Quinoa, Corn, and Tomato Salad with PARSLEY-Infused Oil, CL August 2007

I have a very good memory. I tend not to use things like calendars, and can usually keep things in my head until I need them. I usually remember things like dentist appointments months in advance, whether we're out of milk or cat food and when going to a grocery store to buy things for a recipe I can USUALLY remember them.

You know what's coming, don't you? Oh how the mighty fall when they become too confident.

Yes, last week I was all ready to make Quinoa, Corn, and Tomato Salad with Chive-Infused Oil from August's Cooking Light. Went to the grocery store, came home and was halfway through the recipe when I realized - I'd forgotten chives. Ooops. Typically I prefer to make recipes as written the first time through. That clearly was not going to work in this case. So, I grabbed a bunch of parsley which I DID remember to buy and made a couple changes to the recipe.

The results were delightful. This was an excellent salad - M. is particularly fond of quinoa so he was happy and I loved the PARSLEY (not chive) taste that came through from the infused oil. The oil was an additional step, but it really makes the salad and certainly wasn't hard to make. I wouldn't use a purchased equivalent - it really needs to be fresh to add that tangy essence to the salad. Any salad containing fresh corn, tomato and herbs is a winner, especially in the summer. The salad was a hit, so please don't judge it by the picture taken outside at night (as it really doesn't do it justice). I was actually inspired by this salad to create my own Mexican knock-off a few days later (which will be forthcoming on this blog). After all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.....

Quinoa, Corn and Tomato Salad with Chive-Infused Oil
Cooking Light Magazine
August, 2007

Cooking Light's notes - Brightly colored flavored oil coats the quinoa grains and lends the salad fresh chive flavor. Refrigerate leftover oil to use as a dressing to drizzle over grilled fish or summer vegetables. Garnish with whole fresh chives, if desired

My notes - If, like me, you forget chives, take comfort in the fact that this salad works equally well with parsley. And most likely basil as well, although that combination has not yet been confirmed.

1 1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons Chive-Infused Oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced

Combine 1 1/2 cups water and quinoa in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Combine quinoa, corn, tomatoes, and parsley in a medium bowl. Combine Chive-Infused Oil and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over salad; toss well to coat. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

6 servings - each serving size 2/3 cup

CALORIES 179(34% from fat); FAT 6.7g (sat 0.7g,mono 4.1g,poly 1.3g); PROTEIN 5.2g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 20mg; SODIUM 145mg; FIBER 2.4g; IRON 2.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 26.1g

Chive Infused Oil

3/4 cup extravirgin olive oil
1/2 cup (1-inch) slices fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in a blender; pulse 6 times or until chives are very finely minced. Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, and discard solids. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

3/4 cup (serving size: 1 1/2 teaspoons)

CALORIES 63(100% from fat); FAT 7g (sat 1g,mono 5.4g,poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 0.0g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 0.0mg; SODIUM 49mg; FIBER 0.0g; IRON 0.0mg; CARBOHYDRATE 0.0g

Spelt Salad with White Beans and Artichokes, Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2007

I bought the ingredients for this dish last week. It didn't make it on to the menu for a variety of reasons, but made a stunning debut last night instead. It was quick, delicious and really satisfying. I still think it odd that such a salad was featured in the January/February issue of Cooking Light instead during the summer months, but that doesn't change the fact that I really loved this recipe.

Reading as many cooking and health magazines as I do, I know that grains like spelt are wonderfully healthy and a marvelous addition to one's diet. But, that doesn't change the fact that when I hold the bag in my hand, I have NO idea what to do with it! Following this recipe made for a structured yet easy first experience. I will definitely make this again, both for the ease of preparation and the versatility of the recipe. I could see adding a variety of ingredients (including but not limited to cubed tofu, chickpeas, hearts of palm, bell pepper, carrots, cucumbers etc) and will treat it as a jumping off point for future experimentation.

