Tag Archives: quinoa

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Grains and Greens

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This is a recipe that features the grain you feel like eating today*, the greens that are in season, and whatever vegetables you are in the mood to sautè. For this particular version, I chose quinoa, red peppers, and spinach, but you can saunter through your kitchen, gather up your choices, and start chopping. If you get your veggies organized, and do your chopping early in the day, you’ll be able to throw this meal together quickly. And if you make the grains the evening or weekend before, you’ll feel like a pro when everything comes together in just a few minutes.

At the moment there are bowls of millet, quinoa, and brown rice in my fridge. I don’t usually have three different options, but that’s what there is today. I like to make grains after dinner so they cook during cleanup, and they’re done when you are. Once they’re cooked, I leave them to cool on the stove for a while. Then I transfer the cooked grains into a storage dish, and place them in the refrigerator to use whenever. I recommend doubling this recipe so you can eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

  • 1/2 cup raw quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth
  • 3 cloves of garlic, diced
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 3/4 tsp. smoky paprika
  • 3/4 tsp. turmeric
  • 1 tsp. dried basil
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp. Kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup raw almonds, chopped
  • 2-3 cups baby spinach, rinsed well and dried

Heat the olive oil in a deep frying pan until fragrant, add the garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the onion and fry for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add diced red pepper, and cook 1-2 min more. Make a well in the center of the vegetables, and add the red pepper flakes, paprika, and turmeric. Stir the spices for a few seconds, and mix in the vegetables from the edges of the pan. Then add the broth and quinoa. Add salt and basil, stir once more, cover, and simmer 20 minutes until the grains are soft and cooked through. Remove pan from heat, stir in raw spinach, and serve immediately. 

Divide the recipe among 4 bowls, sprinkle with almonds, and serve. This recipe is delicious all by itself, but it is also great with a cup of tomato soup. 

*If you choose to use a grain other than quinoa, change the ingredients to one cup of cooked grain and 3/4 cup of stock.

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Yellow Squash Soup

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This soup is perfect for all the cold days and nights ahead, and it cooks up beautifully in a crock pot. If you throw together all the ingredients in the morning, the house will smell heavenly all day, and the soup will be ready to eat come dinnertime. If, on the other hand, evening works better for prepping the ingredients, the house will smell heavenly through the night and when you awaken, and the soup will be ready at lunchtime. For the record, it will also keep ’til dinnertime. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: A Taste of Fall — Sweet Potatoes, Sage, & Rice

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More than any other time of year, I have always loved the summer’s end and early fall most of all. I love the chill in the air on late August and early September evenings, the feel of cozy scarves for the first time in months, the smells and sounds of soups and stews bubbling away on the stove. I never get tired of sweet potatoes, and I continue to love experimenting with new recipes for all kinds of squash, like butternut, delicata, acorn, and hubbard, not to mention pumpkins and spaghetti squash. The ingredients in this recipe hit all the right aromatic flavor spots, and I hope you get a chance to try it soon. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Tofu & Peas on Quinoa

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I created this recipe for one of our family celebrations this past December. Of course I used frozen peas. The vegans ate it as their main course, and everyone else was happy to see another dish to try. Enough said.

1/2 large Vidalia onion, diced small
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and minced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. chili pepper
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1/2 tsp. garam masala
2 tsp. tamari
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup quinoa
1/2 cake tofu, diced approx. 1/2-inch
1 cup frozen (or fresh) sweet peas

1. Prepare 1 cup quinoa per directions on the package to yield approximately 2 cups of cooked quinoa. Set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes and make sure all the water has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork.

2. Heat olive oil on med-high heat, and add diced onion, stirring occasionally until the edges are barely beginning to brown. Stir in the diced ginger and garlic. Add diced tofu, continuing to mix occasionally, until the edges are becoming golden. 

3. Add salt and pepper, serrano pepper, and cardamom, and stir for 30 seconds until well mixed. Immediately add the sweet peas, turn down the heat to low, and add tamari plus 2 Tbsp. boiling water. Stir to mix well, and cook for a minute or two just until the peas turn bright green.

4. Thickly cover the bottom of a shallow serving bowl with the cooked quinoa. Cover the quinoa with the tofu-pea mixture. Squeeze lemon over dish, and serve with a thin slice of lemon on top. Serves 3-4.

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Spicy Stuffed Peppers

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You may have noticed that I am working on providing you with a few recipes that warm you up through these winter months. I love heat, so this is a perfect recipe for me. But if your tastes tend more toward the gentle landing, I recommend skipping the jalapeño and reducing the red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon. Or you can just forget both of them altogether. That’s because the chili powder will still provide some spicy excitement. For me though, I’m all in, which means that if my batch of jalapeños isn’t particularly hot, then I’ll happily add an extra one. So if you’re game, I’m going to recommend that you try letting this gorgeous fireworks of color land on your tongue all at once, because if you can tolerate the concert, your tastebuds will sing! Continue reading →

The Neighborhood, Its Trees, and a Recent Potluck (with Recipe)

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I live on a cul-de-sac with a special group of neighbors. I’ve heard it said that ours was the first residential street in the village; attempts to maintain its character have continued for 70 years. Many homes—though not ours—are identifiable by the local stone used to build their original facades. The Neighborhood Lane Association that was formed shortly after people began moving in continues to this day. We have seen members of the last generation grow up, and then return to raise a generation of their own.  Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Carrot-Zucchini Soup

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Here’s a lovely plant-based soup that I tossed together a couple of weeks ago. I made it in a little green Staub Cocotte that I’ve had for a very long time. It always seems like everything I make in that pot comes out so flavorful and delicious. Any soup pot will do of course, but it’s always nice when you have a favorite. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Bob’s Red Mill Quinoa Salad

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You may or may not have heard, but last month, on February 10th, Bob Moore, a founder of Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods, passed away at the age of 94. And I felt the need to write a post about this man who made such a remarkable difference in our food supply. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Stuffed Peppers and Split Pea Soup

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While our kitchen gets its makeover, the refrigerator, microwave, toaster oven, and water kettle have temporarily taken over a corner of the den, and we are doing our best to use up everything we have. It’s a little bit like camping out, except it’s inside your own house. So I’m trying to be extra-creative.

Our lovely little makeshift pantry has a variety of goodies including a half-empty bag of quinoa, and containers of various dry items such as peanuts, raisins, and cashews; and canned beans, baba ganoush, tomato sauce, and pickles.  Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Quinoa-Pistachio Salad

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Thank goodness for quinoa and pistachios. If your mint isn’t coming up yet, feel free to substitute lemon balm, which grows wild and crazy around my house. This is a very forgiving recipe, and if you have other things you’d like to add or use up, like shredded carrots or chopped red pepper or a little lemon juice, then go right ahead. Continue reading →