New World Quinoa Pilaf

Native to Chile and referred to as the "Mother Grain" by the ancient Incas, Quinoa has been nourishing and sustaining civilizations for thousands of years. Quinoa is not a true grain in biological terms. It is the seed to a bushy plant that is a distant relative of spinach. Quinoa is used however just like most grains, and is a perfect stand in for rice and wheat. It is a small, round, flat seed that varies in colors from beige, to red, to black. It is a whole food, retaining both its germ and bran. When cooked, the germ creates a whitish ring around the quinoa with a little curly tail coming from the grain. I have been passionately in love with quinoa since the day I met it six years ago in a restaurant I worked in. I have been seeing it pop up more and more in cook books and food magazines, which is terrific as it deserves a high place in any whole foods kitchen.

Don't let the modesty of this tiny, mighty seed fool you; it is a powerhouse of nutrition. Quinoa is one of the few grains (amaranth and teff are the others), that is a complete protein, meaning it contains all 9 of the essential amino acids. Most grains are low in the amino acid lysine making their protein profile incomplete, but not quinoa. Quinoa is high in fiber which helps to protect our bowels and heart; it is packed full of minerals such as magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, iron, copper, and manganese; it is high in B vitamins which are essential for energy production, and it is also high vitamin E, a wonderful antioxidant and cell protector. Quinoa also contains no gluten, making it perfect for gluten sensitive people. It has a rather mild flavor that is quite pleasing, which I think would make it kid friendly. Quinoa goes well with most foods, but especially South American and Mexican flavors. It has an affinity for chilies, cumin, cilantro, lime, potatoes, sweet potatoes, avocado, tomatoes, and squash. Use quinoa in place of rice for a more nutritious meal. Quinoa can also be found in flour form and can be used in place of 25% of wheat flour in most recipes. Quinoa may first be rinsed before using to remove its natural coating of saponin, which is natures bug repellent. The saponin can be bitter and soaping tasting, but I have found that it just depends on the quinoa. I always cook a small bit just to see if this is even necessary, and I usually find that it is not. Saponins are not bad for you, so it is not a big deal, it all depends on your tastes. Quinoa can be found in any health food store or Trader Joes.

New World Quinoa Pilaf

This is not a completely traditional pilaf cooking method. Normally when cooking in the pilaf style, all of the ingredients are cooked together. However, I don't like overcooked summer squash with raw potato if you get my drift, so I tweak the method a little. The quinoa itself is cooked like a pilaf, then the rest of the ingredients are sauteed on the side and folded in.

-1 cup quinoa, rinsed
-1 3/4 cups water

-1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

-1/2 cup small diced purple onion

-1 teaspoon fresh ground cumin

-2 small Peruvian purple potatoes, diced small

-1 cup green beans cut into 1/2 inch lengths

-2 cloves garlic, minced

-1 Gold Bar summer squash, diced

-2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

-salt and fresh ground pepper

-lime wedges to garnish

In a medium sized pot heat 1/2 tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add in the diced purple onion and sweat until translucent and beginning to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the fresh ground cumin and cook about 30 seconds to 1 more minute. Add in the rinsed quinoa and stir to coat with the onions and oil. Let the quinoa slightly toast, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the water, a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. The second it boils, turn down to a low simmer and cover. Cook the quinoa until all liquid has been absorbed and the germ of the quinoa begins to curl, about 15-20 minutes. Let rest, covered for at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, Heat the rest of the extra virgin olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. When hot, add in the diced potatoes. Stir often to prevent the potatoes from sticking, purple potatoes can be rather starchy sometimes and will stick easily. Cook until the potatoes begin to slightly brown and soften on the edges. Add in the cut green beans and a pinch of salt. Cook about2 more minutes. Add about 3-4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) water or stock to the pot and cover. Let steam about 3-4 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost completely soft. Remove the l;id and add in the squash and garlic. Continue cooking until the squash is just tender, as well as the green beans. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir the sauteed vegetables and chopped cilantro into the quinoa. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve with lime wedges.

