Cranberry Curry Quinoa with Roasted Veggies

Adapted from: Peas & Crayons

Cauliflower, butternut squash, and dried cranberries flavored with curry and garlic combine to make a fall favorite and a great option for cooking quinoa. We recommend serving this as a side dish to complete a fall dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 butternut squash, cubed
• 1 head of cauliflower florets
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 lemon, zested
• Olive oil cooking spray
• salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Chop cauliflower and squash. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Coat veggies with olive oil spray, salt, and pepper. Roast veggies for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, rinse quinoa (unless pre-rinsed already) and boil in 2 cups of chicken broth for 15 minutes. Once quinoa has spiraled out and is nice and fluffy, add dried cranberries, garlic powder, curry powder, and lemon zest. Finally, stir in your roasted veggies.

Yield: 6-8 side servings

Hibachi-Style Quinoa

Adapted from Skinny Taste

I am amazed at all the things you can do with quinoa! It has great texture and it's so versatile. We have already used it for Italian, Mexican, and seafood dishes, but tonight we cooked it with an Asian twist. This recipe is a lot like the fried rice you might get at a Chinese or Japanese restaurant with lots of flavor and veggies. Next time we hope to find the fish sauce that it calls for, and we might even add shrimp to boost it up a bit.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cooked quinoa
• 8 scallions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 red peppers, diced small
• 1 tomato, diced small
• 4 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp fish sauce (Food Lion didn't have this so we used 1 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp lime juice, 1/2 tsp chicken broth)
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• cooking spray
• 3 egg whites, scrambled
• 1 whole egg, scrambled
• salt, to taste

Directions:

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Scramble the eggs on medium heat. Add salt and cook for 2-3 minutes or until done. Set aside.

Add the vegetable oil to the same skillet followed by the scallions, peppers, and garlic. Saute on medium heat for about 3 minutes, then add the tomato and stir in all the quinoa. Add soy sauce and fish sauce (or substitute) and stir to mix all the ingredients. Continue stirring a few minutes, then add cooked scrambled eggs. At this point you may need to add more soy sauce, to taste, and then mix well for another 30 seconds.

Yield: 4 servings

Tomatoes, Broccoli, and Chickpea Pasta

Adapted from Cheap, Healthy, Good

We've been planning this meal for a couple of weeks, and with the weekend we finally got a chance to cook it. But even tonight there was a little delay. Late this afternoon there was a tornado watch for our county, so we flipped on the news to watch the forecast for the incoming storm. When the weatherman said the tornado was headed to hit west Greenville on its course through eastern NC, we darted to the clubhouse and took shelter in the gym bathroom with 4 other friends, a neighbor, and his 2 dogs. After waiting it out there until the coast was clear, it was already late into the night, but we were so ready for this meal! It's a simple recipe and made for a great dinner, especially accompanied by breathtaking heat lightning and a full moon.

Ingredients:

• 1 14.5 oz. can chickpeas, drained
• 1 1/2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1 12-oz. bag steamable broccoli
• 2 1/2 cups pasta shells
• 1/2 small yellow onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
• Ground black pepper
• Grated parmesan, optional

Directions:

Fill a medium-size bowl with cold water and a few ice cubes. Microwave a steamable bag of broccoli for about one minute under the recommended time, then drop broccoli into bowl of ice water. After a few minutes, drain and set broccoli aside.

In a small bowl, stir chickpeas with 1/2 tbsp. olive oil. Set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, for 6-7 minutes. Add garlic and chickpeas and cook until heated, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and broccoli. Salt and pepper to taste. Once warm, add pasta to the skillet and mix well. Once heated through, serve and enjoy! Sprinkle parmesan on top if desired.

Yield: 4 servings

View from our deck as we watched the far away storm:

Black Bean and Corn Quinoa

Adapted from BigOven.

So far the only dish we've cooked using quinoa was Greek-inspired. Thanks to my Aunt Jane for sharing this recipe with me, we have now cooked another successful meal using quinoa - this time southwestern-themed with black beans, corn, and cilantro. This is a quick meal that could easily be enjoyed with chips and salsa, or made into a side dish with tacos or quesadillas.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic; saute until lightly browned.

Pour quinoa into the saucepan and cover with broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to medium heat. Simmer 20 minutes.

Stir in the frozen corn and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Yield: 4 servings

Chana Masala

Adapted from Cooking Light.

In Chapel Hill there is a wonderful woman from Bombay named Vimala who used to host weekly community dinners out of her home. I only had the opportunity to go a couple of times during my senior year there, but it was enough for me to fall in love with her Indian cooking. She has since opened up her own restaurant called Curryblossom Cafe on Franklin St. where I am dying to go to soon! This recipe is a fairly simple adaptation to a traditional Indian dish that filled up our kitchen with exotic aromas. We served ours over brown rice with plain Greek yogurt on the side.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 2 tsps. olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 tbsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper (less or more depending on desired spiciness)
• 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 tbsps. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/8 tsp. garam masala

Directions:

Pour chickpeas into a large saucepan. Cover with water to 2 inches above chickpeas. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, ginger, and garlic to pan. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in salt, cumin, and pepper. Cook for another minute. Pour in chickpeas, broth, and tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes or until almost all of the liquid is evaporated. Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro and garam masala.

Pasta Primavera

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens.

Pasta primavera is a pasta dish that focuses as much on the vegetables as it does the pasta. The carrots and zucchini were our favorite part of this meal, and the almonds add a nice crunch. We're bookmarking this recipe to replicate in the spring when we'll be able to use more fresh ingredients from our local farmer's market, but even with the veggies from the store it turned out to be a great meal!

Ingredients:

• 1¾ cups bow-tie pasta (or pasta of choice)
• 8 oz. baby carrots, chopped
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 8 oz. green beans
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ¾ cup chicken broth
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced ¼-inch thick
• 1 tsp. dried basil (or 2 tbsp. fresh, chopped)
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ cup sliced almonds
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• Parmesan cheese, to taste (optional)

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Stir in carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Add green beans, onion, chicken broth, and garlic. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in zucchini. Continue simmering for 5 minutes or until vegetables and tender and crisp, stirring occasionally.

Combine pasta with veggies, basil, and salt and toss. Sprinkle almonds, parmesan, and pepper over the pasta.

Yield: 4 servings

Grilled Veggies with Goat Cheese and Balsamic on Ciabatta

A few weeks ago my "Aunt" Mitzi had me over for dinner. This meal is inspired by her healthy and delicious vegetarian dinner. This is a great dish for vegetarians, but also a nice change from typical meat centered meals.

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of ciabatta bread 1 in. thick
• 2 oz. goat cheese
• 1 tomato, thickly sliced
• 1/2 zucchini, sliced
• 1/2 bell pepper, cut into thick strips
• 4 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Cook veggies on grill (we used a George Forman) for 10 minutes or until veggies are soft and tender. While veggies are cooking, spread goat cheese on the ciabatta bread. Once veggies are cooked layer them on the bread and pour 1 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar on top of each piece.

We also prepared a spinach salad with pear, blueberries, and slivered almonds to go along with the meal and used another 2 tbsp. of the balsamic vinegar as dressing.

Yield: 2 servings

Here's a wonderful blessing we were able to enjoy while cooking dinner!