Semblance of a Whole

Quinoa Obsession

I have developed an obsession with quinoa, a mild-tasting, grain-like food (technically it's a seed) which also happens to be incredibly good for you. I discovered it a few years ago in one of my vegetarian cookbooks. Basic preparation is really easy -- similar to rice. Put one part quinoa and two parts water in a pot, cover, and simmer until the water is absorbed. I often use vegetable stock instead of plain water to add more flavor. It works particularly well as a substitute in many recipes that call for couscous.

Passover is just around the corner, and another thing that quinoa has going for it is that, since it is not a true grain, you can eat it during the holiday. Score!!

One of my favorite things to do with quinoa is to mix it with feta cheese. Here are a couple recipes I've developed using this yummy combination. Amounts of ingredients are not critical, so they estimated or a little vague at times:

1) Greek-Style Veggies with Quinoa Pilaf

Veggies:
1 T. olive oil
5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
about 4 c. of broccoli, cut into flowerets
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 can cannellini beans, drained
about 1 t. thyme
about 1 t. oregano
juice of half a lemon

Quinoa:
1 c. quinoa, rinsed
2 c. water or stock
3-4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
Some chopped parsley.

Simmer quinoa in water or stock, covered, until all liquid is absorbed (around 20 min.).

Meanwhile, saute garlic in olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add the broccoli and cook until almost tender (sometimes I add a couple of teaspoons of water and cover to help this process along). Add the artichoke hearts, beans, and herbs. Cook until all is tender. Mix in lemon juice. Salt to taste.

Mix the crumbled feta cheese and chopped parsley n with the quinoa.

Serve vegetables over the quinoa. Yummy!

2) Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers
(this one is inspired by a recipe from Quick Vegetarian Pleasures which originally called for couscous.)

1 c. quinoa, rinsed
2 c. water or stock
3-4 cloves of garlic
2 T. olive oil
3-4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 c. or so of baby peas (frozen work fine)
Some chopped parsley or chives
4-5 bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise and cored (I much prefer red, yellow, or orange, rather than green)
olive oil for brushing on peppers

Preheat the oven to around 375 deg. F

Simmer quinoa in water or stock, covered, until all liquid is absorbed (around 20 min.).

Meanwhile, brush olive oil on the outside of peppers and set aside. Heat 2 T. of olive oil and saute garlic until golden. Mix garlic and olive oil with quinoa and and feta cheese, peas, and parsley/chives. Divide the quinoa mixture among the pepper halves and fill them, mounding the quinoa up above the edge of the pepper half.
Bake around 30 minutes. You might want to cover the baking dish for the first 20 minutes or so if you like the peppers to soften more.

The basic quinoa-feta cheese mixture from the first recipe is good enough to eat straight, in my opinion It also works as a filling for omelets (maybe with some chopped tomato or sauted bell pepper mixed in).

That is my quinoa wisdom for today. Bon appetit!

Posted by ldfs at March 30, 2006 2:38 PM | TrackBack