Berries n' Cream Steel Cut Oatmeal

Breakfast has always been a bit of a challenge for me, actually eating it that is. I am now finally in the habit of eating breakfast every morning. One of my most favorite breakfast foods is steel cut oats, which are more nutritious than quick cooking oats, and definitely more nutritious than instant packaged oatmeal. The more you process a food, the less nutritious it becomes. But, instant oatmeal is always better than a sugar cereal, so I am not denouncing it.

If you have the inclination, and time, steel cut oats are worth it. They make a substantial breakfast, have a wonderful chewy texture, and sweet, true oat flavor. They are not hard to prepare by any means, they just need to cook for about 20 minutes with occasional stirring. Steel cut oats, or Scottish oats, are whole oat groats that have been cut into two or three pieces. Oats are great for helping to lower cholesterol (as is any whole grain), are high in soluble fiber (which helps to remove cholesterol), have good amounts of B vitamins, calcium, and protein. Oats are good anytime of the day depending on how they are prepared. In countries where oats are an important food source, places such as Ireland and Scotland, oats are eaten as a simple porridge just flavored with a little salt and fat. Oats have a natural affinity for many foods. Examples are berries, bananas, apples, pumpkin or butternut squash, nuts and seeds, cinnamon, and root vegetables. Berries happen to be my favorite, and since organic strawberries have shown up at the market, I can't seem to get enough of the following recipe; Berries n' Cream Steel Cut Oatmeal. I don't actually use cream, but you can if you like, it will be much richer than my version. I like to use a thick, homemade almond milk, or full fat soy milk. If this was to be prepared on a weekend, say for company, I would set out a basic, piping hot pot of cooked steel cut oats and put all the garnishes on the side, like a buffet, and let everyone make their own. It's hard to say how much milk and sweetener a person likes in their oatmeal, it's quite personal actually.When finished, this oatmeal turns a beautiful purple and smells heavenly with berries. This oatmeal is a great start to any day. The below recipe serves two if you have a hungry husband and are yourself pregnant, or 4 with other foods along side, like toast or scrambled eggs.

Berries n' Cream Steel Cut Oatmeal

-1 cup organic steel cut oats
-3 cups water
-pinch of salt
-4 cups of berries, fresh or frozen (defrost before hand)
-soy milk, almond milk, cow's milk, or even real cream (you will need much less if using real cream)
-real maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, or brown rice syrup

Place the oats, water, and salt in a 4 quart saucepan and bring up to a simmer. Simmer the oats, stirring often, until quite tender and the oatmeal is very thick, about 20 minutes. Set up a large bowl of the berries, a pitcher or two of chosen milks, and a bowl of chosen sweetener/s. Ladle the very hot oatmeal into each bowl and let everyone garnish their own. Alternatively, add the berries to the oatmeal and stir in while still on the heat to slightly soften the berries. Serve as above. I like to add frozen blueberries and blackberries to the oatmeal while still on the heat, stir in to defrost and soften, stir in strawberries and maple syrup off heat, and then top with a good pouring of fresh, homemade almond milk.

Asparagus and Wild Rice; A Beautiful Combo

I think spring may officially be here. Well, at least on the Central Coast of California it is. I spend about 45 minutes to an hour every Saturday morning at my local farmer's market buying food for my husband and I (me plus growing baby) for the week. About 75% of what we eat comes from this market, and we eat almost 100% seasonally. The California Central Coast is blessed climate wise and we have packed farmer's markets year round, brimming with seasonal produce. If you start to follow this blog, you will notice that almost all of my recipes are based upon the seasons and what produce is available at my market. That is not to say that I do not buy produce from other regions, for example tropical fruits. I do, but if a food is local to my region, I always opt to buy this first before any other.

