Tag: quinoa

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Edith’s Quinoa Pilaf

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Once upon a time, it was during a rather difficult time in my life, my dear friend Edith introduced me to quinoa. At a time when I really needed good friends, she was more supportive than I could ever have wished for a friend to be. We all have times where we have to lean on others to be our strength, depend on others or where we just need to have someone’s support and company. I spent some long evenings over at her place and on one of those occasions, I helped her whip up a simple Pilaf that can be used as a vegetarian main or as a side.

imageHere a meal made possible by friends 🙂 Quinoa Pilaf and grilled buck tenderloin from my friends Rebecca & Marc

I am not claiming that this is exactly the way she made it, since who knows how well my memory serves me, and I have made various versions over the years, but to this day, anytime I make this dish, I say a little prayer of thanks to her and it warms my heart to know that I am blessed enough to have good friends that are there for me, when I need it most 🙂

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
  • 2 cups shiitake mushrooms
  • 1/2 lb (1/2 pack) frozen mixed vegetables (peas, corn, baby lima and green beans)
  • 1 pack Tempeh, cut into cubes
  • 3-4 tbsp Shoyu or Tamari (Soy Sauce)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • coconut oil for cooking

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Directions

  1. Carefully rinse the quinoa in several changes of cold water to remove the saponins. (If you have a really fine meshed sieve, you can use that).
  2. Place in a medium sauce pan and cover with water by 3/4″ (You are adding about 2 cups water), bring to a boil on medium, then cover and simmer until done and most of the water is absorbed.
  3. In the meantime, place tempeh in a dish and drizzle with Shoyu or Tamari Soy Sauce, set aside to marinade.
  4. Cut the stems off of the mushrooms, then slice the mushroom caps, set aside.
  5. Heat some coconut oil in a big skillet, and add the tempeh pieces, (don’t pour the soy sauce in, pick the pieces out) reserve the soy sauce.
  6. Cook until browned on one side, then flip each piece and cook on the other side.
  7. Add the mushrooms, soy sauce, 1/2 cup water to the skillet and cook until the mushrooms are tender.
  8. Add the frozen vegetables and cook until heated through. Combine the cooked quinoa with the mushroom and vegetables, and serve.

image Here’s to good friends and those unexpected people that are there for you an of course the good food that connects us all!

© 2012 SimpleHealthyHomemade

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5 minute Snack Cakes

imagePumpkin White Chocolate version here shown made with rolled oats…

imageand Tropical Mango version with Raspberry Mango Sauce, shown made with Quinoa   (I know, it looks like Ketchup; Trust me it tastes TOTALLY different!)

For breakfast, as a snack and the best part, it’s utterly delicious cold as well AND when cold, they are portable (minus the garnish)

You can make these with rolled oats or any other flakes such a quinoa or barley flakes. You might have to adjust cooking time a little, but whatever is on hand works for these!

As an easy alternative to getting a mango, peeling and pureeing it, I have used mango baby food. One of my friends turned me onto the idea of using baby food as a flavoring for plain greek yogurt. Check the ingredients, but the brand I use has no added sugar, some flavor varieties use fruit juice to add extra sweetness. Don’t like mango? Make it juts with apple sauce or maybe a pear baby food?

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Tropical Mango Banana Cake

Ingredients

1/2 cup quinoa or oat flakes,
1/2 ripe banana (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup mango purer (use 1 small glass of mango baby food, 4 oz)
1 tbsp sugar (palm sugar, etc)
(1 tbsp Chia seeds, optional)
1/4 cup rasbperries, frozen or fresh
Mix 1/4 cup of the mango, banana, oats (or quinoa), sugar, and Chiang seeds if using in a bowl
Grease two 8 oz ramekins with some oil on a piece of papertowel
Fill and smooh the top
Microwave on high for 3-5 minutes, depending on the power of your device. It’s done when the top does not look liquid anymore and the sides gently separate from the bowl.
Run a knife around the edge, inverted on a plate and serve with raspberry mango sauce (below), or your favorite topping. Such as maple syrup, almond butter, Apple sauce.
Or eat out of the bowl

For the raspberry mango sauce, heat the raspberries in a small saucepan then stir in the remainder (1/4 cup) of the mango puree

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Pumpkin White Chocolate Oat Cake

Ingredients

1/2 cup rolled oat or quinoa flakes
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 tbsp sugar
1 dash cinnamon
1 dash pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp vanilla
White chocolate chips  and coconut for garnish (optional)

Mix all ingredients except chocolate and coconut in a bowl, then divide into two 8oz prepared ramekin forms.
Microwave on high for 2 min 30 sec to 3 minutes.

Run a knife around the edge, inverted on a plate and decorate with white chocolate chips, cover with the just removed ramekin and allow heat to steam the chocolate until soft (you can also re-microwave for 30 seconds), serve with coconut, or your favorite topping.

Copyright © 2011 Simple Healthy Homemade. All rights reserved