Quinoa Mung Bean Salad

Quinoa Mung Bean Salad

A lovely Spring-time salad or a side-dish perfect for BBQ's this Summer! I got the idea from a salad I bought at the grocery store but then made a few adjustments to it to fit my liking so it's mostly made up.

I do hope we see a bit more Summer sun and a lot less Spring rain this weekend!










Ingredients

1 cup cooked Red Quinoa
3/4 cup cooked chickpeas
3/4 cup cooked mung beans
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomato
1/4 sliced black olives
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Fine Sea Salt to taste
Pepper to taste (can substitute for cayenne pepper for more spice)

Directions


Mix the oil and vinegar in a small bowl, can add a spoonful of lemon juice or two to help them bind.  Then add the rest of the ingredients all together in a large bowl and pour the dressing on top, mixing it in. Serves about 8-10 people.


Serve and enjoy!

When You Have to Improvise

I had to share this comic, not only because I love it and that it comes from one of my all-time favourite websites, My Modern Met but it's sometimes how I feel in a crowd of meat-eaters.

You know you're busy when you just manage to pull a meal together using only 5 main ingredients: quinoa, kale, Zucchini, onions, and dragon sauce.  I did a little, using what I had in the fridge and making more dragon sauce.  I had to especially get creative when I knew Mike would be joining me for dinner and he so tells me 'I want to eat healthy too, like I was with you when we first started dating.'

So I cooked up some Quinoa, sauteed some onions in olive oil, added the torn up kale pieces, chopped up zucchini and a dash of garlic powder and sea salt for taste.

Once cooked just enough (so that the kale starts to shrivel) I topped off the quinoa with it and added the dragon sauce.  Personally I loved it ... Mike seemed to and he said he liked it but I hinted a bit of hesitation in his voice.  Good man, he ate it all anyway.

The Original Black Eyed Peas

      Photo from: http://acookandherbooks.blogspot.com/2010/10/dont-mess-with-texas-caviar.html

I kinda hate that when you know type 'black eyed peas' into Google the musical band comes up way before the actually bean does and really, what's better for us?! 

Anyway, this week, I tried a fantastic recipe that called for black eyed peas, a fantastic little bean with an interesting story.  I found the recipe from one of my all-time favourite recipe vegan blogs: Fatfree Vegan Kitchen.  I made a few changes mostly because I didn't have everything it called for but the end result was delicious nonetheless.

Black-eyed Pea Masala

Original recipe from Fatfree Vegan Kitchen

2 cups black-eyed peas
1 large onion, diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 tsp turmeric
3 medium to large tomatoes, diced
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp organic cane sugar
1 tsp salt (or to taste)

1. Pick over the dried peas, removing any debris, and rinse.

2. Cover with water and allow to soak for at least 8 hours. Drain peas just before cooking.

3. Heat a large non-stick pot or pressure cooker. Spray the bottom with cooking spray (omit if pot is non-stick) and add the onions.

4. Cook, stirring, until onions soften then add the cumin and cook for 1 minute.  Add the ginger and garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.

5. Add the drained peas and all remaining ingredients along with 2 cups of water and bring to a low boil.

If pressure cooking, seal the cooker, bring to high pressure, and cook for 7 minutes; remove from heat and allow pressure to come down naturally. Check seasoning and add more salt and garam masala if necessary. Simmer uncovered for a few minutes to allow flavors to blend, and mash a few peas against the side of the pot to thicken the sauce. If all peas are not completely tender, cover but do not seal the cooker and simmer until peas are tender. (From Fatfree Vegan Kitchen)

If cooking in a regular pot, cover and simmer until the black-eyed peas are tender about 30-45minutes.

6. Check seasoning and add more salt and garam masala if necessary.

Serve with bread or in this case, I served it with cooked Quinoa - just for that added protein/grain  goodness.

Enjoy!

Birthday Dinner: Surprise, it's Vegan!

I love being part of my big family dinners especially now that I can contribute my experimental vegan dishes - well not so much experimental as they are brand new to me and to my family.  As I slowly plow through my many vegan recipes and cookbook I share with you two recent recipes.  One I loved and have already made twice and the other I liked but for the amount of work that was put into it, I will likely never make again!

Quinoa Pilaf
(Original recipe from 500 Vegan Recipes)

Cooked quinoa with shredded carrots, slivered almonds, chopped dates, olive oil, lemon juice with spices like cayenne pepper, turmeric, cumin, and salt, with a bit of shredded ginger root for an intense spicy flavour. I have it served here with a small side of roasted carrots and sweet potatoes.

Mediterranean Spring Rolls 

(Original recipe from 500 Vegan Recipes) ... Stuffed with tofu, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms and spices - really pretty simple stuffing, very annoyingly difficult herb doug!

