cooking with quinoa

Last summer, my mom, sister and I attended a Sunset magazine event that featured a few chefs giving demonstrations. One that we saw was Ellie Krieger from the Food Network. What I really liked about her is that she is not only a chef, but also a nutritionist. A lot of cookbooks from chefs include great recipes but they’re not exactly the healthiest meals.

Ellie Krieger made a shrimp scampi dish and a smoothie that day at the Sunset show and I left wanting to try some of her recipes. She uses a lot of herbs and spices to make up for flavors lost with less fat and uses oil sparingly. I also really like that in her cookbook, each recipe has a list of what the dish is an excellent source of – such as calcium, iron, vitamin c, etc. I think that because if you are lacking something in your diet, you can find one of her recipes that is a good source of that nutrient.

Her “So Easy” cookbook is divided into breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert recipes and for each section she gives ideas that are quick or are great to make if you have more time to prepare.

I try to make a fish dinner a few times a month because of the heart and health benefits of it and recently I tried her Salmon Florentine and Quinoa Pilaf with Pine Nuts.

Having never eaten or cooked quinoa, I was excited to try it. Quinoa is similar to rice and couscous where it absorbs all the cooking liquid and puffs up. It’s an ancient grain-like food and is really simple to prepare.

This dish turned out pretty good - I liked the subtle spiciness of the red pepper flakes with the ricotta and spinach mixture on the salmon. I also really liked the pine nuts with the quinoa - I have some leftover that I think would be really good topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. The best thing about this dinner was that it felt really healthy - lots of spinach, quinoa and salmon - and I was left full. 

Salmon Florentine and Quinoa Pilaf with Pine Nuts

Salmon Florentine and Quinoa Pilaf with Pine Nuts

Salmon Florentine

2 10-ounce packages of frozen spinach, thawed

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ cup minced shallots

2 teaspoons minced garlic

5 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese

4 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Using your hands, squeeze all excess liquid from the spinach.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for about 15 minutes. Add the ricotta and stir to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste if needed.

Place the salmon fillets in a glass baking dish. Using your hands, pack approximately ½ cup of the spinach mixture on top of each salmon fillet, forming the mixture to the shape of the fillet. Bake for 15 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through.

While the salmon is cooking, prepare pilaf.

Quinoa Pilaf with Pine Nuts

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup quinoa

¼ cup pine nuts

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ large onion, chopped

1/3 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place the broth and quinoa in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a large, dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove the nuts from the pan and set aside. Heat the oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are softened, about 6 minutes.

When the quinoa is done, fluff with a fork and stir in pine nuts, onions and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and serve with Salmon Florentine. 

(Recipe from Ellie Krieger's "So Easy" cookbook)

corn pesto fettuccini

For some reason I waited almost a year to test this recipe out and I wish I had made it sooner.

Immediately the recipe intrigued me because I had never heard or tasted anything that combined all these ingredients that I love – corn, pasta and basil. I seriously wish I had not waited so long – it was one of the best new recipes I have tried recently!

When I think of pesto, I always think of the traditional Italian pesto with pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, basil and olive oil. But pesto can also include different types of nuts and herbs. This pesto includes the traditional ingredients, in addition to corn. The pesto was so good – I was eating spoonfulls of it before dinner (I had to make sure the seasoning was right!)

I have always loved corn, but to combine corn with basil and Parmesan was something I had never tried. But I knew I would love it. I really liked the freshness of the basil, the sweetness of the corn, the nuttiness of the pine nuts and Parmesan and the saltiness of the bacon. It was so delicious!

It is a time-consuming dish to make because you have to cut the kernels off the corn cob, sauté the corn and then prepare the pesto, but it is definitely worth it if you have the time. 

Corn Pesto Fettuccini

4 bacon slices

4 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 6 large ears)

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

¾ cup fresh basil leaves, divided

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

8 ounces fettuccine

Directions:

Place cleaned corn cobs in a large pot with water. Once the water boils, remove the corn from the pot and let cool. Once the corn has cooled, use a knife to cut the kernels off the corn cobs.

In a large, nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until brown and crisp. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb extra fat. Discard all but 1 tablespoon drippings from the skillet.

Once bacon has cooled, chop or tear it into small pieces.

In the skillet with drippings, add the corn kernels, garlic, salt and pepper and heat until corn is warmed through, about 4 minutes.

Transfer 1 ½ cups of the corn kernels to a bowl and set aside. Place remaining kernels in food processor bowl. Add Parmesan cheese, pine nuts and half of the basil to the bowl. With machine running, slowly add olive oil and process until pesto is almost smooth. Set aside.

Cook pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 ½ cups pasta water.

Add pasta back to pot along with pesto, reserved corn kernels. Toss until mixed through, adding pasta water ¼ cup at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Transfer to serving dishes and sprinkle with bacon, Parmesan cheese and remaining chopped basil leaves. 

(Recipe adapted from Cook Like a Champion) 

chiptole mayo burgers

It wasn't until a couple years ago that I started using chipotle peppers and seasoning when I cook and I love it. I love the smokey spiciness it brings to things.
So when my parents said they made a chipotle mayo for sliders one night, I was tempted to try it.
They used a recipe from Bobby Flay, which I used as well, but I also added garlic, cilantro and lime zest. The recipe calls for mixing the ingredients in a food processor (I used a blender) and it came out a different consistency than typical mayo, but still tasted great. Next time, I think I will blend or puree all the ingredients except the mayo and stir that mixture into the mayo to keep the creaminess of it.
Depending on how spicy you like things, you can add more or less chipotle peppers or adobo sauce.
This recipe also makes a lot of mayo, so you will have leftovers. I think it would also be really good with turkey sandwiches or paninis.

