Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa

Just in time for the blessedly dipping temperatures, this full-flavored side accompanies the Pan-Seared Gulf Grouper I made for Country Roads Magazine's Test Kitchen. Sweet, nutty squash spiced with smoked paprika and cinnamon, drizzled with olive oil and roasted. Folded into a quinoa and arugula mixture and tossed rapidly with red wine vinaigrette and honey.

Calling this one a success! I've never actually had a pumpkin spice latte, so consider this my method for heralding fall. You can find the grouper recipe—with an achingly good, silky sundried tomato and caper topping—right here.

Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa
Yield: 3–4 servings

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
Olive oil (for roasting)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup quinoa, uncooked

1 cup vegetable broth

1 cup water

4 ounces baby arugula

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup toasted pecans

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, toss squash with paprika, cinnamon, salt and pepper, and drizzled olive oil. Place the butternut squash on a sheet pan and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until tender.
3. Meanwhile, cook quinoa according to package directions, using half vegetable broth and half water for the liquid.
4. Stir arugula into cooked quinoa. Add red wine vinegar and honey, tossing rapidly. Fold in the roasted squash.
5. Serve, adding a sprinkle of toasted pecans to each plate.

Kale Tabbouleh

Boy, I love a colorful dish. And it's a good thing that this was supposed to be served cooled, because I was photographing it till the sun went down. (That is not a figure of speech.)

It's cool. It's crunchy. And, wonderfully enough, it fits in with the vegetarianism I'll be trying for the next month. I'm hoping to re-inspire myself in the kitchen, and to spend some time getting more ambitious with ingredients. My ambition has fallen away!

Here we have a dish that's fairly simple: a little chop-chop-chop with the various ingredients, cook your quinoa and let it cool, and then toss it all in a simple dressing.

But the variety of ingredients and the hushed beauty of how they tumble across the plate...it's the perfect summer dish, I think. One you'll want to eat in the evening light with a chilly, crisp vino. Anyway I'm getting silly just staring at these colors again. Try it out for yourself!

Kale Tabbouleh (adapted from the glorious Food52)
Yield: 4–6 servings.


Ingredients:
1/2 bunch curly kale
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup quinoa
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
2 Persian cucumbers, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
Juice from two limes
1/4 high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, wash the parsley and kale and pat dry. For each, chop off stems, then slice into 3/4-inch ribbons. Rotate bunch clockwise, then repeat process. Slice until greens are very finely diced, but do not form a paste.
3. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion. Add parsley and kale. Drizzle in lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add quinoa and toss until fully combined.
4. Serve!

Sesame Salmon and Quinoa Salad

This is going to be a fairly quick blog post, because I wasn't planning on blogging the recipe so I didn't take the usual plethora of pictures, but also because it's very simple!

I've been trying to increase the qualities of "cheap" and "healthy" in my meals lately (which can be fairly difficult living in New Orleans and also having a mountain of cookbooks/Internet access), and that drive has led to a little more "what can I work with in my pantry?" than usual.

For this meal, I got a bag of the cheap frozen salmon fillets (probably the most painful price cut of all) and set about slightly modifying a favorite recipe of mine: Quinoa and Pistachio Salad with Moroccan Pesto.

First off, I took out the pistachios. So expensive! (I will now take a moment to google: "How the heck can you grow your own pistachios, because damn the man.)

I also substituted the Moroccan pesto for a jar of basic pesto I had on hand, amped up by the addition of sriracha and honey, an enhancement I started using after making charmoula sauce. Sweet heat! So good. (Results from pistachio search: I would need to grow trees, and I am quite without a backyard. Innovation/scheming will continue later.)

And I added zucchini! For a little more green, I seasoned the zucchini slices with salt, pepper, and cumin and roasted them alongside the red peppers. For the salmon, I patted the fillets dry, rubbed them with oil, and formed an oregano and sesame seed crust on one side. Seared them in my cast-iron, then served!

There you have your pre-paycheck mods for a delicious dinner. Hope you enjoy!

Sesame Salmon and Quinoa Salad
Salmon serves 2. Salad serves 4—6.

