Southwestern Quinoa Chili

Last night, I made quinoa again.  And beyond all my reasonable assumptions, my actual enjoyment of quinoa still remains.  I really liked my quinoa chili (even if it was supposed to be a salad...).  And now I am truly stumped.  I was sure that the first time I liked quinoa, it was a fluke.  You see, my two previous attempts of liking quinoa (pre-blog) failed miserably.  I'm talking end-up-in-the-trashcan-and-don't-even-get-me-started-on-how-much-I-hate-throwing-good-food-away kinds of fail.  But I had a 27 lb CostCo bag of quinoa that prompted me to get back on the horse not only once, but twice!  And like any good magic charm #3, I liked it.  It didn't make sense, so I consequently deemed it a fluke.

But now I don't know what to think.  On one hand there are things like my tastebuds and common sense telling me that "Qunioa? Eh, it's not so bad".  And on the other hand?  That's where my inner fat girl hangs out.  The one that distrusts things that come from far away lands, things with funny names, things sworn to be superman healthy.  She's not feeling it.  She is very much "I don't even know what quinoa is".

This is the stuff that epic battles songs are written about.  Why is there never a bard around when you need one?

Angel/Demon shoulder fights aside, I suppose this is a lesson to be taken from all of this.  Don't eat quinoa alone.  Learn from my mistakes.  If you think that cooking it up in some chicken stock with a spice or two will be enough, you are setting yourself up to fail.  Throw something in there: sauteed onions, dried cranberries, fresh corn.  Top it with a dressing, or cheese, or fresh herbs.  Then eat it up, cause really, quinoa?  It's not so bad.

Southwestern Quinoa Chili
Inspried by Pixelated Crumb

This recipe was supposed to be a quinoa salad.  For starters, my patience got the better of me.  I didn't completely drain my beans and tomatoes.  I didn't wait for the quinoa to cool.  I threw it all together in about 20 minutes (plus unloaded my dishwasher!) and enjoyed it even faster.  For the spice blend, there is no need to go one a spicy spice shopping spree if you don't have the ones listed.  Sub in chili powder and cumin as needed for whatever you don't have.  Also, I used chipotle pepper flakes because I have a large jar of them that I never use.  Good old regular red pepper flakes will work just as well!

1 c. quinoa, uncooked
2 c. chicken stock
1 can black beans, drained
1 can green chiles
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil
1 1/2 c. frozen peas, thawed
1 can diced tomatoes

Dressing:
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. chipotle pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. cumin, heaping
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. Hungarian paprika
1/2 tsp. ancho chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano

Thoroughly rinse quinoa in a strainer.  Transfer to large sauce pan over medium heat.  Toast quinoa 2-3 minutes, until a darker tan in color and toasted in smell.  Add chicken broth and bring mixture to a rapid boil.  Cover, reduce heat and let quinoa simmer for 15 minutes, until quinoa "tails" start spiraling away from the grain. If liquid remains, drain (doesn't need to be drained completely) and fluff quinoa with a fork.

In large skillet, heat grapeseed oil (or canola, grapeseed is my new workhorse though).  Sautee garlic and onion for 2 minutes, until fragrant and onions are translucent.  Add beans and green chilies.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, combine dressing ingredients in small bowl and whisk well.

Combine cooked bean mixture, tomatoes, peas and quinoa.  Pour dressing over top and toss to combine.  Serve in bowls topped with queso fresco (or feta) and some crusty bread if you have it.

White Bean and Cabbage Hash

I'm a little bummed.  You see, Deb, my kitchen-crush Deb, just released her book tour schedule.  This should have been a happy day for me, right?  She's even coming to the lovely suburbs of Chicago, close enough that I could even drag Ben along!  But now, this glee, this happy, excited, can't wait to just get my hands on the darn book and now may, just maybe I could get it signed too feeling, it's gone.  Cause I won't be here.  That's right.  Deb is making her way to the Midwest, and I won't even be here.  Needless to say, I am bummed.  I love Deb, you all know that.  It's weird and strange, and don't you dare go insulting my cooking superhero, because I will fight you.  And this chance I get to meet her?  Not there anymore.  My bottom lip is sticking out so far right now, I could balance a pencil on it.

