Adventures With Foodie Felisha: quinoa

Showing posts with label quinoa. Show all posts

Friday, May 16, 2014

Quinoa Turkey Sushi

Does anyone else love seaweed party wraps as much as me?

They are awesome. You can eat them plain or dress them up. Verity in my food is always a plus.
This dish seriously came as a last minute desire to use up some deli turkey and left over quinoa, oh and of course, eat some seaweed!!!

Honestly, I can only handle tempura sushi. Just not the biggest fan of sea food. But the idea of filling and rolling food in seaweed, genius.

So I give you these.

Super easy. Very versatile. Delicious.

So grab your fillings and make some rolls

Ingredients:
~1/2 cup quinoa, cooked
3 sheets of dried seaweed
3 slices of deli turkey
6 cherry tomatoes
3 slices of cucumbers
soy sauce, optional.

Directions:
*It helps to have a sushi rolling mat but if you don't have one don't worry, I didn't use one either. *

Lay out a sheet of seaweed and spreed a spoonful of quinoa onto the sheet using the back of a spoon. Try to cover all the seaweed with your spread quinoa leaving one edge free.

Lay your turkey then veggies int the center of your sheet.

Using rice vinegar or just water, moisten the edge you left free.
Now, fold the cover in quinoa end end of the roll to the middle and tuck under your turkey/veggies.
Gripping the now tucked end pull back a little and then continue to roll forward using the palms of your hands until you make a nice roll.

Using a very sharp knife, cut roll into bite size sushi and drizzle with some soy sauce.
*Check out this sushi rolling video from Noms for the Poor. It may help my descriptions:

Done.

Enjoy!!!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Lemon Zucchini Chicken

I am not one who can have the same meals every single day.

My husband sure can, but not me.

I love variety, I love texture, I love taste, I LOVE FOOD.

So this dish came out of my desire for a quick, protein packed lunch with a kick.

I really love the taste of lemon and chicken. One of my all time favorite Italian dishes is chicken piccata where it is infused with wine, lemon, and capers.

However, this dish may not have battered chicken in a wine sauce but it does have quinoa--a new staple to my diet-- lemon, zucchini, and sauteed onions.

So if your looking for a quick, clean eating, and filling dish give this a try

Recipe adapted from The Gracious Pantry

Ingredients:
5-6 oz chicken breast, cooked
1tbs olive oil
1/4 onion, chopped
2 tbs lemon juice
1 zucchini, chopped
1-2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 quinoa, cooked

Directions:

Heat a skillet with oil on medium heat. Add onion and saute for 2-3 min, until onions start to turn clear. Add in chopped Zucchini and cook for 1 min, until tender.
Add in chicken and stir in seasoning.
Add lemon juice and let cook for 2 min until everything is well heated and juices are combined.

Remove from heat.
Scoop out lemon chicken mixture and top over a bed of quinoa.

ENJOY!!!!

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Quinoa Pizza Bites

This was an all-around "oops to yummy" recipe.

I made this dish from Fit for Success and enjoyed every bite before I realized I had made a mistake.

I went to enter the recipe into myfitnesspal to get the nutritional information and didn't understand how my calorie count was SO far off from Fit for success'!
I went back to the original post and found my error.

Her ingredients state: 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa. What did I do? Used only 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa.
If you have ever made quinoa you know uncooked quinoa more than doubles when cooked so I was defiantly lacking in amount. --I did wonder why mine didn't fill the 24 pockets of the muffin tin like hers did but I was so focused and getting these made so I could eat them I just thought I had made mine too big. In the end, this oops just means I got to eat them all.

Now not knowing I had made a significant lower calorie meal I wanted to add turkey pepperoni to my bites regardless, and man or man am I glad I did.

However, I had originally planned to chop up the pepperoni and blend it into the original mix, but I forgot until they were half way through baking. Yet again, this oops turned into a delicious treat as I decided to top each bite with a slice of pepperoni--held on by some melted cheese--and these were like perfect mini bites of pizza--pepperoni in every bite--without the fat, grease, and heavy carbs and filled with lots of protein, and delectable flavor.

Make them and then eat them all!

Recipe adapted from Fit for Success
Ingredients:

1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup egg whites
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs basil
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
20 slices of turkey pepperoni

Directions:
Preheat oven 350 F.
Spray a mini muffin tin--24 count--with olive oil spray
Mix all but the pepperoni in a bowl.
Spoon 1 tbs of mix into 20 of the muffin compartments.
Press the mixture down so its nice and packed in.

Bake for 20 min or until tops have a light golden edge.

Remove from muffin tin and sprinkle a tiny bit of cheese on top of the hot bites and press one slice of pepperoni per bite.
I then microwaved 10 bites for 30 sec. to make sure the cheese was good and melted and to cook the pepperoni a bit.

