Thursday, April 12, 2012

Quinoa 2 Ways

I LOVE quinoa. I had the most amazing quinoa salad when I was in Israel last summer, and have been quite obsessed ever since.

If I remember correctly, it was: carrots, celery, parsley, walnuts, dried cranberries, and lemon. The lemon and fresh parsley made it soo fresh tasting, and in combination with the crunchy celery and walnuts, chewy, tangy, and sweet cranberries, ugh, it was to die for. 

I made 2 quinoa salads today, one of which was similar to this, but frutier, and summery-er. 




Fruity Summer Quinoa Salad

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon lemon juice- maybe more to taste
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
handful of dried cranberries
handful of dried apricots, chopped
handful of walnuts, chopped
1 avocado, diced 
salt & pepper to taste 



Cook quinoa according to directions on the package. Usually 1 cup of quinoa calls for 2 cups of water, so in this case I used one cup. Once it's finished cooking- you'll know because the grains turn kind of translucent and they begin to split apart- let it sit to cool. Once cooled, transfer to a mixing bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour. Then add the rest of the ingredients and viola! A summery and healthy treat :) 







Quinoa Salad with Roasted Cherry and Sundried Tomatoes, Sauteed Mushrooms, and Garlic 

*Disclaimer: there are no cherries in this dish, just roasted cherry tomatoes

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained 
handful of cherry tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon olive oil 
handful of mushrooms, sliced
1/3 of a square of tofu
1 tablespoon minced garlic 
pinch of minced onion 
handful of sun dried tomatoes
salt, pepper, and red pepper flake to taste


(don't you just loove the Manishewitz in the background? It's soo Jewey of me) 

As described above, cook quinoa according to the directions on the package and let sit out. I think this salad could be served hot or cold, so if you prefer cold, chill it in the fridge. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take a handful of cherry tomatoes and place them on a tin foil lined cookie sheet. Toss with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Roast for approximately 15-20 minutes. This is what they'll look like when they're done. 



While the tomatoes are cooking, spray a small skillet with cooking spray. Once hot, add the slice of tofu and sear. I usually cube the tofu before cooking it, but this time I cooked the whole piece like a steak. 


It was SO much easier, although it didn't slice as nicely once cooked. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove from pan and set aside. 



Once the pan has cooled a bit, add a tablespoon of olive oil, minced garlic, onion, and mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are soft.


At the very end, add a handful of sundried tomatoes and toss. 
If serving the quinoa hot, add to the quinoa now. Otherwise, set aside to cool. Same with the tomatoes once they are finished cooking. I ate mine hot, so once everything was done I added it to the quinoa, tossed with some salt, pepper, red pepper flake, and a bit more garlic. 



For those of you tofu-haters, this would still be delicious leaving it out. 

PS. Aren't I getting better at remembering to take pictures as I go along? I'll get a hang of this blogging thing eventually...