2 frozen salmon fillets, thawed and skinned
1/2 tablespoon oregano
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken stock
1 cup water
1 15.5 oz can chickpeas
1/4 cup pesto
1 tablespoon sriracha
1 tablespoon honey
1 large zucchini, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, stem removed, halved and seeded
1/2 tablespoon cumin
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400. On a large rimmed baking sheet, coated with cooking spray, spread out zucchini in a single layer in half the pan. Season with cumin, salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and toss. Place bell pepper halves in other half of pan, cut side down. Roast in oven for 30 - 40 minutes, turning zucchini over halfway through. Remove when pepper is blackened and zucchini slices are browned. Let pepper cool, then remove skin and chop into 1/2 inch pieces.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa, stock, and water over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Cook for 10—12 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.
3. Meanwhile, season salmon fillets with salt and pepper on both sides. On top side, sprinkle with oregano and sesame seed picture, pressing sesame seeds into the fillet.
4. Heat up a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add fillets (crust side up). Cook for 4—5 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet and set aside.
5. Mix pesto, sriracha, honey, and chickpeas into quinoa. Serve each plate, topping quinoa mound with zucchini and red peppers. Serve salmon alongside.

Quinoa-Stuffed Bell Peppers

Today I packed up my kitchen, and it's difficult to explain the sensation of seeing this room that's become so important and wonderful and productive for me transform into boxes and emptiness. But we're moving to New Orleans this coming week, and I can't wait to set up a new kitchen, along with all the delicious food options and inspirations. It's going to be so lovely.

Here, though, is a simple weeknight recipe I made with an old favorite in mind:  Quinoa and Pistachio Salad with Moroccan Pesto. Instead of roasting the peppers, I stuffed them! I also opted for a tomato flavor over the Moroccan pesto.

Fresh thyme was a key player--tying the recipe together much like the Dude's rug and his living room. The herby aroma elevated the stuffing into a freshly delicious meal.

The tomatoes came from the garden of one of my bosses, and acquiring them kickstarted this whole recipe! Combined with quinoa, chickpeas, tomato puree, parsley, garlic powder, cumin, and the aforementioned thyme, then topped with mozzarella at the end. As it stands, I think it's the last meal I will cook in my kitchen! Not too elaborate, but delicious and cheap and fairly healthy. I will get fancy again sooner or later, but for now, this was a lovely note to go out on.

Quinoa-Stuffed Bell Peppers
Serves 2 - 3.

3 large bell peppers (cut off tops and hollow)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium zucchini, diced
3 small tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup chickpeas
1/4 cup tomato puree
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1/4 cup minced parsley (plus more for garnish)
4 sprigs fresh thyme, minced
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, roughly chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add zucchini, tomatoes, and chickpeas and sautee for 5 - 7 minutes until tender.
2. Stir in puree, garlic powder, cumin, parsley, and thyme. Cook--stirring often--for another 3 minutes.
3. Spoon mixture into hollowed-out bell peppers. Set on coated baking sheet (slicing a bit off the bottom of the peppers if needed, so they stand upright. Fill a small bread pan halfway with water and place on bottom rack of oven (set low). Place another rack in the middle of the oven and set the baking sheet with bell peppers on top. Cook for 18 - 20 minutes.
4. Add fresh mozzarella to the top of each bell pepper. Return to oven for another five minutes, until cheese melts.
5. Sprinkle each pepper with minced parsley and serve.

Spring Quinoa Salad

First I must give thanks to the weather.

The cold and rain of last week let up just in time for my visit home, where I had the privilege of enjoying a couple of boat rides, visiting with old friends, and cooking up delicious treats on my parents' patio.

Then when I got back to town, we visited the arboretum down the road--now I'm thinking of opening a facility called "Arboretum and Weep!" It will be a devastating, tree-studded area.

But after a weekend of heavy eating and late nights/early mornings, it felt fantastic to return to my seasonal endeavors and serve up a light, tasty dinner.

I chose radishes for this week. With turnips and cauliflower, I opted to roast in order to make them more palatable. Here though, I wanted to appreciate the taste of the radish raw.

I knew I wanted to pair them with the asparagus in my refrigerator. When I saw a few recipes online uniting the two with quinoa, I remembered one of my favorite dishes to prepare--Quinoa and Pistachio Salad with Moroccan Pesto. 

After a bit of reconfiguration, I put together a dish with similar flavors but a few new highlights.

