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Quinoa Tabouleh

2 Aug

I came across this recipe while doing some research for a friend and sent it on to a few others that I thought would enjoy it. One of those fabulous ladies made it for a group of us and it was a huge hit. It’s not your typical tabouleh; but, to me, flavor is more important than tradition and accuracy in this case. It has feta – how can you argue with a healthy, whole grain dish that incorporates such salty, lovely goodness?

Additionally, this is somewhat of a quinoa redemption dish for me. My first try at making quinoa yielded less than wonderful results. I suspect that I didn’t cook the quinoa enough my first go ‘round and instead of a light, fluffy side dish that pops a little when you bite into it, I took a bite and…well, it was crunchy. Like I said, less than ideal. With this dish, though, it came out exactly as it should have. Just remember: rinse the quinoa first and use a 2:1 ratio of liquid to grain. Once you’ve added the quinoa to the boiling liquid, let the entire thing come back up to a boil before you put the lid on and let it simmer for at least 15 minutes (or until the liquid has evaporated).

Serves 4 (with leftovers)

Ingredients

1 c quinoa
2 c water or vegetable broth
½ ts salt
½ red onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, cut to bite-sized pieces
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
8 oz feta, crumbled
juice 1 lemon
black pepper to taste

Directions
1. Rinse the quinoa and cook according to the instructions on the package. When finished, transfer the quinoa to a bowl and put in the fridge to cool for 30-45 minutes.
2. Cover the diced onion with a pinch of salt and water. Leave the onion to soak while the rest of the ingredients are prepped.
3. In a bowl, combine the garlic, tomatoes, cucumber, parsley and feta. Drain the onions and add to the mixture.
4. Combine all the ingredients. Add the lemon juice and black pepper to taste.

Optional – you can add a little sesame oil to the salad for a nutty flavor.

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Simple Bruschetta

2 Aug

Since it was a holiday here yesterday, the husband and I decided to put together a big, easy, fresh dinner. Popped into the market and found fresh Ontario corn, ciabatta bread, beautiful heirloom tomatoes and delicious, well-marbled steaks. The initial plan for the tomato was to simply slice and drizzle with a really good balsamic that we save for this kind of meal, sea salt and pepper. Since we had the ciabatta, though, I decided to make up a simple bruschetta. Good plan, lemme tell ya.

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Ingredients

1 large tomato, medium dice  (just smaller than bite-size)
1/4 red onion, finely diced
1/4 c fresh parsley, finely diced
2 tb extra virgin olive oil (the best you’ve got!)
1 tb good balsamic vinegar
Sea or Kosher salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1 Ciabatta bread

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine tomato, onion, parsley, olive oil, balsamic and pepper. Stir and allow to sit 10 – 15 minutes.
2. Slice ciabatta lengthwise  and toast or place in a 350-degree oven to warm and crisp up for a few minutes.
3. Drizzle the bread with olive oil and add the salt to the tomato mixture.
4. Spoon the tomato mixture over the bun.

 

 

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Sunshine Salad

22 Jun

This recipe comes from a little Mexican cookbook that’s been kicking around the apartment for years, but we really only started using it recently. I sent this recipe to a friend of mine a couple of months ago and she raved about it.  We decided to make it for Father’s Day and after a couple of bites, I understood why she’d liked it so much: it’s fresh, it’s simple and it’s kind of addictive. So much so that we made it again the next day…

Serves 4, as a side dish.

Ingredients

1 c pineapple (1 can)
1 avocado, diced
1 1/2 c corn (or 1 14oz can)
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
1 – 2 green onions, sliced
2 oranges, peeled & sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 ts black pepper

Directions

1. Assemble all ingredients in medium-large bowl.
2. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
3. …Eat.

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Black Bean and Mango Salad

20 Jun

We made this salad up for Father’s Day and it was most definitely a hit! It can be done pretty quickly and makes a great summer dish. Add corn to it for a little more bulk, if you like.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 mango, peeled & cubed
1 red pepper, cubed
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 c fresh lime juice
2 tb vegetable oil
1 tb soy sauce
1/2 ts red pepper flakes – optional, but add a nice kick
2 tb cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine beans, mango red pepper and green onions.
2. Whisk together lime juice, oil and red pepper flakes. Pour over the bean mixture and toss.
3. Add in cilantro and toss again.

And, really? That’s it. Crazy simple, but incredibly delicious and healthy!