The last two markets have been showing the promises of spring, with snap and shelling peas, asparagus, more varieties of greens than I can count, fava beans, and spring garlic and onions at every stand. We always have cauliflower, broccoli, radish, fennel, carrots, and beets (as I said, we are blessed) so these are usual foods on our weekly menus. I bought my first bunch of local asparagus and decided to make the below salad with it, one of my favorites. I wrote this recipe a little over a year ago and added it to a small vegan cookbook I wrote for a vegetarian cooking class I teach a couple times every spring.

Normally, I cook wild rice in the fall and winter, with its complex flavors and heady aromas comforting our chilly house, but this recipe is a good way to use wild rice in the spring. Wild rice is one of the few grains (actually, the seed to an aquatic grass) that is native to the Americas, the Great Lakes area to be exact. Most of the wild rice available to us today is actually commercially grown in California. This wild rice lacks the complexity of available colors and flavors of a true wild rice, but is still good, and is a little more consistent in size and cooking time. If you have some true wild rice available, use it, your salad will turn out a little more interesting. This salad is quite light on the stomach and I find the additions of Myer lemon and fennel to be crisp and refreshing. If asparagus is not available or unwanted (who doesn't like asparagus?), snap peas are just as good, and toasted sunflower seeds make a tasty replacement for hazelnuts. I also sometimes like to add thin slices of steamed beets to the bottom of the platter. I always save my ends that I remove from my asparagus spears to use in some kind of pureed soup where the stringy texture will not prevail. Most likely a recipe featuring these ends will come forth some time this week, so stay tuned and save yours. Hope you like the salad.

Wild Rice, Asparagus, and Hazelnut Salad with
Meyer Lemon-Shallot Dressing

Copyright by Correne Quigley, 2007

-½ cup wild rice
-15 asparagus spears with tough ends removed, cut into

¾ inch pieces and slightly blanched**
-½ cup finely minced fennel bulb
-½ cup toasted, chopped hazelnuts
-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
-1 teaspoon minced tarragon
-1 tablespoon minced fennel frond

Dressing Ingredients:

-1 tablespoon minced shallot

-1/4 cup Myer lemon juice
-1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar

-2 teaspoons raw honey
-2 teaspoons white miso
-1/4 cup organic, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil

For the salad:
Combined the ½ cup wild rice with 1 ½ cups water and a pinch of salt in a medium sized pot. Bring to a boil and immediately turn down to a simmer and cover. Cook until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Pour the rice out onto a plate to cool. When cool, combine the cooked wild rice with the blanched asparagus spears**, minced fennel, and chopped hazelnuts. Season with a little salt and pepper, set aside.

For the dressing:
Place the minced shallots, Meyer lemon juice, vinegar, honey, and white miso in a medium sized glass jar fitted with a lid. Shake the jar to mix the ingredients and to incorporate the miso. Remove the lid and add in the olive oil. Shake vigorously again. Alternately, whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Slowly add the olive oil in a thin, steady stream, to evenly incorporate while constantly whisking.

Assemble the salad:
Pour about 4 tablespoons of the dressing over the rice mixture to moisten. Mix well and taste for seasoning of salt and white pepper. Let the salad stand a few minutes to absorb the dressing and taste again. If it is too dry and bland, add about 2 more tablespoons and repeat the same procedure, allowing the rice to absorb the dressing. This recipe usually takes about 6 tablespoons of dressing, but it is a good idea to add slow. You can always add more, but never take away. Add the herbs right before serving to preserve their bright flavors. This salad serves about 4 people as a side dish, or 2 as a main course.

** To blanch the asparagus pieces: Instead of dropping the pieces into lots of rapidly boiling salted water, instead, I place the pieces into a large bowl and cover with three times as much simmering water and cover. I leave this for about 3-4 minutes, or until the asparagus reach a crisp-tender texture. I then immediately drain the asparagus and run under cold water to cool quickly and preserve crunch and color. I like the asparagus just slightly crunchy for this dish, and I prefer the gentle cooking this method provides. Your asparagus will not turn brown from this unless you leave it in the hot water for a long time. This is the method I use when I want to just take away the raw edge from a vegetable.