Fuss Free Basic Quinoa

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
Sometimes when you cook all the time, our knowledge gets the best of us. We sometimes assume people know how to cook the basic things. Things like Quinoa, Brown Rice, different various food items that everyday kitchen staples that we know how to cook others may not. I made a short how-to video with the help of A258Production owned by Carrie Montoney, we created a very impromptu How to Video. This is something I plan to expand with, so to all you loyal readers, keep on watching! Enjoy!

HOW TO COOK QUINOA

1 cup of quinoa, white, tri-colored, mixed
2 cups of water
1 tight fitted lid with saucepan
Mesh strainer

Measure 1 cup of quinoa and put into the mesh strainer. Rinse the quinoa with cold water for about a minute or two to rinse off the bitter coating on the seeds.

Add 2 cups of cold water into a saucepan with a tight fit lid, heat water over high heat till boiling.

Add the rinsed quinoa and let the water resume boiling, then reduce to low heat. Cover with lid and cook for 20 minutes. Do not stir, open and remove the lid to peek. Leave the pan alone. The water will evaporate.

The quinoa seeds will burst open when cooked completely.

After 20 minutes, turn off heat and let quinoa rest for ten minutes.

Transfer quinoa to a dish using a fork to remove from pan to prevent clumping. Do not use a spatula or spoon as it will mush the quinoa together.

quinoa

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE RECIPE

Advertisement

Filed under: Gluten Free, How-To Videos, Simply Healthy Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Video | Tagged: | Leave a comment »

Quinoa Salad with Dried Apricots, Cranberries and Orange Vinaigrette

Posted on April 26, 2014 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
This is a repost due to many requests for this recipe on Facebook and my personal emails. I modified this recipe so many times and this is the most favorite so far. I originally posted this on March 6, 2010 so it is really nice to get requests for this recipe often.  I am fascinated with grain and seed salads. It is hard to believe that these little tiny kernels of seeds pack such a powerful healthy punch. Quinoa is an excellent source of protein. I made a salad as part of a birthday lunch for a friend and it was a huge hit. The original salad recipe came from a friend of mine’s mothers recipes. Where she got it I am not sure. Enjoy!

Quinoa Salad with Dried Apricots, Cranberries and Orange Vinaigrette
Created recipe on 03/06/2010, revamped often, most favorite 04/25/14

Quinoa Salad Picture

To cook the quinoa
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained (this is important because of the coating on the seeds. It tastes bitter when not rinsed well.
2 cups water
Salt lightly (optional)

Bring the water to a boil in a 3 quart pan. Add the salt and quinoa. Return to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes until the whole seed then cracks open and pops. This will make about 2 cups of cooked Quinoa. Transfer the cooked quinoa in a large bowl.

Ingredients
1/3 cup of slivered almonds
1/3 cup of pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup dried apricots diced into small pieces
1/3 cup cran-raisins
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (about 2 large oranges)
1 green onion thinly chopped
1/2 English cucumber, minced
2 tablespoons fresh minced Italian parsley
2 tablespoons fresh minced chives
2 tablespoons fresh minced mint
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, organic canola oil, or grape seed oil

Toast the slivered almonds on a stone or cookie tray in 350 degree oven for approximately 3 to 5 minutes until the almonds are golden brown. It may take more time depending on your stove.

Dice the dried apricots into small mini size pieces and toss with the cran-raisins in the large bowl with the cooked quinoa. Add the minced parsley, chives, green onion, English cucumber and fresh mint to the mixture.

In a small bowl, combine the cumin, coriander, orange juice. Whisk in the oil until well blended. Before serving, pour dressing over quinoa mixture and toss well with fork. Sprinkle with the toasted pumpkin seeds and almonds over the grain salad and serve.

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE RECIPE

Filed under: Gluten Free, Salad Recipes, Simply Healthy Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegeterian Recipes | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

Broccoli Asparagus Quinoa Salad

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
Sunday was the first day of Daylight Savings Time. The day was a gorgeous, crisp and sunny fall day. Drove around doing errands and showing my friends around Columbus. They wanted to visit the Whole Foods on Route 161 in Dublin. Awesome Store! I had researched earlier on the internet for recipes for the week and to prepare for my dinner party on Wednesday and came across a blog called detoxinista.com and saw some recipes I wanted to try. This one is similar to what we know as Broccoli, Rice and Cheese casseroles. I remember my mom making this with Cream of Celery Soup, frozen broccoli, lots of cheese and white rice. Now that I think about it, ick! I made this recipe and tweaked it some to suit my tastes and was it was amazing! This recipe has no dairy or cream of “something” soup. Tasted just like the real Broccoli and Cheese Casserole. I wish I can take credit for this recipe but I cannot! Most Excellent!