My changes this time around - I added a chopped clove of garlic, and sauteed the onion and garlic briefly with a little non-stick cooking spray. I personally don't care for raw onion. I used cannellini beans, and I added one tablespoon of lemon flavored olive oil (one tablespoon regular olive oil and one tablespoon lemon flavored olive oil). I also added half a cup of crumbled feta cheese. And I didn't measure the herbs, but grabbed a big handful and chopped from there.
Spelt Salad with White Beans and Artichokes
From Cooking Light

Spelt (also called farro) is a high-protein grain with a mellow nutty flavor, and it provides an alternative to bulgur for those who have wheat allergies. (Bulgur is a good substitute if you do not have spelt for this dish.) It's nice chilled or at room temperature. Include a cluster of red grapes and crusty Italian bread in your bag.

1 1/4 cups uncooked spelt (farro), rinsed and drained
2 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup minced red onion
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

Combine spelt and 2 1/2 cups water in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until tender and liquid is absorbed.

Combine cooked spelt, mint, and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well. Cover and store in the refrigerator.


Yield: 5 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 204(29% from fat); FAT 6.5g (sat 0.8g,mono 4g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 7.4g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 40mg; SODIUM 437mg; FIBER 4.9g; IRON 3.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30.7g

Baked Oatmeal - Breakfast of Champions

This is yet another favorite recipe round here in the Veggie Kitchen. It's kind of a busy week, parent teacher conferences, and I'm falling back on all the favorites to get me through. This one is my go-to breakfast for busy weeks because I can slice it, nuke it for a minute, slap some yogurt on top and eat. Breakfast start to finish in about 1 minute and thirty seconds. Works for me.

This is also a very forgiving recipe. Don't like cinnamon? Leave it out. Crazy for nutmeg - throw it in! Don't do skim milk, well then do whatever you prefer instead. Got Craisins kicking around - fantastic. Leave out the raisins. You get the idea.

The last thing I like about this recipe is the yield. 8 servings = 4 days of breakfasts for M. and myself and that equals less to worry about. And that works for me.

Baked Oatmeal
Quaker Oats Recipe
Serves 8

2 1/4 cups Quick cooking oats, uncooked
or 2 3/4 cups Old Fashioned oats, uncooked
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup raisins or Craisins
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt -- optional
3 1/3 cups skim milk
4 egg whites -- lightly beaten
(or 1/2 cup egg substitute, or 2 eggs)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
fat free milk or nonfat yogurt and fruit -- optional

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In large bowl, combine oats, sugar, raisins, cinnamon and salt; mix well. In medium bowl, combine milk, egg whites, oil and vanilla; mix well. Add to dry ingredients; ix until well blended. Pour into baking dish.

Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until center is set and firm to the touch. Cool slightly.

Serve topped with milk or yogurt and fruit, if desired. Store leftover oatmeal tightly covered in refrigerator.

Playing with Ancient Grains

Today I had a sudden burst of domestic energy. Two loads of laundry were done, the sheets on the bed changed and I even had energy left to clean the fridge. I hate cleaning the fridge, but I'm always so happy when I'm done. It always looks so nice, and once the useless junk that isn't being used is gone I can see what I need to buy. Doesn't it look empty? Today's cleaning took me about an hour - mostly because a tupperware container of simple syrup had tipped and run everywhere. Nothing hits the spot like cold and congealed simple syrup - yummy!

I even had enough energy to empty out the freezer-burned items that were residing in our freezer. I'm still learning the art of freezing things. I can appreciate that freezing leftovers for a future time is a good idea, but somehow once they go in, they never come out. Unless they were purchased frozen, those items have a steady rotation. Oh well, I'll keep trying to master the art of freezing homemade food. And trust me, if you'd seen the freezer before I cleaned it out, you'd realize how empty the freezer is now compared with before.



I began tackling the fridge while cooking some quinoa to make for lunch. I told myself I'd only do a shelf or two while the quinoa cooked but of course I got sucked in. Once you start a yucky job like that, you really can't stop until you're done. Prolonging the agony is really unneccesary. So, the quinoa sat for a while, which gave me plenty of time to figure out what to add to it. This salad was the final result. It was tasty, but just something I threw together. It would benefit from any number of substitutions, but I enjoyed it just as it was with today's ingredients.