Excuse me while I go and sit and pout for the next 12 minutes.  Hmmpphh.




 

Truth be told, the first cooking blog that I discovered wasn't Smitten Kitchen at all.  That actually didn't come till a few years later.  The first cooking blog I discovered was Heidi over at 101 Cookbooks.  And even though my heart and spatula belong to Deb, Heidi is pretty balling too.  Balling enough to come up with things like summer linguini, and a small stack of cookie recipes that one day I will eventually get to.

I gave my Mom Heidi's cookbook, Super Natural Every Day, for a birthday present a year or two ago.  Because I'm a needy daughter, mere hours after she had opened it, I flipped through the pages, earmarking all the ones that I needed to try as well.  This white bean and cabbage hash has been on the list since day 1, hour zero. 

I find it a little funny that I had wanted to make this recipe for over a year, and it only took my to the night before actually making the recipe to realize that it has a potato in it.  Which is good, because something needed to distinguish it from the other cabbage and bean saute recipe on this site.  I threw in some purple cabbage, mostly for you, for color, so it wasn't just mounds of pale cabbage and potatoes and white beans.  A bundle of leftover fresh thyme that I had, in an effort to minimize waste and at the suggestion of steamykitchen.com.  Head on over there, because those pictures are gorgeous.   I am still in awe that photos of cabbage could look so yummy.  And this is why my blog-love list is continuously growing...

White Bean and Cabbage Hash

Adapted from Steamy Kitchen, who adapted from Super Natural Every Day

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 

1 potato, medium size 

3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, bundled

1/2 red onion, diced 

1 15-oz can cannellini beans, drained 

3 cups heaping green and red cabbage 

kosher salt

Parmesan cheese

Scrub potato well.  Cut into a small dice, about 1/2 inch cubes.  Heat cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Add oil and heat until it begins to shimmer.  Spread potatoes evenly and brown, scrapping and tossing occasionally to get a golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. 

Add onion and cannellini beans.  Spread over bottom of pan and let onions cook down and beans brown.  Add bundled of thyme.  Toss occasionally, scraping browned bits from bottom of pan, browning beans on both sides.  

Toss in cabbage and cook another few minutes until cabbage is cooked down.  Remove thyme bundle.  Sprinkle salt over top to taste.  Top with Parmesan cheese. 

Green Chiles & Corn Stuffed Tomatoes

Yum!

That's right. No story, no random paragraph of intro. No complicated analogy. Just, Yum! Because Yum! was unexpected, but Yum! was what we got. Who would have guessed it?

Because, when I tagged this in this month's CL issue, yum! wasn't what I was expecting. What I was expecting was healthy, filling, tasty.  All of which this was.  But inhalable goodness?  I never would have guessed it.

Even more amazing is that is in fact quinoa stuffed in those tomatoes. Quinoa! I’ve tried to like quinoa for awhile now.  Ben bought me a giant Costco bag worth way back when I lived in Greenville.  And, well, I wanted to love it.  I tried to love it. And I failed, miserably. But now, now I actually have a way to use my 27 lb. bag of quinoa. And enjoy it. Who would have guessed it?

Green Chiles and Corn Stuffed Tomatoes
Adapted from CL's June 2012 issue

I cut this recipe in half because I wasn't sure on how well the leftovers would hold up.  I plumped it back up to it's original size just for you though.  Oh, also important, for a true meatless main dish, do not use chicken broth.  Use vegetable broth or water.  I'm still calling this meatless because there is no actual meat, but I wouldn't use that logic with your local vegetarian.  Also, this is a bit time consuming!  So as a heads up, plan for at least an hour, start to finish, maybe even longer.  Enjoy!

