To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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Click the image below to watch the video.
This is hardly a recipe because all you do is mix everything up but it is so light & yummy & pretty – I am posting. Traditionally, this is made with bulgar but I had quinoa (keen-wah) around & used that. The ration of ingredients is no science and pretty open to tweaking. It is great to eat with chunks of pita bread or as a sandwich spread. It is a light & salady thing & you don’t eat it in huge portions. It is kind of like a palate cleanser when eating other foods of the region like shawarma, gyros & hummus.
Tabbouleh with Quinoa
Makes about 2 cups
3/4 cup dry quinoa – cooked according to packaging (for me – that was 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa – boiled & left off heat, covered, for 12 minutes. OR – 1 1/2 cups or so of cooked & cooled quinoa.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
This is a really easy salad – especially if you buy already roasted beets or, like me, roasted them ahead & had them all ready. I used this ancient grains mix (above) but any grain you prefer could be used – like the quinoa below.
I made the dressing but you could use any dressing you prefer. I had the gorgeous bottle of blood orange olive oil from my friend, Alyse, but regular olive oil is fine.
How to roast beets:
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Wash beets well. Coat with a thin layer of olive oil & wrap in foil. Cook, undisturbed, for at least 45 minutes (it could take much longer for big ones), until a knife pierces one with little resistance. They may cook at different rates. Remove the skin on each when they are done by just pushing it off under running water.
Vegan Protein Salad Bowl – Chickpeas & Roasted Beets, Ancient Grains (Quinoa, Amaranth & Millet) with Orange Tahini Dressing & Chia Seeds
for the Orange Tahini Dressing (makes more than you will need for these two servings)
3 TBS tahini
3 TBS fresh orange juice
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
2 TBS apple cider vinegar
1 TBS maple syrup or agave nectar
1 TBS olive oil (infused with orange if you have it but not necessary)
1 tsp orange zest
1 garlic clove – minced
1/2 tsp dry mustard
S&P
DIRECTIONS
Whisk the dressing ingredients together.
Plate the bowls by putting some grains, sliced beets, chickpeas & parsley in each bowl. Drizzle with dressing to taste. It does not need much. Sprinkle with Chia seeds. Toss.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or just print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
This salad is jam packed with protein (from the quinoa, black beans & chickpeas) and light & healthy & delicious. The ingredients here are all optional – as is the case with all salads. This recipe makes an enormous party-sized quantity so – either be prepared to feed a lot of people or to eat it every day for a while – or cut the recipe in half. Do not dress the whole salad & do not add avocado until you are serving it. That way – the salad will keep longer. UPDATE 4-18-16: Without the avocado & dressing on it – this salad stayed fresh in my fridge for a full week.
Vegan Protein-Packed Red Quinoa Salad with Avocado, Arugula & Citrus-Balsamic Vinaigrette
Makes a boatload of salad – at least enough for 6 as an entree – more as a side
INGREDIENTS
for the salad
(these quantities are very flexible – so make your salad to taste)
3-4 cups cooked red (or other) quinoa (cooked according to directions & cooled)
1 English cucumber – diced
1 cup chopped cherry (or other) tomatoes (I used heirloom)
1 15-oz can black beans – drained & rinsed
1 15-oz can chickpeas – drained & rinsed
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1 red bell pepper – seeded & diced
3 scallions – sliced
1 cup corn (fresh cut from the cob is best but I used frozen)
1/2 red onion – diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
Avocado (as much or as little as you like – I used 1/2 avocado per serving) – cubed & lime juice squeezed on it
Arugula (optional – as a bedding)
for the citrus-balsamic vinaigrette
5 TBS of juice from lemons & limes (use either one or a combo of both for a total of 5 TBS)
1-3 garlic cloves – minced
2 TBS white (or other) balsamic vinaigrette
1/4 cup cilantro – chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp cumin
S&P to taste
DIRECTIONS
Cook & cool your quinoa. You can even rinse it in cold water & drain it to cool it quickly.
Whisk the dressing together & season to taste.
Toss all the salad ingredients – EXCEPT the avocado & arugula – and stir to combine.
If using arugula – put some on plates. Top with quinoa salad & drizzle with dressing. Top with avocado.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
~
This is hardly a recipe because all you do is mix everything up but it is so light & yummy & pretty – I am posting. Traditionally, this is made with bulgar but I had quinoa (keen-wah) around & used that. The ration of ingredients is no science and pretty open to tweaking. It is great to eat with chunks of pita bread or as a sandwich spread. It is a light & salady thing & you don’t eat it in huge portions. It is kind of like a palate cleanser when eating other foods of the region like shawarma, gyros & hummus.
Tabbouleh with Quinoa
Makes about 2 cups
3/4 cup dry quinoa – cooked according to packaging (for me – that was 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa – boiled & left off heat, covered, for 12 minutes. OR – 1 1/2 cups or so of cooked & cooled quinoa.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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This is kinda outrageously good. I began by trying to just use the brown rice but I got impatient waiting for it to get creamy so I added some cooked quinoa which magically did the trick. This can be used like any risotto & you could add anything your imagination comes up with. I had leftover, frozen arrabiata, so I used that. The shrimp can easily be omitted. Vegan cheese could be used to make the dish vegan.
