Quinoa and Bean Summer Salad

(recipe from The Kinfolk Table by Nathan Williams)

1 cup quinoa
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Sea salt
2 cups water
One 16-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
One 16-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, chopped
1 cucumber, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the quinoa under cold running water in a fine-mesh sieve until the water runs clear.  Heat 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add the quinoa and 1/2 tsp. salt and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until beginning to dry and turn golden.  Add the water and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes, until all of the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender.  Fluff the quinoa with a fork and transfer to a salad bowl.  Cool completely.

Add the black beans, chickpeas, bell pepper, cucumber, vinegar, lemon juice, and remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil and toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Quinoa Salad with Spring Vegetables

(recipe from Saveur magazine)

1 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 cup red quinoa
1/2 cup white wine
2 sprigs each tarragon and thyme (I used dried herbs)
1 cup frozen lima beans
1 cup frozen peas
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. honey
Salt and pepper, to taste
5 radishes, sliced

In a medium saucepan, melt the coconut oil.  Add the quinoa and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until toasted, 2 minutes.  Add 1 1/2 cups water, the wine, and the herbs and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.  Discard the herb sprigs.  Cool the quinoa to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the lima beans for 2 minutes.  Add the peas and cook for 1 minute longer.  Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water; drain again.

In a large bowl, whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, mustard and honey; season with salt and pepper.  Stir in the quinoa, lima beans, peas and radishes.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Kale Apple Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing

(recipe from Amazing Grass)

2 cups baby kale
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 large apple, diced
2 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. chopped raw almonds
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, combine the kale, quinoa, and apple.  In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, and maple syrup; season to taste with salt & pepper.  Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.  Garnish with almonds and basil and toss once more before serving.

Garnet Pilaf

(recipe from sproutedkitchen.com)

1/2 cup brown rice
3 sweet potatoes (about 1.5 lbs.)
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp. smoked paprika, divided
sea salt and pepper
1 small yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup red quinoa, rinsed
1 cup water or broth
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
sprinkle of red chili flakes, if you like some heat
1 bunch fresh chives, chopped (about 1/3 cup)

Preheat oven to 425F.

Rinse and cook the brown rice according to instructions.  This takes the longest, so start the rice first.

Wash and dice the sweet potatoes into 1" cubes.  Pile them on a large, rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with 1 Tbsp. olive oil, sprinkle with 1/2 Tbsp. of the smoked paprika and a few pinches of sea salt.  Toss everything together with your hands to coat and spread them all out in a single layer.  Sprinkle with a few grinds of pepper.

Roast sweet potatoes on the middle rack for 23-25 minutes, until the edges are browned and crisp.

In a pot, add a drizzle of olive oil and sauté the diced onion until just starting to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add the quinoa, a pinch of sea salt, 1 cup water or broth and bring to a boil.  Turn it down to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15-17 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.  Turn off the heat, fluff with a fork and cover it for another few minutes to finish.

When both the rice and quinoa are cooked, put them both in a large mixing bowl.  Drizzle with the remaining Tbsp. of olive oil, remaining 1/2 Tbsp. smoked paprika, red wine vinegar, chili flakes if using, and toss everything together to mix.  Taste for salt and pepper.  Top it with the cubes of sweet potatoes and a ton of fresh chives and serve.

*It may not be piping hot at the point of serving, and that is ok.  It tastes best just a tad warmer than room temperature.

Quinoa Stuffed Tomatoes

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

1 cup vegetable broth (I just used water)
1/2 cup quinoa
4 large ripe but firm tomatoes
1/2 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
6 oz. tempeh, diced
2/3 cup raisins
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (I used a smaller amount of dried thyme)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Bring the broth and quinoa to a boil in a small saucepan.  Lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.  Meanwhile, slice the top off each tomato to expose the inside.  Use a spoon to hollow out the pulp and seeds and place in a bowl.  Chop the tomato tops and add to the bowl.  Set bowl and tomato shells aside.

Preheat the oven to 400F.  In a large skillet, combine onion and 2 Tbsp. water or oil.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until onion begins to brown, about 6 minutes.  Stir in garlic, tempeh, raisins, thyme, pepper and reserved tomato trimmings and cook, stirring frequently, until most liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.  Stir in quinoa and parsley.  Stuff tomato shells with quinoa mixture, mounding it on top, and place tomatoes in a casserole dish lined with parchment paper.  Bake until tomatoes are soft and filling is just browed on top, about 15 minutes.


(While making this recipe, hollowing out the tomatoes, I wondered if it was going to be worth the work...  It was!  You may actually want to double it and make 8 stuffed tomatoes!  The combination of the quinoa, tempeh, raisins with the tomato is lovely.  And each tomato packs up nicely for lunch.)

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Quinoa Salsa

(recipe from Whole Living magazine)

Serves 4 to 6.

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
pinch red pepper flakes
4 red bell peppers
3 cups vegetable broth
coarse salt
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 small onion, diced
1 avocado, diced
2 Tbsp. freshly chopped cilantro
1 lime

Char peppers over flame of a gas stove, turning, until blackened and blistering.  Transfer to a bowl, cover with a plate, and let stand until cool.  Scrape skins off with a paring knife and clean with a paper towel.  Then remove stems, ribs, and seeds.  Avoid running the peppers under the faucet; water quickly dulls their flavor.  Cut peppers into quarters.

Heat 1/2 cup broth in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook until tender, 6 to 8 minutes.  Add roasted peppers and rest of broth.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, 10 minutes.  Let cool slightly, then puree in a blender until smooth.  Season with salt.

In a small bowl, mix together quinoa, red onion, avocado, and cilantro.  Season with salt.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls, top with quinoa salsa, and squeeze with lime.

(This soup is delicious!  So refreshing!  I think the quinoa salsa would be good on its own with chips, etc.)

Quinoa with Watercress, Pears, and Pomegranates

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

Serves 4.

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 bunch watercress, stems removed and leaves sliced (about 1 1/2 cups packed leaves)
2 ripe pears, cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 Tbsp. pomegranate juice
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

Combine quinoa and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until quinoa is tender and all of the water is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.  Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl with watercress, pears, pomegranate seeds, walnuts, juice and vinegar.  Stir to combine, then serve.

(This is a simple and delicious salad!)

Quinoa with Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms

(recipe from wholefoodsmarket.com)

Serves 6.

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 small pear, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
1 garlic clove, halved
2 lbs. portobello mushrooms, stemmed
1 cup quinoa
3 cups tightly packed spinach, chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 475F.

Put vinegar, mustard, pear, and garlic in a blender with 1/3 cup water and blend until smooth, about 1 minute.  Cut mushrooms into chunks and combine in a large mixing bowl with 1/4 cup of the pear balsamic dressing.  Spread mushrooms in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  Roast mushrooms until tender, stirring occasionally, 20 to 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

While mushrooms roast, prepare quinoa.  In a medium pot, bring 1 3/4 cups water to a boil.  Stir in quinoa, cover pot, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove pot from heat and set aside, covered, 10 minutes more.  Uncover and fluff quinoa with a fork.

Combine mushrooms, quinoa, spinach, green onions, almonds, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup more pear balsamic dressing in a large, wide serving bowl.  Stir to mix well.  Serve with remaing dressing on the side.  Serve this dish warm, room temperature, or cold, as a side dish or the main event.

(Made 9/7.  At first this recipe confused me, because the spinach is never cooked, but they say to maybe serve it warm...  Turns out, when you add the quinoa and mushrooms to the spinach, the greens kind of wilt.  The dressing is very good.  I predominantly ate this at room temperature for lunches, and it kept well for several days in the fridge.  Not my favorite recipe ever, but grew on me.  I ate some of the extra dressing tossed with greens later on.)