Cro-quinoa-ettes with corn relish, parsley pesto, and zucchini

A fabulous farmer's market meal! Bonnie and I adapted this recipe from the amazing http://herbivoracious.com. It is definitely a bit labor-intensive, but it's basically one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten. The cro-quinoa-ettes (get it?) are crispy and savory, and they get topped with spicy-and-sweet corn relish, zucchini that's pan-fried so it's sweet and caramelized, a lemony tomato-and-cuke salad, and a tart parsley pesto sauce.

For the parsley pesto: 

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 large garlic clove, peeled and chopped

2 cups parsley leaves, lightly packed

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a food processors and process until it forms a thin paste. Taste and add a little more olive oil and/or lemon juice if you need more liquid.

For the cucumber and tomato salad:
1 large cucumber, diced
1 large ripe tomato, diced
1-2 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

For the corn relish:
2-3 earns of corn, shucked and kernels sliced off
4 scallions, chopped
2 teaspoons red chili flakes (or less, if you don't like spicy foods)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
zest of 1 lemon and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.


Combine the scallions, chili flakes, corn, and salt in a bowl. Heat the canola oil in  a pan over medium high heat. Add the corn mixture and cook for about 3 minutes, until the corn is just cooked through. Remove from heat, add lemon zest and juice, and stir well to combine.

For the zucchini:
4 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slabs
2 tablespoons canola oil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large frying pan over a high flame. Lay the zucchini in a single layer (this part is important!). Cook until the side touching the pan starts to form dark brown spots, then flip and do the same with the other. Remove and season with salt and pepper.

For the cro-quinoa-ettes:
4 cups cooked quinoa (start with 2 cups dried)
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon cumin power
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1-2 teaspoons rice vinegar (or other vinegar)
1/4 tsp liquid smoke (Note: if you don't have this ingredient in your pantry, don't worry. There's so much flavor in all the other ingredients that it will be ok if you don't include it).
4 eggs
canola oil

Combine all ingredients except the oil. The mixture should feel almost like dough that you can form a wet ball with. (If it's dry, add another egg). Heat a large nonstick skillet, and add a few tablespoons of canola or other cooking oil. using about 1/4 cup of the quinoa mixture each time, form little balls and then smush them into thin patties with your hands. They should be about 1/4-inch thick. After you add them to the pan, smush them with a spatula to flatten them further. (The thinner they are, the crispier they'll be!). Cook on one side until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Flip, then do the same on the other.

To serve:
Spoon some parsley pesto into each bowl. Top with two of the cro-quinoa-ettes, and little piles of the zucchini, corn relish, and salad.

Blackout Tempeh

. . . so named because we managed to blow a fuse as this was cooking, and had to finish glazing the tempeh by a combination of candle and flashlight. This yummy sweet-and-savory dish is adapted from 101cookbooks.com.

for marinade:
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed and chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

8 ounces tempeh
2 portobello mushrooms, sliced and sauteed in a little olive oil until soft
2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa or brown rice
a handful of blanched green beans

Combine ingredients for marinade in a small bowl.

Slice tempeh into small triangles. Lay the pieces flat in a dish and pour the marinade over it; let it sit for at least half an hour. Heat a small amount of canola oil in a pan; add the tempeh and saute for a few minutes on each side until browned. Then, pour the remaining marinade in the pan and cook for a few minutes, shaking the pan so the tempeh gets a lovely glaze.

Serve the tempeh over the rice/quinoa, mushrooms, and green beans.

Spinach-Corn-Feta Salad

If you're like me and want to hang on to those last few bits of summer, this salad's for you!

1 small bunch of spinach, chopped
1 ear of corn, boiled
3 scallions, sliced thinly
4 ounces feta, crumbled
2 eggs

Dressing:
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to taste

Place eggs in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring water to a boil. Cover and remove from heat, allowing eggs to sit in hot water for 15 minutes. Cut the kernels off the ear of corn. In a large bowl toss together spinach, corn, scallions, and feta. In a small jar, whisk together all dressing ingredients and drizzle over salad. Cool cooked eggs in ice water. Peel, quarter lengthwise, and arrange on top of individually plated salads. Grind some fresh black pepper over eggs and serve!

ps - I just ate the leftover salad on a bed of leftover quinoa and topped it all off with some avocado slices...couldn't have been MORE delicious!

Quinoa and Grilled Zucchini Bowl

Another 101cookbooks.com recipe . . . excited to try this one as well!

1 large avocado, ripe
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup lightly packed cilantro
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

3 large eggs

1 large zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch thick coins
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
couple pinches of fine grain sea salt

2 cups quinoa, cooked, room temperature
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
a bit of chopped cilantro for garnish

Prepare the cilantro-avocado dressing by blending the avocado, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, yogurt, water, and salt in a blender (or us a hand blender). Set aside.

Hard boil the three eggs. Place the eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by a 1/2-inch or so. Bring to a gentle boil. Now turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for exactly seven minutes. Have a big bowl of ice water ready and when the eggs are done cooking place them in the ice bath for three minutes or so - long enough to stop the cooking. Set aside.

While the eggs are cooling start preparing the zucchini by tossing it with olive oil and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Prepare your grill (medium-high heat). If you are worried about the zucchini coins falling through the grill you can thread them onto kabob skewers (stab through the green skin). Grill until zucchini are tender and cooked through, roughly 5 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill and cut each zucchini coin into quarters.

Crack and peel each egg, cut each egg into quarters lengthwise. Assemble the salad by tossing the quinoa with about 2/3 cups of the avocado vinaigrette. Top with the grilled zucchini, pine nuts, eggs, goat cheese, and a bit of chopped cilantro for garnish. I serve this family-style, but you could do individual platings.