As an aside – NEVER buy this stuff:
At the risk of sounding like a commercial, I thought I’d save a dollar or two & buy the cheap stuff but that was a mistake. First of all, it foams up like a bubble bath creating a Lucy moment of a bubble lava torrent spilling out of the dishwasher. And – not only were most of the dishes not clean at the end of the cycle – but all clear glass came out looking frosted. Just the worst.
2-1-13 UPDATE – I just noticed thus says “gentle on hands.” Haha! It sucks as a dishwasher detergent because it ISN’T a dishwasher detergent. It if for hand washing. So- nevermind what I just said above.
Anyway – this dish is really yummy & endlessly customizable – so – get creative!
Heat 2 TBS olive oil in a frying pan. Add the minced garlic & the crushed red pepper and after about a minute. Add the shrimp & cook until just pink. Undercooking is OK as they will cook further on their own & even more in the warm risotto. Set aside.
Heat your 6+ cups of stock in a pan & let it simmer.
Heat 2 TBS olive oil in a large stock pot. Add the shallots (or onion) and the brown rice. Fry the rice for 2-3 minutes. The rice should become a little aromatic. Lower heat to medium and add the dry oregano, basil & parsley. Add one cup of the simmering stock & cook it off, stirring the whole time. Add another cup of stock & repeat. At this point – I got restless & added all the remaining stock, brought it to a boil, reduced the heat to low & let it simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Check to see if your rice is tender – erring on a tad overcooked rather than under. If it is still al dente – add more water & steam it until it is cooked.
Add the cooked quinoa & the tomato sauce (arrabiata), the grated Parmesan & the shrimp. Blend. Heat it through & serve with fresh diced tomatoes, fresh chopped parsley & more grated Parmesan on top.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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Hey! It’s my book! Why not read it? It is HILARIOUS – I promise!
Fair warning – this recipe is definitely a work in progress but, I feel, it was successful enough to post the early results.
As is often the case with me, recipes are born of what I had handy. In this case – I had a ton of cooked quinoa. I eat way too much pizza and finding a less guilty version of it is always my goal. Why not make a pizza crust from this quinoa, I thought. Why not, indeed. I Googled recipes for it and they were all so complex, requiring 8 hour soaking of dry quinoa (that ship had sailed – as mine was cooked) or sorghum flour, tapioca flour or nutritional yeast. I was frustrated by the ingredients or the process (or both) in each case so I decided just to wing it.
But first – what is quinoa, you ask? Here is an explanation:
What is quinoa?
While quinoa is usually considered to be a whole grain, it is actually a seed, but can be prepared like whole grains such as rice or barley. Try a quinoa pilaf salad recipe, or serve a vegetable stir-fryover cooked quinoa instead of rice. Quinoa is my favorite whole grain for three reasons: First, it takes less time to cook than other whole grains – just 10 to 15 minutes. Second, quinoa tastes great on its own, unlike other grains such as millet. Add a bit of olive oil, sea salt and lemon juice and – yum! Finally, of all the whole grains, quinoa has the highest protein content, so it’s perfect for vegetarians and vegans. Quinoa provides all 9 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. Quinoa is a gluten-free and cholesterol-free whole grain, is kosher for Passover, and is almost always organic.
OK – so, my finished dough had a set Jello consistency when raw – and it jiggled if you shook it. It was also VERY sticky. Most recipes described their dough as pourable – like pancake batter. That seemed odd to me so I chose to thicken my dough with potato flour. Having cooked one from this jello dough – I found the edges crisped but the center stayed sorta soft. Perhaps the pourable dough lets go of its moisture better while cooking. I will experiment & report back. Either way – this was a fairly decent success & I would not dissuade you from attempting it. One note – this definitely works as a pizza base but it is NOT bready. This pizza dough is to traditional pizza dough what a Gardenburger is to a hamburger – a decent substitute. Do not expect an old school New York slice from this dough. That said – I found it quite delicious!
Blend all ingredients (except potato flour) in a food processor until very smooth – maybe 1-2 minutes. Add the flour slowly using as much as you care to. I used the whole 1/2 cup of potato flour. I then rested the sticky dough on a sheet of wax paper greased with cooking spray & covered it with plastic wrap also greased with cooking spray. I let it rest all day – but only because I made this midday & I was using it for dinner. You could just proceed immediately.
Be sure your oven is pre-heated to 450 degrees and that the oven has reached that temperature. I greased a small pizza pan with cooking spray (greased parchment paper might help here, too) & spread 1/2 my dough on it with my palm – wetting my hand under running water after each pass. Wet hands keep the dough from sticking to you. I pressed it as thin as I could manage & baked it about 15 minutes.
I then took a larger pizza pan, topped the smaller one and, wearing oven mitts, flipped the dough from the smaller pizza pan to the larger. You could try just flipping the dough with spatulas, too. I baked the second side 10-15 minutes – until it looked sorta golden. I flipped it again & topped the pizza (in this case with: red pepper-tomato sauce and a grated cheese blend) and baked it until the cheese began to brown – maybe another 10-15 minutes.
I removed it from the oven & topped this with chopped, fresh grape tomatoes & sliced fresh basil. I ate it. I enjoyed.
Delightful-Delicious-Delovely 