Toasted Quinoa with Spinach, Blistered Tomatoes, and Walnuts

One of my new favorite things to do to remember vacations, other than take pictures and video, is buying cookbooks.  I try to find older cookbooks written by locals that may have more authentic recipes.  In New Orleans I was on the lookout but most of the cookbooks were from current chefs (yes, we went to Emeril's restaurant NOLA) or were written for tourists.  We were walking in New Orleans when we came upon a sign for a National Park.  I've been to many National Parks but all of them have been in wide open spaces, not in the middle of the city.  We went into the Jean Laffite National Historical Park, which was a small  courtyard and museum.  In the museum I found Talk About Good a cookbook from 1967 written by the Junior League of Lafayette Louisiana.  It is real cajun cooking from the 60s.  I don't know if I will make any of the savory recipes.  I am not a fan of cream, a lot of oil, grease or butter, or cheese and most of the recipes have these.  However, I think I could try to convert the sweet recipes to gluten free so I could use it.  Reading it is just as much fun as cooking for it, so it was a good buy!

One grain that the book definitely does not have in it is quinoa.  In my home, I use wild rice and/or quinoa as much as my go to basmati, jasmine, or long grain rice.   However, I have never toasted it before.  It adds an additional flavor profile.  Yes, this dish also includes blistered tomatoes.  It may seem like blistered tomato overload, but I made this dish around a month ago and it was the inspiration for my previous dish.

Toasted Quinoa with Spinach, Blistered Tomatoes, and Walnuts

Adapted from Fresh, Fast, and Vegetarian 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups quinoa

3 Cups of vegetable broth

2 Tbs olive oil

3 garlic cloves minced

1 tsp coarse salt

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes

1 bag of baby spinach

1/2 cup walnut pieces

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup torn basil leaves

Rinse quinoa for 1 minutes in a fine mesh strainer and shake, removing as much water as possible.  Put 1 Tbs of oil into large skillet.  Add the quinoa and stir over medium heat until light brown.  This takes around 10 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Then add 3 cups of vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Cook, covered, over medium low heat until the water is absorbed and quinoa is cooked, approximately 20 min.  

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in small skillet over medium high heat.  Add whole tomatoes and agitate them by shaking skillet back and forth for around 5 minutes.  You will se the tomatoes begin to blister and pick up some color.  Put to the side

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lay walnut pieces on baking sheet and roast for 5 - 10 minutes until they start to brown.  Put to the side.  

Put spinach in the quinoa and cook over medium heat until wilted, around 3 minutes.  Add tomatoes, walnuts, cheese, basil and fluff to combine.  

Blistered Tomatoes with Creamy Polenta

I am reeling from the death of one of my cats.  He got sick over the weekend while I was in New Orleans.   My brother in law took him to the animal hospital, who said it was just his hyperthyroidism, and gave him two shots.  He seemed just fine when we got back home.  He gave us two happy days and then Wed was in so much pain that we had to put him down.  Crookers was a extremely smart cat and was like a puppy in a cat's body.  He was an alley cat when we had gotten him and was called Crookie (or Crookers) because he had a crooked neck from a previous incident.  They estimated that he was 3 years old when we got him but with the symptoms that he had 7 years later we think that he was older when we got him.  I had gone through putting a cat down before, 2 years ago, but this one was very sudden and unexpected.  I miss him a lot and the house is so quiet now.   Little kitty has spent the last two days sleeping all day in my bed and Epona keeps looking for him and hiding under the table.

Crookers the night before he passed.  

I will write more about my New Orleans Trip some other time, but I am glad to be back home where I can be a gluten free vegetarian.  Both seemed almost impossible (vegetarian more than GF) in New Orleans.  My first meal home, especially dealing with the death of Crookers, was easy and comforting.

Blistered Tomatoes with Creamy Polenta

Ingredients
2 cups of cherry tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic minced
5 cups of vegetable broth
1 cup fine ground cornmeal
2 Tbs olive oil
Handful of torn Italian basil
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the vegetable broth in a pot.  Sprinkle in the cornmeal, whisk constantly.  Lower heat to medium and continue to stir every few minutes until thickened.  This can take 20 - 40 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

While polenta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large pan on high.  Add garlic and stir for 30 minutes.  Add whole tomatoes and agitate them by shaking skillet back an forth for around 5 minutes.  You will see the tomatoes begin to blister and pick up some color.  Turn off heat, mix in torn basil and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve on top of polenta and add parmesan cheese.

GF Pasta Puttanesca

It has been a long week since I have been super sick. It started off as a head cold, which I got after taking my cat to the vet.  I knew something was off with my cat Crookers but it turns out that he has some weird eye condition that the vet has no clue about and hyperthyroidism.  It was such a stressful experience that my sinuses filled up right when we went out the door.  Then I worked all week and the cold went to my chest.   Luckily I got antibiotics on Friday, so I should be healthy soon.  Hopefully, because we will be going to New Orleans!