Broccoli, Asparagus Quinoa Casserole
Created on 11/3/13

photo (18)

For the “mock” cheese sauce:
1 cup cooked mashed sweet potato (I microwaved mine for 5 minutes)
1-1/2 cups of water
¼ cup of Bragg’s nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon of chili powder

To put the casserole together:
1 cup of dry quinoa, rinsed well
2 cups of water
2 teaspoon of olive oil
½ onion, chopped
2-1/2 cups of broccoli florets
2-1/2 cups of roasted asparagus (this is optional, just adjust the choice of vegetables to equal 5 cups)

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To cook the quinoa, put water and rinsed quinoa in a pan, bring the water to a boil and add the quinoa. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until all the water is absorbed and the quinoa was plumped up. Fluff with a fork gently and set aside.

While the quinoa is cooking, in a large sauté pan, on medium high heat, add the oil and onions. Sauté for about 5 minutes till the onions are translucent (shiny) and tender. Add the broccoli florets and 2 tablespoons of water to the sauté pan and mix well. Cover and steam the broccoli for about 10 minutes until tender but not mushy.

In a blender, in order add the water, mashed sweet potato, nutritional yeast, salt, onion powder and chili powder until creamy and smooth.

Combine the quinoa and sautéed vegetables in a large bowl and add the sweet potato cream and combine well. Spread in a large casserole dish or deep dish stoneware. Bake for 10 minutes until bubbly and hot. I cooked mine for 45 minutes and the top was a little bit dark but I think it deepened the flavor.

Serve the casserole with a Green Salad.

Filed under: Gluten Free, Simply Healthy Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegeterian Recipes | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Edamame Cherry Chicken Sausage Dish

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
I think I am just nuts about farmer markets. I love the one near my apartment. The market has several organic meat vendors that offer a diversity of meat such as different flavor sausages and cuts of meat. You can purchase, sample, and question the vendors to your hearts content about how they process their sausages and their meats. I just love the tart cherry chicken sausage that I purchase from one of the vendors just absolutely amazing. I threw some things together and came up with this fast and easy dish that is just loaded with some simple summer flavors.

Edamame Cherry Sausage Dish, created 06/13/11

Edamame Cherry Chicken Sausage Dish

1 lb. of Tart Cherry Sausage (or any flavor sausage that you like), meat taken out of the casing
1-1/2 cups of shelled Edamame (or any bean you like – i.e. Lima Bean, Green Bean)
3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, half mooned sliced
½ small green cabbage rough chopped
1 can of organic black beans, rinsed and drained (or pink, cranberry bean)
Salt/Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Cooked Quinoa or another type of healthy grain

In a 10” sauté pan, heat up the olive oil over medium high heat and add the sliced onions and green cabbage. Season with salt and pepper and continuing to cook until the onions and cabbage is soft. Add the crumbled sausage to the mixture and cook until sausage is done about 7 to 10 minutes. Add the Edamame, black beans and tomatoes until heated thoroughly. Serve over cooked quinoa. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE RECIPE

Filed under: Simply Healthy Recipes, Soup and Stew Recipes | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Quinoa Edamame Feta Salad

Posted on December 15, 2010 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
I have fallen in love with the Edamame Bean. I think it is the best thing food has to offer these days along with the whole grain Quinoa. I saw this recipe in an email I received from the Diabetic Living and I thought what an excellent combination for a salad. Along with feta cheese and my homemade basil Pesto that I made from the basil I grew in my garden, what could be better? For a workshop demonstration that I did last October, this recipe was so simple, easy and the results were just amazing. Everyone who attended the diabetes workshop loved it!

Quinoa Edamame Feta Salad, created October 28, 2010
Serves: About 6- 1-1/4 cup servings

Quinoa Edamame Feta Salad

2 cups of water
1 cup Quinoa
¼ cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons basil Pesto
2 cups fresh or thawed frozen shelled Edamame
2 cups cherry tomatoes – cut up
1/3 cup crumbled Feta Cheese
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
¼-teaspoon (4 to 5 cracks) fresh black pepper

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add Quinoa. Bring water back to a boil, reduce heat, simmer for about 20 minutes and all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff Quinoa in a bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice and pesto. Set aside. Add thawed Edamame, thinly sliced green onions, minced parsley, pepper, feta cheese, tomatoes. Add the whisked lemon juice and pesto. Toss gently until all the food is combined

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE RECIPE

Filed under: Salad Recipes, Simply Healthy Recipes, Vegeterian Recipes | Tagged: , , | 3 Comments »

%d bloggers like this: