Quinoa Cucumber Mint Salad

I made quinoa this morning for breakfast... slipped it into the kid's oatmeal... so sneaky, I know.... they were none the wiser. shh.

I made quite a bit though, so when trying to think up an alternative to potatoes/pasta/rice for dinner tonight I thought I would be able to find a quinoa salad that everyone would like...
I found THE perfect recipe in my book... and THE perfect Dave Vegt bowl to serve it in....

1 English Cucumber
1 red onion (but I had to use white)
1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
1/4 cup fresh mint (chopped)

 1 cup quinoa cooked and cooled (so... turns out to be about 2 cups once cooked) Don't forget to rinse! (thanks for that tip ladies...)

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3 tsp lemon juice ( I added a splash of lime juice)
1 tsp fresh garlic (or to taste... b/c of the kids I added less)
1/4 tsp salt
a few grinds of your pepper mill

The recipe didn't call for it, but I started making a different quinoa salad that called for toasted almond slices... but I didn't have a few of the rest of the ingredients, sooooo.... I switched to this recipe, but still had the almonds I just toasted, so I added them right in too... glad I did.... it added the colour that the red onion was supposed to...(not to mention the YUMMY crunch).

I'm still wondering if the kids will like it, but it's what I'm serving.

VERDICT:  so so SO yummy.  Dave Loved it, the baby gobbled it up (she'd eat worms if I fed them to her in a bowl with a spoon and let her do it herself...autonomy, independence, determination, tenacity... love that intense girl).... the other kids had to be prodded to eat it at first, but eventually decided they liked it and ate the whole thing without complaining again... that or my threats to add another spoonful to their plates if they decided to complain about it again, really did shut them up... not sure.   Regardless,  there's none left for my lunch tomorrow... and I'm a little upset about that.

Try it. You'll like it.

The crowd was pleased!! Quinoa Chicken Broccoli Casserole

This comes with RAVE REVIEWS.  Seriously.  My family ate the whole pan!  It's cheesy goodness will win you over!!! Yay for learning to cook with QUINOA!

1 cup quinoa (cooked - I did mine in a rice cooker)
2 cups water (water needed to cook quinoa)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used shrimp)
3 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups light sour cream
1/2 cup light mayo
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp prepared mustard
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp minced fresh basil
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used mozzarella & cheddar)

Preheat oven to 350º
Spread cooked quinoa over the bottom of your casserole pan.
Brown the chicken breasts both sides (5 minutes each side) OR, I fried the shrimp in coconut oil.
Cool the chicken and slice into 1 inch wide strips. OR shell the shrimp and spread evenly in pan.
Steam your broccoli slightly.  You want it still slightly uncooked.

 Place the broccoli on top.

Mix the sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, curry, mustard & basil.
Spread on top of everything else in the pan

Spread the cheese on top. Take a picture with the cookbook.
Cook for about 20-25 minutes until the cheese is browned.

 

 DELISH!

 

I served it with these yummy bread sticks I found on Pinterest. They are basically pizza dough, rolled and twisted.  On top I added coarse salt & Italiano Seasoning.  Fresh herbs would be even better.

 

So yummy.  The crowd was pleased!

Making Quinoa Palatable

About 6 months ago I bought the Costco package of Quinoa... made it for dinner (in replace of rice).... no one liked it. Not even me.   There was something in the aftertaste that was bitter...  And so was I.  Bitter at the fact that this "superfood" was not so super.  Bitter that I had bought a large package and it wasn't being used.

Full of riboflavin, calcium, vitamin E, folic acid, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, beta carotene it's one of the world's healthiest foods.  It's one of the top ten muscle building foods because of it's protein, amino acids and complex carbohydrates, providing energy and endurance to our bodies.  There is no gluten in quinoa making it a perfect food for those individuals who are vegan, vegetarian, gluten intolerant or have celiac disease, Crohn's, or colitis.  I WANT to LIKE this food!!!

In Port McNeill, there was a store going out of business.  It had gifts (I got a couple wub-a-nub stuffy pacifiers for 1/3 the cost I paid for Myelle's, which I meant to gift in the first place, but I couldn't find her plain pacifier one night and in desperation opened the package intended for a friend's baby) Irresistibly cute right?!

I digress.   In Port McNeill, in the store that was closing out, I found a book of like 200 Quinoa recipes.  Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood.  Score.  It looked sooooo good.  I could make this stuff taste great!!  Breakfast, lunch, supper and snack recipes.  Granola, waffles, loaves, casseroles, soups, cereals & desserts!! At closing out store prices, I couldn't lose! 

Here's my first simple attempt at making Quinoa palatable.

The Ultimate Qunioa Granola

2 1/2 cups large flake rolled oats
3/4 cup sliced almonds (original recipe says whole)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/3 cup quinoa (uncooked)
1/4 cup flaked  unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup walnut pieces (I used pecans)
1 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon (I didn't add)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup rasins

Mix the dry ingredients.
Mix the wet ingredients.
Combine dry and wet ingredients.
Sprinkle cinnamon on top.
Spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 225º for 1 hour. 
Cool.  Then toss in dried fruit.

Store in sealed container for up to 4 weeks in your cupboard.

Served over fresh yogurt.  YUMMY!!!