6 large tomatoes
1 tsp. salt, divided
1 c. uncooked quinoa
1/2 c. chicken broth
2 poblano chiles
4 ears fresh sweet corn
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 1 lime
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
4 oz. colby-Jack cheese, shredded (~1 c.)

Wash tomoatoes well.  Slice tops off.  Using a large spoon, gently scoop out tomato insides and reserve.  Leave shells in tact.  Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt into empty tomatoes, and invert on wire rack over paper towels to dry out for 20-30 minutes.  Using fine mesh sieve, drain tomato pulp for juice (you are aiming for 1 cup of liquid here!)  Reserve liquid and discard pulp.

Rinse quinoa once or twice, using sieve.  In medium sauce pan, combine quinoa, 1 cup of tomato juice, 1/2 cup chicken broth (if you don't have 1 cup of tomato juice, add chicken broth or water to make 1 1/2 cups liquid), and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa is cooked and liquid is absorbed.  Fluff with fork.

Preheat broiler.  Cut poblano chiles in half.  Discard seeds and membranes (leave membranes if you want more heat).  Place cut side down on foil lined rimmed baking sheet.  Flatten with hand.  Broil for 8-10 minutes, close to heat, until chiles are black.  Remove and place in paper bag (this will help with peeling!).  Meanwhile, cut corn from cob.  Combine with onions.  Spread out on same foil lined rimmed baking sheets and broil for 8-10 minutes, stirring a few times.

Remove chiles from paper bag.  Peel ski from chiles and chop.  Add broiled corn and onions.  Mix together with oregano, cumin, oil, lime juice and pepper.  Combine corn mixture with cooked quinoa, mixing well.

Turn oven down to 350.  Dry out tomato shells with paper towels and place on foil lined rimmed baking sheet.  Stuff quinoa mixture equally into tomato shells, really packing in as necessary.  Divide cheese equally among tomatoes, patting to secure on top of tomatoes.  Bake in oven at 350 for 15 minutes.  To brown cheese on top, place under broiler for a few minutes.  Serve warm!

Bean and Red Lentil Stew

Illinois has been doing that awesome Midwest thing where it teases you with one warm, sunny, blue sky gorgeous 70 degree day and then spends the next 4 laughing at you as you try to insist that it's perfectly ok to still wear shorts and flip flops and no I am not freezing my patootie off. True, it's not 10 degrees and snowing out, but it's still just shy of the beautiful days of tank tops, sunglasses and beer punch.  It's the weird in between time, when the jacket worn the morning isn't needed by lunchtime and stew is a perfectly sensible dinner, warm, filling, and eaten with the patio doors open and a cool breeze coming in.

This stew was a winner on many fronts.  It was light enough for spring, even if it is called stew.  I finally had a reason to buy garam masala, a "hot" Indian spice blend I can now official be a fan of.  It used some of those pesky black sesame seeds that seem to taunt me every time I open my spice cabinet (I really should hide them way in the back).  And it's super healthy, almost unnecessarily so (even if swimsuit season is oh! so! close!), hence the welcome addition of cheese on top.  And it's easy (aka quite "can-heavy"), it's a crock pot dump, mix, turn on and come home to an apartment full of yummy smells.

Of course, I have my changes.  The crumbled queso fresco on top is a winner and should definitely be kept (besides, you'll have extra laying around for this!).  I loved the olives and instead of having half a can of black olives in my fridge that I'm not quite sure what to do with, I will throw in the whole can next time.  And in this context, I would say any canned beans you have taken up room in your pantry would work.  The recipe called for two cans of chickpeas, and I only had one, hence the introduction of kidney beans.  Also, three cans of beans could stretch this even further, but then again, I am a bean lover.  Also, more lentils.  It is a lentil stew after all, isn't it?  So yes, double lentils.  Oh. And absolutely serve it with some crusty bread.  The recipe below is what I will make next time.  As always, if you are interested in the original recipe, check out the link right under the title.