Serve with a side salad and homemade marinara sauce for dipping!

Enjoy!!!!

Nutrition Information

10 bites with pepperoni

202 cal * 15 carbs * 10g fat* 17g protein * 3g fiber

10 bites without pepperoni

161 cal * 15 carbs * 7g fat * 12 protein * 3g fiber

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Apple Cider Quinoa Salad

I got this recipe from THIS hilarious YouTube video.

The man knew his quinoa and had some tasteful ideas for making a simple extremely versatile quinoa salad.

I was excited and nervous to add the apple cider vinegar.

Vinegar, as many of us know, has a very strong taste, but "would it go well with beans", I questioned. I've never paired them before.

Alas, "Never fear" I exclaimed after a taking a bite. Apple cider vinegar never ceases to amaze me.

Besides it having a just enough of a great kick in the mouth taste, it has great health benefits and is so versatile .

You can read about some HERE

In the end I added some of my own ingredients for my personal taste-black beans-- but as the guy says, you really can use what ever is in your fridge: Clean it out and make a salad.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup quinoa, cooked*
3 small yellow sweet peppers, chopped
1 cup black beans, rinsed
3-4 small cherry tomatoes, diced
1 small carrot, chopped
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt

* click HERE to find how to cook delicious, fluffy quinoa

Directions:
Place cooked quinoa* in a large bowl or baking dish.
Add olive oil and apple cider vinegar and gently fold into the quinoa.
Add chopped sweet peppers, carrots, black beans, and salt.
Gently fold in tomatoes--not too much or they will get mushy.

* Quinoa can be hot or cold (I made mine in advance and pulled it out of the fridge. DELICIOUS!)

Viola! Done!
Now eat as is, in a pitta, or soup-- I made this for a potluck and many people loved adding it to a soup! So really it works for anything

Again, feel free to add anything you want, I think some purple onion might go nicely, and maybe some cucumber.

ENJOY!!!!

Friday, December 14, 2012

Quinoa Granola

Quinoa Burns.

The first food experiment making this granola was a failure.

Burnt to a crisp being only 15 min in the oven.

So note to self, and all, DO NOT bake uncooked quinoa at the temp of 400 degrees for 15 min.

However,

the second attempt was amazing!!!!

I decided to cook the quinoa and then bake it at the lower temp of 300 (bumping it to 350 once I knew it wasn't going to burn) and it turned into a batch of cinnamony, sweet pebbles of bliss.

It works well as a topping for yogurt, smoothies, and ice cream!!!!

This could even be eaten as a cereal; ALL coupled with ample amounts of protein and fiber.

Bake away my friends

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, cooked
1 tbs cinnamon
1tbs honey--add more if you want it sweeter or brown sugar!
2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Pat dry cooked quinoa with paper towels

--It's okay if not completely dry--

Place cinnamon, honey, and vanilla in a bowl.

Mix in quinoa with a spatula until well combined.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dump cinnamon/honey quinoa mixture on it and spread out.

Bake in 10 min intervals for 30-45 min.

Every 10 min stir/flip quinoa.

It will slowly bake into a deep rich brown and crunchy mix.

Let cool for 2 min and transfer into a air-tight container for freshness--that is if you don't eat it all right then and there

ENJOY!!!!

** this is a very very versatile recipe! Feel free to add anything you want to the granola to suit you taste**

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Cooking the Perfect Quinoa

Once you've mastered this technique--which is pretty easy--you'll be making Quinoa weekly,

I DO!

The KEY trick for making any kind of quinoa recipe (for breakfast foods, soups, etc.) is to wash it THOROUGHLY! Now, I don't mean throw it in a bowl and swirl it around a few times, I'm talking three really good washes.

Why?
1) Washing gets rid of the bitter taste that comes from the seeds shell. Who knows why, but it's there, but it's also wash-away-able.
2) The seed can absorb some the water and help make it nice and fluffy later.

So get your quinoa and let's begin.

Grab a large enough bowl to hold your desired amount quinoa (I generally cook about a cup of dry=~2 1/2 cups cooked) large enough to fully submerge the quinoa in water.

Dump your dry quinoa in the bowl and fill with wamish water.

Now reach your hands into that bowl and start playing with it. Move it around, swish it, rub the seeds between your fingers (obviously this is the best/most fun part).

Once the water is pretty murky, dump the water and fill it up again. Repeat washing process. Repeat a 3rd time.

The water should get less and less murky every wash--but not completely clear--this is okay. 3 times usually does the trick for the bitter part.

Now bring a small sauce pan full of your liquid of choice to a boil (water for versatility, Milk generally for breakfast recipes, broths for fillers--I always cook my in a chicken or veggie broth)

Dump washed and drained quinoa into the heated liquid and stir for about 2 min on boil.