Quinoa and Chickpea Salad
Serves 6 (I'm guessing since quinoa is quite filling)

My notes - This salad was tangy and flavorful. I expect the flavor would improve as it sits, and that leftovers will be even better. The goat cheese could be omitted, and I think I would crumble it onto individual servings next time. It blended into the salad a bit much when added with chickpeas and other ingredients. Any number of substitutions could be made, this is truly a salad to make your own.


Salad
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups Vegetable Broth
3/4 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup scallion(s)
3/4 cup canned garbanzo beans
3 oz semisoft goat cheese
3 tablespoons of fresh basil, cut into chiffonade

Dressing
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp champagne vinegar
1 Tbsp Orange Muscat Champagne vinegar (optional)
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Pour broth into medium saucepan. Rinse quinoa in a strainer fine enough to hold the kernels, and add to broth (scraping as necessary). Cover, and bring to a boil before reducing heat to a simmer for approximately 20 minutes (or until liquid is gone).

2. Prepare additional ingredients and add to bowl.

3. Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

4. Add cooked quinoa to prepared ingredients, mix dressing and pour over top. Stir carefully to blend dressing into salad, adding additional flavors (more vinegar, more salt etc) as necessary.

Technorati Tags: vegetarian, quinoa, chickpeas, salad

Corn and Barley Salad

When I found this recipe in a new-to-me cookbook I got for the grand price of $0.58, I knew it was just the kind of dish that would make M.'s eyes light up. Sure enough, he walked in the door last night just as I was finishing it up and instantly grabbed a spoon to sample on the spot. So I knew I had a winner, and that was definitely confirmed when I sampled a real portion for lunch today.

This salad was easy, quick to throw together and just so wholesome. Barley, corn, parsley, a hint of flavor from the chopped chile, chunks of tomato - what's not to like? The dressing mixed up easily, and seemed to be quite forgiving. I used some basalmic vinegar in addition to red wine vinegar as I didn't have white wine vinegar to no ill effect. And, as I added the dressing to the salad, I thought there was no way this little bit of dressing would dress the whole salad. But it did. It is a lightly dressed salad, definitely not drenched but the touches of vinegar add a refreshing quality to the overall taste of the dish.


Corn and Barley Salad
Jane Brody's Good Food Gourmet
4-6 side salad servings (I think we'll get 4 - 6 main course salad servings out of this generous recipe!)

Jane's notes - All tasters agreed that this easily prepared salad was a winner. It's a nice salad to make when you have some leftover ears of cooked corn.

Jane's preparation tips - Cooking the garlic takes the bitter edge off of it, but you can skip this step if you wish. You can make the salad 1 day ahead, adding the cilantro or parsley just before serving time.

My notes - I cooked the garlic in a glass bowl covered with water for 2 minutes in the microwave and that worked pretty well. I used parsley, not cilantro. I didn't measure the corn, but used three and a half ears. I used one chili, didn't seed and might use two when repeating the salad as the heat was lost in the bulk of the salad (and we like things flavorful, but not too spicy). I also used red wine vinegar and basalmic vinegar, and was pleased with the results. And I just tossed the parsley into the salad - no waiting one hour before serving here! I will definitely will be repeating this salad!

Salad
3 cups of water
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1 cup barley
2 cups cooked corn kernels, fresh if available or frozen and thawed
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 large tomato, seeded and finely chopped
1 - 2 fresh hot green chilies or jalepenos, seeded and minced

1/4 cup minced cilantro or fresh parsley, or to taste

Dressing
2 cloves garlic, cooked ten minutes in boiling water and peeled
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1. To prepare the salad, in a large saucepan bring the water and salt (if desired) to a boil. Add barley and cook stirring often for 30 minutes (pearled barley)/40 minutes (unpearled barley). Do not overcook the barley. Drain barley in a colander, rinse under cold water and let drain until cool.
2. Transfer the cooled barley to a large bowl. Add the corn, scallions, tomato, chilies or jalepenos, and toss ingredients well.
3. To make dressing, put dressing ingredients into a food processor or blender and process. Pour dressing over salad, and toss well to combine ingredients thoroughly. Cover bowl, and chill the salad.
4. One hour before serving, stir in cilantro or parsley, and allow salad to come to room temperature.

Technorati Tags: vegan, vegetarian, barley, corn, salad,