So, BGCB worthy?  Ben says yes and I can't really see why not.  It seems like quite the go-to, easy vegetarian and, oh yeah, in the crock pot!, kind of meal.  If only I had discovered it at the start of lent... my bad.  Guten Appetit!




Bean and Red Lentil Stew
adapted from Whole Foods, of all places

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tsp. garam masala
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds (black ok)
2-3 cans, 15 oz., chickpeas, or other canned bean, drained and rinsed
1 c. dried red lentils
1 can, 28 oz., tomato puree
2 c. vegetable broth
1 can, 15 oz., black olives, drained
Queso Fresco or other crumbly cheese, to top

In medium pan over medium high heat, heat onion.  Sauté until soft 3-4 minutes.  Add chile, garlic, garam masala and sesame seeds, continuing to sauté until chiles are softened and whole mixture is fragrant.  Transfer mixture to slow cooker.

Add chickpeas/beans, lentils, tomato puree, broth and olives to slow cooker.  Stir until everything is well mixed.  Place lid on top and turn to low for 10 hours.  To serve, ladle into individual bowls and top with crumbled cheese.  Serve with crusty bread.

If you are interested, Whole Foods has some nutrtion information at the bottom of their recipe.  You know, if you're into that whole don't put too much cheese into your mouth kind of thing...

Garlic and Bean Enchiladas

There is so much to tell you about!  My birthday cake (cinnamon roll cheesecake, and it was as delicious as it sounds, thank you mommy), Thanksgiving, new pies and tarts, Thanksgiving, stuffing and stuffed mushrooms and, oh yeah, did I forget to mention THANKSGIVING HAPPENED LAST WEEK?  Which really is my only defense as to why it has taken me so long to get back on here.  It took me way too long to organize my photos from the baking, cooking, eating bonanza, let alone blog about it.  

Which totally explains why, instead of getting into the heart of the decadence and diving into pie recipes head first, I am giving you this.  Last night's dinner.  And consequently, today's (and tomorrow's and Friday's) lunch. Garlic and bean enchiladas smothered in salsa verde and less cheese than I personally prefer, but so it goes the week following Thanksgiving.  

I discovered this recipe the summer I lived in Rhode Island, back when I was the only one who knew how to cook and I would exchange homemade dinners for freshly made margaritas at least once a week.  While I haven't made it since that summer, I remember it being two things:  a small pain in the butt to make and quite tasty.  Being as I'm now older and wiser, I think I have managed to cut back on the first , and after lunch today I can confirm the second: still tasty!

The original recipe, safely pasted into my big green cookbook, calls for things like thinly slicing EIGHT cloves of garlic and pre-frying the corn tortillas in a good inch of oil.  All I can say to that is, get yourself one of these things and chop the damn garlic and there is no need to be deep frying anything.  As stated above, it's the week after Thanksgiving!  Not only will your stomach love you for laying off the leftover turkey and candied yams, but I'm pretty sure your thighs aren't going to complain about something not being deep fried.  Instead, poor a small amount of oil in a skillet and heat the tortillas a few seconds on each side, letting them blister.  And all of a sudden, you have a quick, healthy meal.  Healthy because salsa is good for you and we're going light on the cheese, remember??  (And if you sprinkle on a little more while no one is looking, I promise it'll be our little secret!)  Guten Appetit!

Garlic and Bean Enchiladas

I promise that these are not as garlicky as they sound.   Also, they can be made the night before, all the way up through smothering it in salsa and cheese.  Plus, if you grate the cheese the night before, they'll be in the oven in a minute flat!  Just cover the naked enchiladas and refrigerate them over night.

