another acorn squash (I can't help myself, I love it, sprinkled with cinnamon and roasted cut side down for an hour), and steamed an artichoke to have later this week - but instead had it for dinner tonight, oh well. Lurve artichokes. I've been cooking and then chilling vegies and whole grains ahead so I can pull together quick, healthy- tasty! - lunches and dinners for myself, but sometimes, you gotta eat it while the eatin's good, baby!

And Happy (Late) Birthday Cami Sue! You young 'un, no fair...

"I don't feel tardy!" That's a line from the Van Halen classic, Hot for Teacher, which I confess I listened to three (!) times in a row this morning on my walk, cracking up the entire time. Totally bawdy and ridiculous, and yet so infectious, I think I laughed for the entire 10 minutes. (Clearly that laughing did not put color in my cheeks, my goodness what a pallor...get that girl some blush!)

Actually, I do feel tardy, I know I'm way late in posting. I was away over the weekend, Nathan and I drove out to just north of Kerkhoven, MN, to visit my aunt Mary and uncle Bruce (aka Brucyn, Brucie, Bruce B Broccoli) on their lovely farm. Nathan had a blast taking pics and riding in the combine with my cousin Michael, who is helping his dad harvest corn and soybeans. And of course Nathan played and played with dogs Shep and Cody - Nathan and dogs, yet again. He was in heaven. (Plus, he took all of these amazing pics!)

I also had a blast, getting lots of time to hang and chat with Mary and Bruce in their cozy kitchen, as well as eat delicious food - lovely wine, beef stroganoff, tortellini soup, lots of coffee, pancakes with warm apples... YUM! My uncle Jim and aunt Marge came over for dinner Saturday night, it was great to see them too. Sunday morning Mary and I got a brisk walk - I love walking out there, no one else around, golden sunshine, rolling fields. I really feel away from the city, sleeping in their completely charming 100+ year old house, in my favorite yellow bedroom, in a bed loaded with soft pillows and warm quilts. I love the creaky stairs, and all the pictures of my grandma and grandpa, and Mary's incredible antique furniture and dishes, some of which belonged to Bruce's grandparents. They have lovingly and beautifullly restored - and added on to - the house that Bruce grew up in, it's very cool to be in a home with history.

By Sunday night Nathan and I were back home, back to homework and laundry and all the real stuff. Which is good too!

Tonight I'm making chicken paillards for dinner, with a big pan of sauteed mushrooms, and roasted acorn squash. (And rice for everyone else, ha!)

I've been having lots of fun cooking different grains, as I wrote about last week. The quinoa and rolled rye, and also millet and buckwheat. All delicious. I tend to make them for breakfast, with a bit of honey and chopped nuts stirred in. Mmmm... I also bought a fabulous pumpkin butter at Whole Foods - at 25 cals per tablespoon, it totally relieves the little craving I've been having for pumpkin pie (one of my absolute, all-time favorite desserts - in a good crust, preferably prepared by my aunt Marge, heavenly). I've been spreading it on Honeycrisp apple slices for a sweet - and healthy! - treat.

Eating intact grains - as Summer Tomato refers to them - is not the same as eating foods labeled as "whole grain."  Intact grains are just that, not ground into flour or broken into pieces.  Filling and nutritious, intact grains are a whole food, as well as a healthy, busy cook's best friend.  Cook them - and legumes like navy, chickpea, black, or pinto beans while you're at it - in big batches and use throughout the week.

For a delicious, filling break from oatmeal, warm cooked quinoa on the stove or in the microwave with milk, cinnamon, honey, and chopped walnuts (or try this version of hazelnut quinoa with dried cherries, one of my favorite day starters).  Make a quick salad for lunch or dinner with greens topped with warmed chickpeas and farro, toasted nuts, avocado, and a simple lemon/olive oil dressing - scrumptious, fast, and satisfying.  For more ideas, see Summer Tomato's tips on How to Eat Healthy When You Have No Time.

Or, make "risotto" with a grain other than rice.  Barley makes a fabulous risotto-style dish, as does farro.  In the version below, I stir pea shoot leaves and grated Parmesan cheese into warm, chewy farro, fragrant with onions, garlic, and a splash of wine.  Perfect on its own, or served alongside grilled chicken or salmon, it's bursting with flavor and texture yet ready in about 30 minutes.

Farro "Risotto" with Parmesan & Pea Shoots
Serves 4 as main course, 6 as a side dish

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. farro, rinsed and drained
1/4 c. dry white wine
2 1/2 c. chicken or vegetable broth
salt
2 c. pea shoot leaves (or spinach leaves, shelled peas, fava beans, chopped asparagus...vary as you like)
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic to the pan, sprinkle with a little salt, and saute until onion is translucent, 10 minutes.

Add farro and cook for 5 minutes.  Stir in wine and cook until wine is absorbed, about 5 minutes.  Stir in broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer on lowest heat for 20 minutes.  Liquid should be absorbed and farro should be tender/chewy.  If liquid is not absorbed, cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

When farro is done, stir in Parmesan, pea shoot leaves, and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Serve with additional Parmesan & black pepper if you like.  Leftovers are good at room temperature, served atop a green salad.