Blueberry Breakfast Quinoa

I have been having trouble keeping up with my blog over the last couple of weeks. My hope is that the current busy streak is over, and I can go back to devoting time to writing about things I love. I actually have a surplus of pictures of things I have cooked. I just have to come up with the words to accompany them.

This was a quick and delicious breakfast treat I made about two weeks ago. The original recipe came from the website 101 Cookbooks, however, I changed it around quite a bit to reflect what I had in my kitchen at the time. Quite frankly, the original recipe, should you have all the components, is probably better. However, mine was also quite satisfying!

1 cup hemp milk
1 cup water
1 cup quinoa
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons grade a or grade b maple syrup

Combine milk, water and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat; let stand covered 5 minutes. Stir in blueberries and cinnamon. Drizzle 1 teaspoon maple syrup over each serving.

Serves 4.

Palak Daal

Alright, so I lied when I said that I would always make the spinach and artichoke dip from my last post when I had spinach that was on its last good day. I took a stab at the Indian dish Palak Daal instead.

I didn't have the urad daal lentils that the recipe calls for, but I did have green lentils, so I substituted those. I am sure that detracted from the authenticity of the dish, but it turned out pretty delicious regardless, so I am content with the substitute.

1 cup white urid or urad daal, picked over and rinsed

6 cups water, plus more if necessary
1/2 pound spinach, washed and finely chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 medium green chile peppers, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons earth balance vegan butter
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon pure red chile powder
a pinch of asafetida, optional (I did not use)
more salt to taste
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

In a large pot over medium-high heat combine the daal and water. Bring to a boil, then add the spinach, ginger, turmeric, 3/4 of the green chiles, and all of the tomatoes. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the lentils are extremely soft. You may need to add a bit more water during the cooking process to keep the lentils soupy. After an hour and a half, stir in the salt.

In a separate pan, heat the butter and cumin and fry until the cumin seeds start to pop. Now add the red chile powder (and asafetida if you're using it) and fry for another 30 seconds. Taste and add more asafetida if you like. Add this butter mixture to the lentils and allow to cook for another five minutes. Taste, and season with more salt if needed. I also enjoyed a touch of lemon juice added at this point. Serve topped with the cilantro and the remaining green chiles.

Niki's notes: There was something lacking in the flavor department once this was finished cooking. This may have been a matter of personal taste. To remedy, I added about half a can of coconut milk and a fair amount of salt. This completely transformed the dish (in my opinion) and added a lot more depth to the flavor. Sometimes you have to experiment to find out what works best for your palette!

Serves 4-6 with rice or roti.

The original recipe came from: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/palak-daal-recipe.html

Spinach, Tomato, and Artichoke Pizza

I love pizza. It is so easy. So delicious. So balanced and healthy when done my way. This pizza is lacking in the protein department. I always just drink some hemp protein and water to round out my meal when I eat something a little more carb-focused like this. The great thing about gluten-free pizza crust is that it is actually nutritious. It is full of whole grains and fiber that keep you full much longer than white-flour based crusts. It is also a little lower in overall carbs than white flour pizza dough, which allows me to eat 3 little slices instead of 2. :-)

I usually make my own pizza crusts, but I actually found these gluten-free, soy-free, vegan pizza crusts at Whole Foods! I still like to make my own crusts, but this saved me an hour on a night when I really didn't feel like cooking but had to because I was running out of things I had prepared.
I cannot remember the brand name of the pizza crusts off the top of my head, so I will amend that later.

I used Muir Glen Fire Roasted crushed tomatoes for my sauce. I simply minced a small handful of fresh basil and tossed it in the saucepan with the crushed tomatoes. I added half a can of Muir Glen tomato paste, a little red wine, some sea salt and pepper, and a squeeze of agave nectar to balance out the acidity. I let it simmer for about 20 minutes.


Next, I spooned the sauce onto the pizza crusts and topped it with sliced tomatoes, artichokes, and whole spinach leaves. I sprayed very lightly with extra virgin olive oil so that my toppings wouldn't char in the oven (with this AMAZING aerosol-like spray can by Martha Stewart. You fill it with olive oil, pump it, and then you can spray it. So simple yet amazing!). Then I topped with a sprinkling of Raw-mesan cheese, and baked according to the package directions.

My boyfriend has an affinity for frozen pizzas, so to be able to bake one of these quickly is like a dream come true when he gets the jonesin'.

Quinoa Salad with Yellow Grape Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Basil and Mint.

This is a light, delicious, and refreshing quinoa salad. It's the perfect combination of flavors for a lakeside picnic on a warm, sunny afternoon! I also remember this salad being equally perfect during an indoor picnic, next to a roaring fireplace, on a similar "spring" afternoon. It was a little less than year ago, and our former plans were disrupted by an unwelcome snowfall...Ahh, memories!

1 clove of garlic, peeled
2 1/2 to 3 cups cooked quinoa (package directions)
A handful of sweet grape tomatoes- yellow is low acid, and delicious
1 carrot, grated
4 scallions, sliced (white and light green sections)
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, whole or pitted and chopped
1/3 cup slivered nuts- pecans, almonds or walnuts
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice of 1-2 lemons or limes, depending upon size

Rub the clove of raw garlic inside a glass or ceramic salad bowl. While the cooked quinoa is still a bit warm (but not steaming hot) scoop it into a bowl and fluff with a fork. Halve or quarter the yellow tomatoes and add them to the bowl. Add in the grated carrot, sliced scallions, Kalamata olives, and slivered nuts. Toss lightly to combine. Season with sea salt and ground pepper. Add the chopped fresh herbs. Drizzle the salad with extra virgin olive oil- enough to moisten. Toss to distribute. Squeeze a lemon or a lime all over the salad and toss. Taste test (this is the fun part). Adjust seasonings. Does it need more olive oil? Salt? More citrus? Is there a good balance of quinoa and add-ins? When the seasoning tastes right, cover and chill until serving (at least one hour, but longer is better). Before serving, taste again and adjust seasonings if you need to. Chilling summer salads dulls the flavors a bit. Serve as a side dish. Makes roughly 4 to 6 servings.

Recipe courtesy of Karina Allrich.

Asparagus Quinoa Risotto

Quinoa

1 1/2 cups quinoa
2 cups of water and 1 cup of low sodium vegetable broth
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt

Vegetables

1 tbs olive oil
2 medium leeks, chopped (both white and green parts)
2 lbs asparagus cut in 1/2 inch long pieces
1/2 tsp sea salt

Finishing

1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup low sodium vegetable broth
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Place quinoa in a medium sized saucepan with water, broth, oil, and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn to low heat and simmer until the water has absorbed (usually about 15 minutes).

Heat a pan over med-high heat and add 1 tbs olive oil. Add the leeks and cook about 5 minutes (I added just a splash of veggie broth for a little more flavor. This is totally optional). Add asparagus and cook until barely tender. Add the sea salt and cook for 1 more minute.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a little bowl, whisking until smooth. Add to the cooked vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Add the cooked vegetable mixture to the quinoa and mix.

This turned out awesome as is, but I was in the mood for something a little "cheesier". So, as a variation, I took a bowl and poured maybe a 1/3 cup of hemp milk and 2 tbs of nutritional yeast and whisked with a fork. I took a serving of the finished quinoa and mixed it into the bowl. That turned out awesome and really satisfied my craving. Plus, I added a ton of extra protein and B-Vitamins by doing that. Bonus!

I adapted this recipe from the cookbook "A Taste of Vitality."