Now reduce Heat to Low and simmer covered for 20 min. Quinoa will expand, peel a little (the little white squiggles), and absorb the liquid as the time goes by. Feel free to stir every once in awhile.

After timer goes off, fluff away by stirring it!

Now you have an awesome batch of yummy quinoa ready for your adventurous recipes.

ENJOY!!!!

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

I love this easy recipe.

I have made it several times for lunches at work.

This is also a very versatile recipe.

It can be a simple meal or a complex palate teaser.

Use your imagination.

but here's what I did:

Ingredients:

1 large bell pepper (or 2 small),
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1-2 olives, diced
1-2 diced cherry tomatoes
3 tbs shredded cheese
OPTIONAL: 1 tsp sriracha (I love the spice!)
OPTIONAL: 2 tsp plain greek yogurt (great sour cream substitute!)

Directions:

Cut bell pepper in half and rid of seeds and ribs (the white part lining the wall)
Scoop and fill bell pepper halves with quinoa
Top with diced olives, cherry tomatoes and cheese.

Option 1) Microwave for 30-45 sec until warmed and cheese is melted.

Option 2) Heat oven 350 degrees and bake for 10-15 min. (This option cooks the bell pepper more if you don't like it raw--i like the crunch in the raw)

ENJOY!!!!

Have any other suggestions or add-ins that you've done?

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Roasted Tomato Spinach and Quinoa Bowl

Feta is my favorite cheese.

Praise the Lord it is often too expensive for me to buy....

except right now,

at Aldi's,

where it is on sale for $1.49 for 8oz

I bought 3

SO now I am using it in everything:

Salads, wraps, breakfast, and now this quinoa dish.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dry Quinoa, rinsed very well!
5-8 cherry tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8-1/4 cup onion, minced (I used dried minced onion I had in my spice rack ~1 tbs)
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, just adds spice)
1 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 tbs olive oil
Handful of spinach
salt and pepper to taste.
3-5 tbs crumbled feta cheese

**Feel free to double/triple this recipe to serve more people. I ate the whole thing and was REALLY FULL but REALLY SATISFIED ***
Directions:

Heat a small pot with the 1tbs olive oil on Medium-High.
Add sliced cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper to your liking, and saute until wilted.
Add onion and cook through. Add minced garlic cloves and mix all for 1 min (Not cooked through)
Add 1 cup chicken or veggie broth, red pepper flakes, quinoa, and salt and pepper to your liking. Bring to a boil for 1-2 min.
Lower heat and simmer for 15 min.
Blend in handful of spinach and simmer for 5 more min.
Remove from heat and fold in feta cheese.

ENJOY!!!!

Monday, November 12, 2012

Quinoa Chili

I have wanted to buy and make something out quinoa (Keen-wah) since I learned about it MONTHS ago!!!! Seriously, Months! So finally, when a dear new friend of mine offered to let me join her for a Costco trip (the glorious bulk store of the world in my opinion) I knew I was going to splurge.

Go BIG or go home.

So after reading around on the inter-web and being chilled to bones recently with the cold weather brewing I went for a easy to make chili.

Gluten Free, protein enriched, and fiber-full this seed from the Andes is a blessing to us health foodies who want a full stomach.

Follow the first 5 steps to get plain quinoa that you can make any recipe with, follow the rest for the chili.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion flakes
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
chopped chili pepper (only if you want some more spicy)
1/3 cup black beans
1/4 cup diced tomatoes + some juice
1/3 cup corn

Making Quinoa

Measure out 1/3 cup Quinoa seed and rinse VERY VERY VERY VERY WELL. 2 min Min under constant, handled seed, cool water. Doing this step helps get rid of bitter taste many find when they cook it straight out the bag.
Drain
Heat 1 tsp olive oil on medium-high and add rinsed quinoa. Cook for a minute or so, till water is evaporated and Quinoa is toasted.
Add the 1 cup of water and bring to a rapid boil for 5-8 min
Either add flavoring (chicken broth, sat, etc) or simply reduce heat to medium low 10 min.
At 5 min of that simmer, add beans and spices.
At 8 min of that simmer add dices tomatoes
At 10 min at corn and pepper and turn heat to medium-high
Cook for 1-2 min for rest of water to evaporate. NOT ALL THE WAY, just enough to keep everything moist not runny.
Reduce heat to low while serving.

Top chili with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and shredded cheese.

Enjoy!!!!

Funny short story:

This pepper:

was the hottest pepper I have ever eaten.

My mouth burned for 1+ hours afterward.

Pages

Friday, May 16, 2014

Does anyone else love seaweed party wraps as much as me?

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

I am not one who can have the same meals every single day.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Friday, December 14, 2012

Quinoa Burns.

ENJOY!!!!

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

ENJOY!!!!

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Monday, November 12, 2012