One of my favorite summer dishes, which can be made any time with canned goods, is Pasta Puttanesca.  I have fond memories of being a child and having my dad serve this dish out of a big bowl that looks like a watermelon in the summer.  I picked out all of the olives (and still pick out some every now and then) but always loved it warm or cold.  Back then the noodles were not GF but using GF noodles still works out well in this dish.  

Pasta Puttanesca

Ingredients

1 lb of pasta (can be GF)

3 Tbs of olive oil

6 cloves of garlic chopped

28 oz can of whole plum tomatoes chopped (or you can buy them chopped ahead of time)

1 cup of pitted chopped black olives

8 Tbs of capers

Chopped parsley to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to directions.  Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium.  Add garlic and cook gently until they are almost melted.  Stir in tomatoes with juice, olives and capers.  Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper.  Then mix sauce, pasta, and parsley and serve.  

Saffron Rice with Curried Apricot Dressing

I miss posting my recipes.  Since April I have been enrolled in the American College of Education, a online masters degree program for instructional leadership.  There has been a lot said about online colleges, but I have to tell you that comparing my masters or Phd classes at UIC to this program, this is a lot more work.  Each week I have a paper (last week 17 pgs this week 13), 2 quizzes, 1 test, 3 discussion posts averaging 1 page each and around 75 pages to read.  Totally overwhelmed.  Plus I am doing my internship as a school administrator, working and coaching Special Olympics soccer.  My brain is about to explode and I spent 7 hours working on stuff for work today and needed a break.  Something that wasn't related to education.

This summer I didn't do much cooking.  I have been so wrapped up in this program that there really was not any time for it.  I was also dealing with switching doctors for my gastroparesis.  The best thing happened though, turns out that I do not have GP and am now on a medicine that is making my symptoms so much better.  I even ate ribs the other day without being in extreme pain for 2 days.  Woo hoo!   That does not mean that I am leaving vegetarianism behind.  Going back to meat, I find that eating well-made vegetarian meals is more flavorful.  However, now I will be able to have much more options when eating out (especially on vacation which was soooo hard for the past 4 years)

This has been my favorite recipe that I have made since April.  It is also a perfect fit for fall.  It has pine nuts and sweet potatoes but the apricot dressing gives it a great tartness.  The dressing also works awesome on salads.  

Saffron Rice With Curried Apricot Dressing

Adapted from Color Me Vegan 

Ingredients for Rice

3 Tbs olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic

1 tsp ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups uncooked basmati rice

1/2 tsp saffron steeped in 1/4 cup warm water

3 1/2 cups vegetable stock

2 cups of cubed roasted sweet potatoes

1 tart apple, diced and tossed with lemon juice

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1/2 toasted pine nuts

Ingredients for Apricot Dressing

1/4 cup apricot preserves

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1 Tbs curry powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup oil

Salt to taste

In a saucepan, add 1 Tbs olive oil and saute the onions and garlic until softened.  Then add the cumin, pepper, and salt.  Saute for 1 min.  Add the rice and stir constantly for 2 min.  Add saffron in water and vegetable stock.  Bring to boil, cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 40 - 25 min until rice is cooked.  Toss peeled cubed sweet potatoes with 2 Tbs olive oil and roast on baking sheet at 450 degrees until slightly browned (around 30 min).  Also toast pine nuts.  

When rice is cooked, put in a bowl and add sweet potatoes, apples, scallions and pine nuts.  

To make dressing, combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until emulsified.  Add more spices to taste if you feel it is needed.  Combine most of the dressing with the rice and taste.  If you think it needs more dressing, add more.  Serve and enjoy!

PLEASE READ!

Unfortunately I started working on my second masters a few months ago and haven't been able to post any recipes.  When summer comes, I will have a chance to post a few.

On a side note, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE check out the following organization:

We Grow Dreams

I just met one of the founders of this program in one of my courses and her organization is truly amazing.  If you live near West Chicago, please buy your plants, vegetables, or herbs from their establishment! If not, please donate.  Even if it is a dollar or two, it will make a huge difference in the lives of people with disabilities!