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Pasta with Portobellos, Sage & Walnuts

29 Nov

A simple, easy, savoury pasta dish that can be thrown together quickly. The toasted walnuts are a great touch: some crunch to go along with the nutty flavour. Note, though – when you’re toasting them, keep a close eye on the pan! Those things’ll burn before you know it!

You can use whatever pasta you have in the cupboard. I made my first batch with penne, but you could use spaghetti, rigatoni…anything your heart desires! Also, while this is a vegetarian recipe, if you have some prosciutto in the fridge, it goes quite nicely for a salty bite.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

3/4 lb pasta
3 tb extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 c unsalted butter
3 large portabello mushroom caps, gills discarded, caps thinly sliced and cut into 2″ pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2/3 c loosely packed fresh sage leaves
1/3 c toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 c freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions

1. Boil water and cook pasta according to directions. Reserve 1c cooking liquid.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and 2 tb butter in a medium sauce pan. Add mushrooms, sprinkling with salt & pepper. Cook roughly 5 minutes until mushrooms are tender and brown. Set aside on a plate.
3.  Using the same pan, add in 8tb butter (it’s a lot, I know, but it’s the sauce!) and heat to medium. Add sage leaves, stirring occasionally until  dark and crisp. (3 to 5 min.)
4. Add the mushrooms back to the pan along with the pasta, the walnuts and half a cup of the reserved liquid. Season with salt & pepper and toss until the pasta is well coated. Add in more liquid if you need it.
5. Serve in warm bowls and top with a generous portion of the grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

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Tropical Salad

1 Nov

Pretty straightforward, but tropically-inspired goodness doesn’t need to be complicated! Goes really well with most mains, especially tilapia or salmon.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 mango, diced
1 pineapple, diced
1 avocado, diced
1/2 red onion, diced finely
1/4 c cilantro
2 tb olive oil
1 lime/lemon, juiced

Directions
1. Add all of these ingredients into a large bowl.
2. Eat…but share with others!

Side note: if you can get your hands on a papaya or some jicama, both would work well in this dish, too.

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Spaghettini w/ Feta & Cherry Tomatoes

21 Sep

Easy, tasty and gave us the chance to use some of the cherry tomatoes from the garden.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

1 lb spaghettini
2 garlic, minced
10 pearl onions, peeled & halved
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c feta, crumbled
1/4 c basil, julienned
1/2 lemon, juiced
4 tb olive oil
salt & pepper

Directions

1. Boil the salted water for the pasta and cook to the directions on the package.
2. Heat 2tb of olive oil to low-medium in a sauce pan.
3. Add onions.  Saute 5 minutes.
4. Add garlic and tomatoes and saute for an additional 5 minutes.
5. Strain pasta, reserving one cup of water.
6. Gently mix the onions, garlic & tomatoes to the pasta. Add the rest of the olive oil, feta, basil & lemon juice.
7. Stir, adding salt & pepper to taste. For a creamier texture, add in the reserved pasta water.

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Coconut Curry

15 Sep

I absolutely love curries. I think they have a great balance of sweet and spicy and are incredibly versatile. I frequently make a Thai-influenced coconut curry that comes out better each time I make it so it shows up at the dinner table a lot around here.  The recipe below is vegetarian, but should you choose to add meat or seafood (like I did in the picture), it’s equally delicious. Great to take for lunch the next day – your coworkers *will* be jealous. 🙂

Serves 4.

Ingredients

1 tb sesame oil
2 ts minced ginger
2 garlic cloves
1 sweet pepper, chopped
5-10 mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 c green onions, chopped
2 ts curry powder
3 ts red curry paste
1 ts ground cumin
4 ts soy sauce
1 ts brown sugar
1 ts salt
14 oz coconut milk
1 lime
1/2 ts hot sauce
3 c rice, cooked
2 tb cilantro

Directions

1. Heat your oil to medium in a large sauce pan and add the garlic and ginger. Saute 1 minute.
2. Add pepper, mushrooms and green onions. (If you’re using meat add it in this step, too. For shrimp/fish, wait until the coconut milk goes in.) Saute 2 minutes.
3. Stir in curry powder, curry paste and cumin. Saute 1 minute.
4. Add soy, sugar, salt & coconut milk, hot sauce and 1/2 the lime juice.
5. Simmer, but DO NOT BOIL, for 10 minutes. At five minute mark, add in peas.
Stir, taste and adjust if necessary.
6. Remove from the heat.
7. Serve over rice, sprinkle with cilantro and squeeze remaining lime juice on top.
8. Devour.

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