The pistachio pesto had a robust but springy flavor, heightened by garlic and lemon zest.

I readied my fresh vegetables before preparing the quinoa.

Then once the quinoa was fully cooked, I stirred in the pesto, then the asparagus, chickpeas, and radishes.

The pesto provided a garlicky, nutty boost to the quinoa--which I always like to cook with a little grapefruit juice--and I found the radishes to be not just a crunchy garnish, but a terrific receptacle for flavor.

So lovely too!


Spring Quinoa Salad
Serves 4 (as side).

3 cups uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup veggie broth
3/4 cup grapefruit juice
Pistachio Pesto
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
6 - 8 radishes, thinly sliced
1 cup chickpeas

Pistachio Pesto
1/2 cup cilantro
3/4 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup roasted pistachios, shelled
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup olive oil

1. Make pistachio pesto by combining all ingredients listed above in a food processor. Add more olive oil if needed. Reserve pesto in a bowl until quinoa is cooked.
2. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook for 5 - 6 minutes until bright green. Transfer to bowl of ice water to stop cooking.
3. In another medium pot, bring water, broth, and grapefruit juice to a boil. Add quinoa, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for fifteen minutes, until all liquid is absorbed.
4. Meanwhile, remove asparagus from ice water. Pat dry and cut into 1-inch stalks.
5. When quinoa is finished cooking, transfer it into a large bowl. Stir in pistachio pesto. Then add asparagus, chickpeas, and radishes.
6. Serve!

Quinoa and Pistachio Salad with Moroccan Pesto

Y'all, this was so delicious. And not difficult or expensive at all! I was able to make it with aplomb under all sorts of hostessing pressures. I produced this last night as a vegan option for our Grilltacular (an all-day blowout that was very successful, but very shambly as well--shambly being the adjective for things that leave your house in a concerning state.)

I didn't do any of the grilling myself, but I did make andouille and beef burgers with caramelized onions and spicy mayo, using a recipe I got from Epicurious. Everything that came out of the grill (chicken, bratwurst, boudin, bacon, burgers, bacon, corn on the cob, kebabs, hot dogs, bacon) was very tasty and it's a crime I couldn't make myself hungrier. 

For the salad, I began by preheating the broiler. Then I halved and seeded my red bell pepper. I put the halves on a foil-lined baking sheet and roasted the pepper for 12 minutes. While it was roasting, I boiled the quinoa in a mixture of veggie broth, orange juice, and water. As it came to a boil, I covered it, reduced the heat, and let it simmer for 12 minutes. These things just cook themselves and you get so much time to finish your other tasks or open another beer or make small talk with all the friends who were nice enough to let you feed them and give them beverages!

The Moroccan pesto is a mixture of parsley, cilantro, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, kosher salt, and ground red pepper. Chop the things that need to be chopped (parsley, cilantro, garlic) and combine everything in the food processor. Process.

After the bell pepper's nicely roasted, let it cool in a covered container (the recipe says zip-loc bag, but I just put it in a tupperware container for 10 minutes before peeling it and chopping it. All my components came together in a nice, timely fashion, and I consolidated the pesto, bell pepper, quinoa, and chickpeas into one bowl. I did not use olives, because I do not like olives (here I was going to say "unless they are extra-virgin and oily," but you can imagine how I stopped my typing fingers in mortification.) I sprinkled the pistachios on top.

Voila! You have now provided your guests with a vegan option! (Note: this dish was heartily celebrated by non-vegans too.)

Quinoa and Pistachio Salad with Moroccan Pesto (via Cooking Light's Way to Cook Vegetarian)

1 red bell pepper

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 cup organic vegetable broth

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/3 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

1/4 extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

2 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1 15.5 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

12 oil-cured olives, pitted and chopped (I left these out, not a big fan of olives)

1/4 cup chopped pistachios

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Cut red bell pepper in half lengthwise, discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet, flatten with hand. Broil 12 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic blag; seal. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel and chop.

3. Place quinoa, broth, 1/2 cup of water, and juice in a large sauce pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

4. Place cilantro and next 7 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth. Combine bell pepper, quinoa mixture, cilantro mixture, chickpeas, and olives in a large bowl. sprinkle with nuts.

(Yield: 6 servings; serving size: 3/4 cup)