From their Website:   A dream in the minds of a small group of parents and the determination to make the dream a reality are behind the We Grow Dreams Greenhouse & Garden Center in West Chicago, IL. This dream is being fulfilled by providing job training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The founders recognized the lack of employment opportunities for people with disabilities, and came together to creatively address this need. A greenhouse was identified as a labor-intensive business, something necessary for a dynamic job 
vocational training ground. Individuals with disabilities were envisioned working with 
volunteers and greenhouse employees,learning the business and developing a variety 
of work skills. This vision became the support model for the venture. The individuals 
with disabilities that receive vocational training are referred to as Team Members at the greenhouse.   To date, there are 60 Team Members and their families participating in the 
program from Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Kane and Will counties.  The program has been extremely well received in the community.  The We Grow Dreams Greenhouse & Garden Center is a year-round business supplying a wide variety of premium quality plants and gardening accessories.  Products are available to the public for retail sale and for wholesale distribution. 
The We Grow Dreams Greenhouse & Garden Center employs a full-time professional greenhouse staff, critical to producing high quality plants and vegetables. The staff includes a Grower, General Manager, Assistant Manager and production personnel.

Stir-fried Cucumbers

So today I began my outdoor spring cleaning... putting away the shovels in the common areas, vacuuming the stairs, washing the floors, hooking up the hoses, sweeping outside, raking dead leaves, fertilizing the grass and planting grass seed... Wouldn't you think, since I live in a three flat, that someone else would help? Or at least say thank you?  Nope.  This is why I dislike the city (or at least living the same building as other people).  I do not get paid for taking care of the grounds outside of my building or the common areas.  I am not the building manager.  I am the person that gets annoyed when things start to look dirty or worn down, when there is trash sitting around the building, when the grass starts getting really tall, etc and am the only one who takes care of it.   I rake, sweep, mop, mow, paint, etc and the people downstairs cant even say thank you.  They own this place too, don't they want to protect their investment?  Then I start feeling awkward because they come in and out with their friends (they are my age) and just stare at me while I am cutting the grass or trying to keep up the place.  I am the one that feels like a dork while they do nothing... what's the problem here?

This dish is one of my favorite.  My dad has been making it since I was in high school and usually it has finely diced chicken in it, but for my new diet I have to go with just cucumbers.   Cucumbers are not the first thing you think of when talking about stir fry but they turn out very tender.  This dish works out really well for those of us who love cucumbers but cant digest them raw.   Since my husband was having dinner with me and wanted some meat (but I wanted my cucumbers meat free) I marinated some chicken breast in char siu and grilled it on my grill pan.  Meat as a side order, I've come a long way since October!

Stir-fried Cucumbers

Ingredients
2 large cucumbers (I use seedless)
2 tsp salt
10 cloves of garlic chopped coarsely
2 dried hot red pepper
4 Tbs of soy sauce
1 Tbs sherry
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbs of peanut oil
3 scallions chopped

Peel the cucumbers, seed them if they have seeds, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.  Put the cucumbers in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and toss.  Set aside for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, pour the cucumbers into a colander.  Quickly wash with fresh water then use your hands to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

Heat up your oil in a wok.  I do not have one, so I use a large pan.  Add in the garlic and stir fry for around 15 seconds.  Add the hot red peppers and stir fry for 15 more seconds.  Add the cucumbers and stir fry for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes.  Mix the soy sauce, sesame seed oil, sesame oil, sherry, and sugar together in another bowl.  Pour onto the cucumbers and cook for another 1 - 2 minutes stirring occasionally.   Remove before the cucumbers become mushy and mix in scallions.

Tilapia with Citrus Sauce

Spring break, I am soooo ready for it!  Our spring break is really late this year or at least it feels like it.  I am tired, worn out, etc... it doesn't effect what I do in the classroom but two more days and I am out!  Plus, with our new year long schedule we have two weeks off.  It is a blessing right now but I would prefer to have my long summer back (and not have work on my birthday-this year was the first time in 29 years that I had to be in school on my birthday).

I am again on my quest to try to like fish.  I don't know if it is really working.  This is a tasty dish and my husband really enjoyed it, I just cant get used to the texture and fish taste.  I did a bit better cooking it this time though, and it didn't break into a million little pieces.  Maybe before I make the next fish dish I will actually do some research on how to cook it correctly.   I used steamed broccoli and a wild rice/amaranth/quinoa mix for the sides.  

Tilapia with Citrus Sauce

From Epicurious

Ingredients
2 Tbs flour (I used GF flour)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb of tilapia
2 Tbs of olive oil
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

On a plate, mix the flour and salt and pepper.  Dredge the fish in the flour.  In a large skillet on medium, add the oil.  When hot, add the fish and cook for 2 - 3 minutes per side until golden and cooked through.  Remove and put on a plate, do not clean the skillet yet!

For the sauce, mix the orange juice, 2 Tbs of lemon juice and the ginger in the skillet.  Turn the heat up to high and simmer for 1 to 3 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally.  Add lemon zest and more lemon juice if you want (I added it all).  Then put the fish back into the skillet with the sauce and cook for 1 - 2 minutes more until heated.