Quinoa is the New Soup Good for the Soul

Quinoa Vegetable Soup
Original recipe from You Won't Believe It's Vegan, p.74

I wanted to make this recipe but realized I was missing a few things but I went ahead and did it anyway, made a few substitutions and add-ons, so here is the version I made:

1 cup of baby carrots, washed and diced
1 large red onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 cups of vegetable broth + 3 cups of hot water
1/2 cup quinoa, well rinsed
1 cup spinach, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste (optional)

1. In a 4- to 6-quart stockpot, sauté the onions, garlic, carrots, sweet potato and spices in the olive oil, over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

2. Add the vegetable broth and hot water and bring to a simmer.

3. Add the quinoa to the pot.  Let cook until the quinoa start to plump and soften, about 15 minutes.

4. Add the spinach at the end of the quinoa cooking time, and cook just until the vegetables are softened and wilted.

5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Quick Quinoa Lunch Wraps

Quinoa is so quick and easy to make that it's a great option for any lunch-time meal.  I personally love sandwiches and more then sandwiches, I love wraps!  So I took the left over quinoa I had from the quinoa raisin muffins and make a spicy quinoa wrap:

Spicy Quinoa Salad Wrap

For the salad: 
1/2 to 3/4 cup of quinoa or more, up to a 1.5 cups
1 small sweet red pepper, chopped
1 small sweet yellow pepper, chopped
1 small sweet orange pepper, chopped
1 medium red tomato, chopped
1-2 tbsp of hot pickled peppers, chopped
2-3 tbsp organic salsa (mild, medium or hot)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (can omit if using hot salsa)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tbsp of olive oil (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste (optional)

For the wrap:
1 whole wheat flat bread wrap
handful of spinach leaves, washed and dried

1. In a medium bowl add all the salad ingredients together and mix well. Set aside.

2. On a cutting board, lay the flat bread out and lay some spinach leaves on top.  Then add a few large scoopfuls of the quinoa salad.

3. Fold one side of the wrap, tucking all the food under it and begin to roll the wrap tightly so that nothing falls out.

4. Cut on an angle through the middle of the wrap and serve with a side salad or pickles, whatever you like.

Enjoy!

Quinoa (C)raisin Muffins

Muffins (when properly proportionate) can make a nice breakfast option or a snack on the go .  These muffins were very dense but very hearty and delish!  I made a few adjustments to the original recipe because I was missing a few things and personally I'm not a big fan of raisins but do LOVE dried cranberries!

Quinoa Craisin Muffins
Original recipe from 500 Vegan Recipes, p. 71
 
1 cup gluten-free flour mix (or whole wheat flour)
2/3 cup light brown sugar (or raw sugar)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup creamy nut butter (I used tahini actually - would have been nicer with almond)
2/3 cup + 2 tbsp of rice milk (or soy milk)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup cooked and cooled quinoa
1/2 cup of dried cranberries (or raisins)

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with paper or silicon liners.

2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In a medium mixing bowl combine the nut butter, rice milk and vanilla, mixing well.

4. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, careful not to over mix.

5. Fold in the quinoa and dried cranberries and mix just enough.

6. Bake for about 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

7. Let cool on a wire rack before serving.

Too tired to Quinoa ...

This weekend I went out for a friend's birthday and although it was a good time and I love being with my friends, it totally kicked my butt for the next day (Sunday) there was just no way I was gonna get anywhere near my kitchen to cook.

I know, my quinoa week is not off to a great start but stay tuned for tomorrow as I do hope to get my butt in gear tonight and make something yummy to share with everyone!

Check out the website to see how quinoa is grown and brought to life!

MexiQuinoa: Why Quinoa is SO Excellenté!

MexiQuinoa

from 500 Vegan Recipes

So what's so great about Quinoa? (pronounced 'keen-wa')


Well for one thing it's pretty affordable and gluten-free, so it's safe for everyone to eat.  For all the vegans out there or non-meat eaters it's also an amazing source of protein. A ½ cup serving of dry quinoa has approximately 11 grams of protein, when cooked it's low in fat and still high in protein, nearly 9g per cup.  It doesn't end there, it's also loaded with minerals such as magnesium.


Best of all quinoa is as easy to cook as rice, maybe easier! It absorbs any flavour you add to it and it can make for an excellent comfort food alternative to potatoes or starchy bread.

Here's a great summary of quinoa's greatness: 

It provides a rich source of vegetable protein and slow releasing carbohydrates. A relative of spinach and chard, quinoa is the only "grain" considered to be a complete protein source. It contains all eight of the amino acids that are important for our health. This is especially important for vegans, because no other grain possesses the amino acid lysine which is important for the growth of tissue and their repair (source).

Sources:  
Diet Blog
Dietriffic
Quinoa Kitchen

In honour of this amazing grain-like seed I am going to challenge myself to make a new dish using quinoa every night for one week and will share it with you on this blog (September 27 - October 1).

Wish me luck!