Curried Squash, Kale, and Lentil Casserole

A variation on one of the squash recipes Lisa posted last fall. Serve this with quinoa (or couscous) and you've got a hearty dish that makes for a truly delicious November meal!



1 medium butternut squash
1 small red onion, roughly chopped
1 tsp curry
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
2/3 C lentils
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 C feta, crumbled
4 C kale, chopped
1 C peanuts (or other nuts), coarsly chopped
juice from one lime
handful fresh cilantro, chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Quarter and de-seed the squash and bake in a shallow pan for 30 minutes at 450 degrees. (If your oven heats from the bottom, like mine, it's a good idea to fill the pan with a 1/2 inch of water to prevent burning!)

Meanwhile, mix lentils and garlic together in a sauce pan with enough water to cover. Cook over medium heat continuing to add water as necessary until lentils are tender and water is all absorbed, about 30 minutes. When lentils are cooked, stir in crumbled feta, salt, and pepper.

In a skillet, heat 1 TBSP olive oil and gently saute kale for a minute or two. Add about 1/2 C water, cover and let steam about 5 minutes until bright green and tender. Remove from heat and strain kale, shaking out excess water to stop cooking.

When squash is tender, remove from oven. Carefully peel away skin and chop into 1/2 inch chunks. In a large baking dish, mix together squash, onion, curry, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, pepper, and 2 TBSP olive oil. Sprinkle peanuts over squash and bake mixture for 10 minutes at 450 degrees. Remove from oven and layer kale evenly over squash. Squeeze juice from 1/2 of the lime over the kale. Spread the lentil mixture evenly over the kale and place casserole back into the oven for 10 more minutes.

Remove from oven and squeeze second 1/2 of the lime over the top of the casserole. Sprinkle fresh cilantro over the entire dish. Serve over quinoa or couscous, topped with a big dollop of yogurt.

Lentils and Quinoa with Avocado

According to a guy who works at Murray's Bagels on 8th Ave, eating lentils will make you live forever. Here's to heart health! Woohoo!

1 pound lentils
6 C water
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cremini mushrooms, chopped
3 garlic cloves
6 kale leaves, chopped
2 splashes apple cider vinegar
4 splashes soy sauce
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
handful fresh parsley, chopped
1 C quinoa
2 C water
salt
black pepper
avocado
fat-free or dairy-free sour cream (optional)

In a large pot, combine lentils, 6 C water, carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms, whole garlic cloves, a solid pinch of salt, and plenty of black pepper. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes with lid tilted. Add kale, vinegar, soy sauce, cardamom, and coriander, stir well, and cook another 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add parsley, squash garlic cloves against the side of the pot, and stir. Meanwhile, as lentils are cooking, bring 2 C water to a boil in a saucepan. Add quinoa and a pinch of salt and cook for 15 minutes covered on low heat.

To serve, layer a scoop of quinoa and a scoop of lentils in a shallow bowl. Arrange avocado slices on top of lentils and finish with a dollop of sour cream. Heart-healthy and oh-so tasty...

Quinoa Tabouli

Usually tabouli is made with bulgur, but I actually liked it better with the quinoa! This recipe is heavy on the quinoa and light on the parsley . . . feel free to switch it around if you like. It also takes about 10-15 minutes from start to finish, which is awesome.

1 cup uncooked quinoa
juice of 2 lemons
a drizzle of olive oil
about 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs - I used parsley, mint, and chives.
about 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Cook quinoa according to package directions and let cool a bit. I like cooking it in veggie broth - it makes it tres yummy. Toss with lemon juice, olive oil, herbs, and tomatoes. You could also add chopped red onions (which would probably be yummy, if you like raw onions). Other optional additions, for different flavors: chopped red pepper and cilantro.

Soooo good!! Tastes like summer :)

Quinoa, Avocado, and Jicama Salad

Three things I learned while making up this salad:

1. quinoa is the only grain that is a complete protein, containing all of the essential amino acids your body needs
2. jicama is loaded with fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and folic acid (a B-vitamin that helps in producing and maintaining new cells)
3. quinoa, jicama, and avocado all in the same bite is textural heaven...

1 C quinoa, cooked according to package instructions and cooled
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tomato, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1/2 jicama, peeled and chopped into chunks
rice vinegar
olive oil
soy sauce
several dashes cayenne pepper
black pepper, to taste

Saute onion and garlic, if you prefer, otherwise feel free to leave it raw. Add all vegetables to the quinoa and dress with vinegar, oil, and soy sauce (I probably used about 1/4 C of each, but I definitely didn't measure and you should really just do it to your taste). Sprinkle in some cayenne and some black pepper, and mix thoroughly. Taste. Adjust seasonings as necessary. Enjoy!

Quinoa Breakfast Cereal

I've been really into quinoa lately . . . it's really good for you (lots of protein in a grain -- woohoo!) and also really inexpensive. It has a slightly nutty flavor (yum), and it takes all of 10-15 minutes to cook.

Serves 1

anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 cup quinoa, depending on how hungry you are
pinch salt
about 1/2 cup chopped apple
about 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted if you like
brown sugar to taste
cinnamon to taste
nutmeg to taste
splash of milk or cream (optional)

Boil water (1/2 cup water if you're making 1/4 cup quinoa) and add a pinch of salt (very important! Makes it much tastier). Add quinoa and cook, covered, for about 5 minutes. Add apple, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and cook until the water is absorbed and the outside germ of the grain is visible (it'll look like a little ring around it. Personally, I like leaving it a teeny bit crunchy). Remove from heat; stir in walnuts and add milk or cream, if using.

Best eaten on a chilly morning :-)