quinoa

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Things are very busy around this household, and to cut back on prep time everyday, I have been trying to make extra large dinners that will last for at least two or three lunches. Plus we’re both trying to get a little more fit, so the focus has been on healthy, generally vegetarian meals with lots of protein.

Sunday night I pulled together a bunch of random ingredients to make a delicious quinoa dish with crumbled tofu and peanut sauce.

lime and ginger

This dish was super simple and ended up being delicious. Here’s the scoop:

Ingredients

3 cups quinoa, cooked according to package instructions

1 package extra firm tofu, thoroughly drained and crumbled into small pieces

1 cup natural peanut butter

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 medium purple cabbage, chopped finely

8 large carrots, chopped finely

1 tsp red curry paste

4 tsp grated ginger

juice of one lime

peanut butter

carrots and cabbage

While the quinoa cooked, I prepared the vegetables, chopping them to tiny bits together in my Cuisinart.

image

Once the carrots and cabbage were ready, I mixed them and the tofu in with the quinoa. I thinned out the peanut butter by adding some warm water and poured that in as well.  I then added the coconut milk.

Once all of the vegetables, quinoa, tofu, and peanut butter were mixed, I added in the curry paste and ginger, stirred some more, and let it simmer until heated all the way through. Right before serving, I added a squeeze of lime to each bowl.

peanut tofu quinoa

This no-fuss meal was a perfect dinner and an even better lunch with a little extra coconut milk and some leftover sweet potato added to it. The quinoa and tofu gave it a hefty protein kick, and the veggies added some extra nutrients.

It was definitely not a fancy meal, but the flavors and the little prep worked involved made it a new favorite. We’ve been making chilis, curries, and other big batches of food to get us through the week.

What are some of your favorites?

Tags: dinner, Lunch, quinoa, recipe, tofu, vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian

Spotted: the elusive vegetable in my lately-lackluster diet. You know when you are sick, and you either lose your appetite or just want to eat junk? I was the junk eater over the past couple of weeks during my endless coughing, sinus pain, and fatigue. I ate plenty of lime tortilla chips and even ordered Domino’s cheesy bread a-la-Freshman year in college one night. It was gooooood.

This week, as we look forward to warmer weather, a trip to California, and some rest, I am finally craving vegetables again. I never thought that would happen. I decided to whip up a cold quinoa and veggie salad for healthy and quick lunches.

 

quinoa

I started by cooking up a few cups of quinoa. I don’t really follow any directions, just throw some quinoa in, cover it ever-so-slightly in water, and boil it until the water is absorbed. This time around, when the quinoa started to look done, I added about 1/2 cup of rice wine vinegar and let it cook a little more. Instant flavor!

While the quinoa was doing its thing, I tossed two jalapenos and a piece of ginger root into my mini chopper, creating a finely minced, very fragrant blend.

jalapeno and ginger

And I roughly chopped heaps of red cabbage. I used my vegetable scissors and just chopped away until the cabbage pieces were to my liking. I worried I had too much cabbage compared to quinoa, but it ended up being perfect.

red cabbage

To make the salad, I simply poured the hot quinoa over the cabbage, stirred in the jalapeno and ginger, and I was done. Isn’t it pretty?

quinoa salad

I loved all of the spice that the ginger and jalapeno brought to this, the crunch from the cabbage, and the tang from the vinegar. It’s the perfect on-the-go salad because there’s no mayo or other dairy to spoil. I ate my first bowl warm and went back for another cold bowl later, both really nice.

This salad would be great with all sorts of veggies and toppings like carrots, olives, and lemon juice. Even though it’s really simple, I am kind of excited to have found something I like so much that is also really easy and healthy. Maybe I can actually avoid being sick for awhile.

Are you craving crunchy veggies, or are you still on a wintry comfort food streak?

Tags: Food, quinoa, recipe, vegan

Just when I think I have exhausted ideas for healthy, delicious meals, Pinterest shows me something new. Thank goodness for Pinterest! (Are you annoyed by my Pinterest love yet?)

I love browsing through Pinterest food pics, seeing something that looks yummy, and then following through to the website the image originates from. That’s how I got the inspiration for the parmesan truffle quinoa muffins I made for dinner one super exhausted evening last week.

The ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa

3/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons truffle oil

parmesan cheese

quinoa

black truffle oil

Making this dish is super easy; just mix up all of the ingredients.

carrots and cilantro

Heat the oven to 350, and fill a lightly oiled muffin tin with scoops of the quinoa mixture. I made six large muffins; you could easily also make minis.

quinoa muffin

quinoa muffins

I cooked the muffins for about 20 minutes at 350. The tops got browned and crunchy, while the middles stayed warm and soft with a bit of gooey-ness from the cheese. The scent of truffle oil permeated the entire room; the salty, nutty parm complimented them perfectly.

I served these with some spicy homemade marinara sauce, but they would have been great alone. I didn’t expect them to be great, but they were absolutely delicious.

This meal was served up with a Pie de Palo Viognier from Mendoza, Argentina. Viognier has passed all other grapes to become my favorite white. This wine is fresh, with citrus and pineapple notes, a lovely, rich mouth feel, and a balanced acidity that made it a great dinner wine. I wish I had purchased more; it was only $11 at Bin Ends!

Viognier

Long runs, especially when they feel awful, call for a great glass of wine and a hearty meal. This certainly did the trick.

Have you come across any surprising recipes lately?

Tags: healthy, quinoa, recipe, Vegetarian, Viognier, wine

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