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!
No one actually tags me for memes, but this one, which I saw on Chatiryworld looked fun, so what the heck. I wonder, is there an etiquette to these things? I mean, is it considered gauche to just respond to one even if no one actually tags you? Well, I've always been kinda nerdy, anyway.
1. What is your favorite word?
Vermicious (as in "vermicious knids").
2. What is your least favorite word?
Often (can't stand they way some people insist on pronouncing the "t")
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Tie between Scottish country dancing and singing part songs
4. What turns you off?
Smoking
5. What is your favorite curse word?
Scheisse (swearing in a foreign language seems somehow more harmless and yet more satisfying than doing so in English).
6. What sound or noise do you love?
The singing fountain in the Belvedere Garden in Prague. Drops of water fall into the bronze fountain and make a sound that is like soft bells. I also love the sound of church bells ringing.
7. What sound or noise do you hate?
The low hum that electronic devices emit and which I only notice when I am trying to sleep.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
If I could get good enough at one of the numerous other languages I've studied, a translator.
9. What profession would you not like to do?
Anything related to finance. Money is boring.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
"This is a test. It is only a test. If this had been your actual death . . ."
Gotta vent here. I've managed to stay quiet about what's been going on in South Dakota. I figure they'll get what they deserve when they can't fill jobs because no educated woman in her right mind will remain in or move to the state. I'll leave the South Daktotans to their foolishness. It's the folks down in Oklahoma who are raising my blood pressure today. Apparently their state house has passed a bill that "prohibits local funding authorities and library boards from funding their public libraries unless the libraries have 'place[d] all children and young adult materials that contain homosexual or sexually explicit subject matter in a special area [and limited] distribution . . . to adults only.' The bill also specifies that the state library must withhold funds from noncompliant public libraries." As the bill's sponsor, Rep. Sally Kern, apparently said in the March 16 Daily Oklahoman, “Our society is obsessed with sex.� Yep. It looks like you, Ms. Kern, are Exhibit A.