2 Tbsp. Canola oil, plus more for warm tortillas
8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cans cannellini beans, drained
1/3 c. chicken broth
2 tsp. ground cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
10-12 corn tortillas
2 cups salsa verde
1 1/2 c. pepper jack cheese, shredded (about 1/2 a brick)

Preheat oven to 375.  Over medium heat, heat oil in sauce pan until hot.  Add garlic and cook, stirring the whole time until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add beans and chicken broth.  Season with cumin, salt and pepper to taste.  Continue cooking until soft, mashing beans to desired consistency, about 7-9 minutes.

In cast iron skillet, heat a small amount of oil.  One by one, warm tortillas a few seconds on each side until a little blistered.  Let drain on paper towels.

To make enchiladas, take one tortilla and fill with a few good spoonfuls of the garlic and bean mixture.  Roll up tightly and place in a greased 9-by-13 baking dish.  Fill tortillas until all the bean mixture is gone.  If making the night before, stop here.  If not, pour salsa over enchiladas until covered.  Sprinkled cheese over top.  Bake in 375 degree oven until cheese is melted and salsa is bubbling, about 20-22 minutes.

Herbed Summer Squash and Potato Torte

 

Work lately has been grand.  Word has gotten around that I'm a big fan of fresh produce and lots of the guys are using that as an excuse to pawn off their garden excess.  I have as of late found myself with bags brimming with squash, cucumbers and on one very lucky occasion, beautiful, big blackberries.  But, and I am sorry but there is no other way to say this, it is both a blessing and a curse.  There are only so many things you can do with summer squash.  And disguising them in tortes, hidden between layers of yukon gold potatoes so your boyfriend doesn't notice you're feeding him vegetables, is one of them.

It should come as no surprise that when I went hunting online for recipes to use up my free harvest, my first stop was at the smitten kitchen.  And while I really do promise that I look elsewhere for cooking inspiration, my blog crush has saved me several times when I needed kitchen help.  It makes sense that it is my first stop on any recipe scavenger hunt.  And wouldn't you know it, but my first search resulted in a recipe that was actually already on my "recipes to try" list.  

All I needed was some potatoes and fresh thyme.  

Only I kind of really hate buying a bunch of fresh herbs at $3 a pop, using 2 springs and never being able to use the rest before it goes bad and then laying them to rest in my garbage can.  So I made the executive decision to use dried instead.  It's economical, less wasteful and surely I had some dried thyme in my spice cupboard I told myself.  And then I got home.  Well, actually a few hours later at 8 pm when I started to throw together dinner, I realized that last bit was more or less false.  Dried thyme was no where to be found.  I pulled out a few that I thought could be viable alternatives: oregano, rosemary, basil, but none of them really seemed to be agreeable to me at that moment.  And then there was my mason jar full of herbs de Provence, still hanging around from my trip to Seattle and Pike's Market.  One of the more underused herbs I have, I still love herbs de Provence every time I use it.  Some of that love is definitely for the pretty dried purple lavender flowers nestled among the herbs, which - hey, wouldn't you know it - included thyme.  I found my substitution.

The smell of the potatoes browning in the oven layered with Parmesan cheese and herbs de Provence was mesmerizing.  It was about 30 minutes of an apartment filled with yummy, homey, fresh baked aromas.  It was Ben's first comment as he walked through the door.  A few minutes later it was out of the oven and on our plates.  While Ben wasn't overwhelmed with the torte, I kept finding myself going back for seconds and thirds.  I wasn't blown away by the first bite, but I ate till I was full.  And I am really looking forward to my leftovers for lunch tomorrow.  I could definitely try this again.  I imagine with some zucchini would be good and maybe even some yummy mascarpone smeared in between the layers.  And I may just have to try this again, my produce drawer is more than heavy in the squash department.    

