Quinoa with Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms.

Source:  http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/quinoa-balsamic-roasted-mushrooms

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 pear, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
• 1 garlic clove, halved
• 2 pounds portobello mushrooms, stemmed and gills scraped out
• 1 cup red or white quinoa
• 3 cups tightly packed fresh spinach, chopped
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method: 

Preheat oven to 475°F. 

Put vinegar, mustard, pear and garlic in a blender with 1/3 cup water and blend until smooth, about 1 minute, to make the dressing. Cut mushrooms into chunks and combine in a large mixing bowl with 1/4 cup of the dressing. Spread mushrooms in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender, stirring occasionally, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

While mushrooms roast, prepare quinoa. In a medium pot, bring 1 3/4 cups water to a boil. Stir in quinoa, cover pot, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove pot from heat and set aside, covered, 10 minutes more. Uncover and fluff quinoa with a fork. 

Combine mushrooms, quinoa, spinach, green onions, almonds, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup more dressing in a large, wide serving bowl. Stir to mix well. Serve with remaining dressing on the side.

Nutritional Info: 

PER SERVING:280 calories (60 from fat), 7g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 120mg sodium, 43g carbohydrate (7g dietary fiber, 9g sugar), 12g protein

Quinoa, White Bean, and Kale stew.

Source:  http://www.theppk.com/2010/10/quinoa-white-bean-and-kale-stew/

"This is one of my winter staples, especially if I’m having a busy week, have no one to impress and don’t want to use a million dishes (big ups to the disherwasherless!) You get your beans, greens and grains all in one pot; in this case I use white beans, kale and quinoa. You also get about 8 servings out of it so you can either freeze it or keep it in the fridge for 4 days or so, having it for lunch or dinner or… stew for breakfast? Why not!

It’s really versatile so make up your own spice blend, use different beans and grains (although cooking time may vary for the grain) and, you know, just do whatever you want, this stew is your canvas. Prep the herb blend before proceeding with the recipe, that way you just dump everything in at the same time without much fuss.

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups leeks, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1 teaspoon salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, peeled, diced medium
1 large parsnip, peeled, diced medium
8 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 pounds yukon gold potatoes, diced medium
1 cup dry quinoa
1 15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch kale (about a pound), rough stems removed, torn into bite sized pieces

Herb blend:
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed (see crushing fennel tip)
1 teaspoon dried majoram
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
Fresh black pepper, to taste

Preheat a 4 quart soup pot over medium high heat. Saute leeks and garlic in oil with salt for about 3 minutes, or however long it takes you to prep your carrot and parsnip. Add carrot and parsnip, along with the herb blend, turn heat up to high and saute for a few seconds.

Add vegetable broth, potatoes and quinoa. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes, until potatoes and quinoa are tender. Add kale and beans, and stir frequently until kale is wilted. Cover and simmer on low for 5 more minutes. Taste for salt

When you serve you may want to add a little lemon juice or a splash of balsamic vinegar or hot sauce – whatever your thing is. Or you may not."

Quinoa Mac-n-Cheese:

We returned from vacation Sunday night, so of course Monday night I had no groceries in my fridge.  I DID, however, have enough to pull this off.  It was...fine.  Not amazing, but it likely would have been better with some spice, and some different veggies.  I'd like to give it another shot, but I really don't need that much dairy in my life!  :

I took no pictures because it's NOT a pretty meal when fully cooked...again.  Sigh.  :)
ze: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
• Veggies of your choice (optional)
• good pinch of salt
• a few grinds of seasoning salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup soy milk or non-fat milk
• 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, more for sprinkling
• Optional- Crushed Red Pepper, Panko Bread crumbs for topping
• Toppings (optional)- salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, scallions

    

1. Lightly saute any veggies you would like in this dish. 
2. Cook quinoa to packaged instructions until fully cooked. (About 15 minutes)
3. Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 13x9 inch dish( or 8 individual ramekins) with cooking spray.Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese. Stir very well and let some of the cheese melt.  Transfer to prepared baking dish and if using Panko Crumbs or Bread crumbs add now and bake 30-35 mins, until bread crumbs are browned. 

Source: http://aroundthetableri.blogspot.com/2012/02/cheesy-quinoa-mac-cheese.html

Quinoa taco pie!

This recipe, from here: http://www.damyhealth.com/2012/05/quinoa-taco-bites/ , is originally titled "Quinoa taco bites."  But I was feeling lazy, so I just put it all in one big dish.  :)  I also made a lot of substitutions:  

 Original Recipe:

Prep time: 10 Minutes – Cook time: 40 Minutes – Total time: 50 Minutes
Yield: Makes 24 Taco Bites

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Cooked Quinoa
• 1/4 Cup Egg Whites
• 1 Cup Chopped Cauliflower (You can also use zucchini, carrots or any other shredded vegetable)
• 1/2 Cup Drained 1% Cottage Cheese (or Dry Curd)
• 1/8 Cup Chopped Onion
• 1/4 Tsp Garlic Salt
• 1 Tsp Taco Spice
• 1/2 Cup Daiya Vegan Cheese (or you can use Hard Cheddar Cheese or Parmesan Cheese)
• 1 Tbsp Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
• 1/8 Cup Salsa
• 1 Small Firm Avocado (Diced)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Spray mini muffin tin with a healthy, non-stick cooking spray.
2. Place egg whites, cauliflower, cottage cheese, onion, taco spice and hot sauce into your food processor and blend until smooth.
3. Remove and place in a bowl. Add in the avocado, salsa, cheese and quinoa.
4. Mix ingredients gently and completely.
5. Scoop ingredients into your mini muffin tin and pat down evenly.
6. Place in the oven for 40-45 minutes (until bites are golden brown).
7. Remove from oven and let set in the muffin tin before removing for 10 minutes.
8. To remove – gently take a butter knife around the edges of your bites to release them from your tin.
9. Serve and enjoy!

My Substitutions:
1.  I just eyeballed the quinoa because I had a bunch leftover (cilantro lime quinoa) from my cilantro lime and blackened chicken.
2.  I didn't use cauliflower.  I used a bunch of random veggies:  green pepper, onions, a tomato, etc.
3.  I didn't use cottage cheese.  I used 1/2 a can or so of pumpkin puree.  I know, it sounds weird, but it worked well as a dairy free substitute.  It sort of absorbs the flavor of anything you put in with it.
4.  I cooked some chicken in taco powder and put that in, in little chunks.
5.  I added about a cup, or more, of black beans.
6.  I didn't do the avocado.

Phew!  I know, I know...but it really is close to the original recipe, I think.  And it worked very well!  It was tasty, very healthy, and a great way to use up my leftover quinoa!  Bam.  :)

~Lisa