Chipotle mayo

Chipotle Mayo Burgers
Chipotle Mayo
1 cup mayo
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon adobo sauce
zest and juice of 1/2 lime
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
Burgers
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper
Directions:
For the mayo, add all ingredients in food processor until chipotle peppers are pureed and all ingredients are mixed.
For the burgers, mix ground beef with egg and bread crumbs with hands until egg is mixed through. Add salt and pepper (based on preferences). Grill burgers until cooked medium.
Spread mayo on hamburger buns and top with extra sharp cheddar cheese slices, tomato and lettuce.

quick raspberry oatmeal bars

This may be the easiest dessert I have ever made. It’s a one-bowl recipe, which makes clean up so easy and it is so delicious.

In Southern California, they have a restaurant called Corner Bakery that I love – their sandwiches and salads are amazing, but so are their desserts. They have a bunch of bar cookies and one of them is a raspberry bar. This recipe comes pretty close to Corner Bakery’s, which is a big plus.
I first made this a few months ago and have made it a handful of times since then.  I like to use raspberry preserves, partly because that’s what we always have on hand, but I’d like to try it with other jam flavors.

Raspberry Oatmeal Bars

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup rolled oats

½ cup butter, softened

¾ cup raspberry preserves (or any other flavored jam)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square pan and line with greased foil.

Combine all ingredients except butter and jam in a large bowl. Rub in the butter using your hands for form a crumbly mixture. Press two cups of the mixture into the bottom of greased pan. Spread jam to within ¼ inch of the edge. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over the top and lightly press into jam.

Bake for 34-40 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool before cutting into bars.

(Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)

a.m. smoothie

For breakfast, I need something quick and healthy that will get me through the morning. This smoothie is perfect for that.
The recipe is really simple, so after making it a few times, I had the recipe memorized. My mom found this recipe and passed it on to me and my sister and now it’s something we all frequently make.
Smoothies in the morning are perfect because it’s so portable – I can carry it around and drink it while I get ready for work or take it in the car as I drive to work.
One of the things I also like about this recipe is that I can portion out smoothies for the week in Tupperware containers. In each small container, I put the banana, yogurt and apple juice and stick it in the fridge until the morning I want it. In the morning, all I have to do is put that mixture in the blender with frozen fruit and a little bit of honey and breakfast is ready.

Berry Smoothie
1/3 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/3 cup apple juice
1/3 of a large banana, sliced (half a banana if it’s small)
2/3 cup frozen berries (I use a mix of strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, but you can use any type of frozen fruit you like
Honey, to taste (I like the added sweetness, but it’s based on your preference)
Directions:
In a blender, combine all ingredients except honey. Mix until smooth. Add honey if needed and blend until mixed.
Serve immediately.
This makes one serving.

roasted brussel sprouts

Brussel sprouts are one of those vegetables that I was always a little scared to try. I never had them growing up and they have such a bad stigma to them. But, surprisingly they taste really good just cooked in the oven with some olive oil and salt and pepper.
This was our first attempt at cooking them ourselves and Alex and I were pretty impressed with how tasty they were. We served them up with chicken as a side dish and it felt really good knowing that we had such a healthy dinner. Plus, it was such an easy side dish because you just leave them to cook in the oven and serve.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts
10 brussel sprouts, ends trimmed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In an 8x8 pan, place trimmed brussel sprouts, olive oil, salt and pepper, toss gently to coat sprouts evenly.
Place in oven and roast for about 30 minutes, or until edges are dark brown, almost black. Serve immediately, while warm.

Thai pasta

Peanut butter is one of those things that we always, always, always have in the house.
When I spent a semester in Italy, surrounded by yummy pastas, pizzas and desserts, the one food I missed so much was peanut butter. My parents mailed jars of peanut butter to me while I was there and it reminded me so much of home.
Luckily, I married a man who also has a love for peanut butter, maybe even more than me! We love making quick PB&J sandwiches for lunch, peanut butter with apple slices and spoonfulls of peanut butter for mini snacks. So when I found a recipe that included pasta and peanut butter, I thought I should give it a try. I'm so happy I did because it is one of our favorite dinners. And it's so quick and easy. The hardest part about the dish is cooking the chicken. Other than that, it's as simple as dicing up some veggies and boiling some water for pasta.

Thai Peanut Butter Pasta
You can really change around this recipe with more veggies that you like, more or less peanut butter or a different type of meat, depending on your tastes. I love the creamy peanut buttery dressing, the fresh flavor from the cilantro, the crispness and color of the red bell pepper and the crunch from the dry roasted peanuts. 

1 1/4 cups Asian sesame dressing
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 pound cooked spaghetti
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup bean sprouts
1 bunch of green onions, sliced
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
chicken, cooked and chopped
dry roasted peanuts
Directions:
Whisk together sesame dressing and peanut butter until smooth.
While the pasta cooks, chop and dice bell pepper, onions and cilantro and place in a large bowl. Add bean sprouts to the bowl.
Once pasta is cooked al dente, drain and place in bowl with veggies. Mix all ingredients and add dressing and peanut butter mixture to the pasta. Mix well. Top with cooked and chopped chicken and peanuts. Dish up and enjoy.