Herbed Summer Squash and Potato Torte

Inspired by the great Smitten Kitchen

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced and divided

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp. flour

1/2 Tbsp. Herbs de Provence

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, about 3 medium sized

6 oz. yellow crookneck squash, 1 medium sized (zucchini may be delicious as well)

3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter an 8-inch bake pan.  (If using a glass dish, reduce by 25 degrees and preheat to 350)

Slice potatoes and squash into 1/8 inch rounds.  (I suggest using a mandolin.  But be careful.  Sliced my finger something bad while cleaning the thing.  It's a love hate relationship).  Set aside 2 tablespoons of green onions.  Mix remaining onions and next 5 ingredients, through pepper in a small bowl and set aside.

In prepared pan, layered 1/3 of sliced potatoes in concentric circles, overlapping slightly.  Layer 1/2 of squash slices on top.  Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle with 1/3 of onion/cheese mixture.  Press layers down slightly.  Repeat: potatoes, squash, oil, cheese, potatoes, oil, cheese.  Press gently to flatten.

Cover pan with foil and bake until potatoes are almost tender, about 40 minutes.  Remove foil from torte and continue baking until it is browned and potatoes are tender, about 20-25 minutes longer.   Remove from onion and sprinkle with leftover green onions.  Slice into wedges and serve. 

Summer Veggie Pizza

The funny thing is, on Saturday over a very yummy Mediterranean Focaccia from CPK, Ben and I talked about how silly recipes for pizza can be.  Don't get me wrong here, there are a myriad of good and different pizza dough recipes, 3 alone on my own recipes to try list.  And there are pizza sauce recipes in all colors: red, white and a black bean pizza sauce I hope to find soon.  But once you get past the crust and the sauce, if even any at all, you can't make a recipe for a pizza.  A pizza is whatever you want it to be.  A pizza is whatever food you have lying around in your fridge.  A pizza is a blank canvas, to use an overused expression.  And this one ain't any different.

Of course, that being said, this pizza did come from a recipe.  A recipe I am going to cut out and paste into my big green cookbook, none the less.  But it's not like I'm going back on my whole pizza philosophy.  Because, and here is my bottom line here kiddos, a pizza recipe can inspire.  And 2 ears of sweet corn on a pizza is most definitely inspiration. 

The only measuring cup or spoon I used was for the olive oil, which called for 4 teaspoons to make a very yummy garlic infused oil base for the pizza.  After that, it was anyone's game.  I had bell pepper rings left over in my freezer from my bell pepper salad.  I cut slices from a yellow onion until the pile looked just about right.  I grated the mozzarella until that pile looked just right too.  I did a free sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes.  I skipped the asparagus and looking back now, wish I had doubled the amount of corn.  The thing that drew me into this recipe in the first place was definitely the show stealer.  The corn kernels stayed crisp in the oven, so that when you bite into the pizza they are fresh and these great little pops of juicy, sweet corniness. 

So here is my take away.  This pizza is good.  And it doesn't need a recipe (and when I say recipe I guess I should clarify here and say measurements and stuff)  Take whatever summer veggies you have hanging around in your vegetable crisper and slice them up.  But if I were you, I wouldn't forget the corn.

Summer Veggie Pizza

Inspired by the August 2011 Cooking Light

8 oz. store-bought pizza dough
     (why not fresh though?)

4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Yellow Onion, sliced

Bell Peppers, sliced

Fresh Sweet Corn on the Cob
     (please, please don't used canned!)

Cornmeal

Mozzarella Cheese

Salt

Crushed Red Pepper

Basil leaves to garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 500.

Heat a small skillet over medium heat.  Add olive oil and garlic to pan.  Cook 2 minutes or until fragrant, be careful not to brown.  Remove oil from pan and discard garlic.  Add a swirl of oil to pan and add onions and bell peppers.  Saute till soft, about 5 minutes.  Set aside.  Cut corn from cob and add to vegetables.

Lightly flour surface.  Sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of cornmeal.  Roll out pizza dough into a 13 inch circle.  Transfer to a baking sheet.  Brush dough with garlic oil.  Top with vegetable mixture.  Cover with shredded cheese, salt, and red pepper. 

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Top with basil, if desired.  Slice and serve!