The Food of Kings

So, I've now discovered quinoa. It was eaten by the Incas and now, by my family. I used the basic recipe from EveryDay Food as a guide and threw this together.

Quinoa with Roasted Red Peppers and Parsley (mine, all mine)

1 C quinoa
2 1/2 C water
1 tsp salt
1/2 each red, yellow and orange peppers, roasted and diced
1/4 C finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
coarse salt and ground pepper
juice of one lemon
olive oil

1. Bring quinoa, water and 1 tsp of salt to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium simmer and cook until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Move quinoa to a bowl and allow to cool.

2. To roast peppers, place them on a cookie sheet, skins up, and broil until skins are blackened. Remove from oven and place them into a ziploc bag to steam the skins. Once they cool, peel the skins and dice peppers. Add peppers, parsley, cheese, lemon juice and olive oil to quinoa. Toss and season with salt and pepper.

The Happiest Spice in the World

I'm trying to eat healthier meals and so we checked this one out and tried something all new- quinoa. Delicious and fun to say. Bonus points for anyone who gets the title reference.

Tilapia and Quinoa with Feta and Cucumber (from EveryDay Food magazine)

1 C quinoa
2 C water
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless tilapia fillets, divided into 8 pieces
3/4 tsp paprika
1 C English cucumber (6 oz), diced small
1/3 C roughly chopped fresh dill
1/3 C feta (1 1/2 oz), crumbled
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1. In a small saucepan, bring quinoa, 2 C water, and 1 tsp salt to a boil over high. Reduce to a medium simmer and cook until water evaporates, about 15 minutes. Transfer quinoa to a medium bowl and let cool 5 minutes.

2. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1 1/2 tsp oil over medium-high. Pat fish dry and season with salt and pepper; sprinkle with paprika. Cook fillets until opaque throughout, about 4 minutes, flipping halfway through. Stir cucumber, dill, feta, 1 tsp oil, and lemon juice into quinoa. Season with salt and pepper. Divide quinoa among four plates and top with fish.

So, this is considered 4 servings, but to be honest, my husband and I ate all the fish between us. I bought almost a pound of fish (in four fillets) and we each ate two. We ate most of the quinoa as well. There is a cup or so left over. This is a very light meal and delicious. My son tried the quinoa and said it was okay but he didn't each much of it. I suspect, like grits, they largely depend upon what you add to them. These had a light, Mediterranean taste. The would be great with any fish dish. The quinoa is a complete protein, so it would be an excellent vegetarian dish on its own. You could easily bulk up this meal with a side salad or some grilled veggies. The recipe says any flaky, white-fleshed fish or chicken cutlets can be substituted for the tilapia. It also suggests mint, parsley or basil in place of the dill.

A Little Spice in Your Life

I meant to make this Thursday but my plans changed. I used to make this fairly often but it fell out of rotation. I have no idea why, but it's going back on the regular schedule.

Spicy Grilled Chicken and Green Onions (from Bon Appetit)

2 TBSP vegetable oil
1 TBSP hot sauce
2 tsp honey
1 tsp paprika
7 green onions
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1. Prepare barbecue (medium high heat). Whisk oil, hot sauce, honey and paprika in a 9-inch glass pie dish to blend. Mince one green onion; mix into marinade. Transfer 2 TBSP marinade to a small bowl and reserve. Add chicken to glass dish to coat. Let stand 10 minutes, turning occasionally.

2. Sprinkle chicken and remaining green onions with salt Grill both until chicken is cooked through and onions soften, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken and onions to plates. Drizzle with reserved marinade.

I served this with a green salad and cheddar bacon grits. It quick and delicious. It is flavorful but my 5 year old ate it, so it isn't too spicy. It can easily be doubled or more for a crowd.

A Little Italy

I was looking through my recipe magazine and saw a recipe for calzones. I looked at it and then forged ahead on my own. They were quick, easy and tasty.

Calzones (inspired by EveryDay Food magazine but my own creation)

4 sausages, sweet or hot
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 can (28.8 oz) Italian-style tomates
oregano, bay leaves, white pepper, basil to taste
two tubes pizza dough
8 oz mozzerella cheese
coarse salt and pepper
olive oil

1. Remove sausages from the casings and roll them into small meatballs, about 6 meatballs per sausage. In a large saucepan, brown the sausages in olive oil. When they are almost browned, add chopped onion, cook until onions soften, about 4 minutes. Add can of tomatoes and juices. Stir and break up tomatoes as you go. Add spices to taste and simmer. Allow to cool (can be made ahead.)

2. Lightly grease two cookie sheets. Preheat the oven to 425. Unroll each tube of pizza dough and cut into four pieces. Flatten each piece of dough and fill with cheese and sauce mixture, leaving half and inch along the edges. Fold the dough over and press the edges shut. Place calzones on the cookie sheets and lightly brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

These were very fast and tasty. Both my guys loved them. You could fill them with almost anything. I had planned to add spinich but I forgot to buy cheese and had to run to the store and ran out of cooking time. They could easily be vegetarian. You could even make them smaller as appetizers. They're a wonderful, quick dinner accompanied by a salad.