It's Pizza... No, It's Quinoa... No, It's Pizzaquinoa!

So, I made this Pizza Quinoa casserole...

 

 

It was the PERFECT start to a 4 day weekend!  What flavour!  Excellent!

And, now since I have a bit more time to type tonight, I will take advantage of that and rant for a bit.  I think all of my friends, and I now that I think about it, have senioritis.  It's bad, and the year is not even half overwith yet.  I feel like my emotions inside are kind of rolling around, like a giant wad of tangled thread.  It's like of weird - I'm either laughing or about to cry or both.  I'll stop now, and move on to food...  so I don't get too depressed.

 

Adapted from Food Doodles

 

In a casserole dish, combine:

• 1/2 cup dried quinoa, cooked with 1 cup water
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped and sauteed
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped and sauteed
• 1/3 red bell pepper, finely chopped and sauteed
• 3 tbsp home made ketchup (heavenly stuff - use stevia for the sucanat to reduce calories)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp each freshly chopped basil and oregano
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 tbsp nooch
• a few drops liquid stevia

 

bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so

Sweet Potato Balls and Spaghetti

So, I've got some pasta for you guys tonight!

 

 

Although I made this ages ago, I seem to remember that is was super yummy, sooo..

Quite a good first 'meat'ball recipe for me!  They stuck together, which was really nice.

 

Sweet Potato Balls from Fat Free Vegan

Sauce from Ambitious Kitchen

 

For the sauce: blend until smooth, and heat:

• 1 roasted hatch chili pepper
• 28 oz can salt-free tomatoes
• 3/4 cup chopped onion, sauteed
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped, sauteed
• 2 cups water
• Chick'n bouillon for 2 cups of broth
• Cumin to taste
• ~1/4 cup cilantro

For the 'meat'balls, mix together, shape into balls, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes:

• 3/4 cup chopped mushrooms, sauteed
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled, boiled, mashed
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 onion, chopped, cooked
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped, sauteed
• 1 cup chickpeas
• 1 tbsp flax meal
• 1 tbsp nooch
• oregano, paprika, fennel, sage, liquid smoke to flavour

Serve sauce over pasta, topped with 'meat'balls

 

What's Up In My Kitchen - Recipe Round-Up (Finally!)

Ok, go glance at this article.  It will make you smile.

Blended chia pudding: if you don't like the texture of chia pudding, just blend it!  Makes all of the lumps go away, and it has the texture of yogurt.  Here, topped with piles of granola.

 

Made a batch of tofu feta.  Only this stuff is better than your normal tofu feta, because it's a LOT firmer.  Changes: 1/3 cup agar flakes, 3 tbsp olive oil (I ran out).  Wow, this stuff was good on a salad!

 

Pancakes... Mmmm... Sans frosting and raisins (which I left out and added a few pepitas), these make 2 292 calorie servings.  And the servings are HUGE!  I wanted to make the frosting, but forgot to chill my can of coconut cream... :(

 

 

 

Roasted Veggie Salsa - my first shot at homemade salsa.  I would recommend using less lime juice, but otherwise I loved this recipe.  Oh, and I used hatch chilis instead of jalapenos.  Because I have ALWAYS wanted to use those things...

 

Quinoa/Adzuki bacon.  Dang, this stuff smelled SO good in the oven.  Changed: cooked the beans, cooked up 1/3 cup quinoa to replace the buckwheat, Italian seasoning instead of thyme, and no oil.  It was a bit crumbly, but that was OK by me.

 

As for lunches... well, I've made a wrap with peaches, basil, lettuce, avocado, and sugar free blackberry jelly - yum!  Lots of fruit!

 

 

 

My other wrap has been peaches (can you tell I like peaches?) with the tofu feta, bacon, lettuce, and avocado.  Again, yum!  (adapted from Iowa Girl Eats)

 

 

 

Another new b-fast food: banana bread in a bowl.  Blendm, let sit for 45 minutes or so, and it's like ice-cream for breakfast.  Did I mention you should top it with chocolate (which turned out very good, by the way!)

 

 

 

 Salad dressing!  Good for using up a surplus of basil... Fat free and creamy basil blast for your salad!

 

And, finally, 100% whole wheat strawberry pepita muffins (adapted from Chocolate and Carrots)!  Mix:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup pepitas

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

1/4 cup stevia baking blend

1 cup almond milk

1 tbsp apple cider or white vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup chopped frozen strawberries

 

Pour into muffin tins and bake (I have only a mini muffin pan - this made 24 muffins, 250 calories for 7 muffins.  Bake for about 17 minutes for mini muffins, probably 27 for regular)

 

 

Nacho-Themed Quinoa

Weee!  Nachos!  Erm... nacho quinoa.  Nat 'cho quinoa! 

 

 

Did I just make any sense at all?  I made that traditional bad pun there, at the end.  Can you tell?  (sorry, I'm really tired at the moment.)

 

Anyhoo, this was fun to make and eat.  Can't beat quinoa and avocado, can you now...?

Enjoy!

Adapted from Sketch-Free Eating

Mix quinoa with a very generous amount of chili powder.
Cook chopped bell pepper and onion on a panini press.
Top with heated black beans, crisped (in the oven) tortilla strips, diced avocado, shredded lettuce, salsa, and the best cheese in the world.

Quinoa Salad

Ok, guys... I have exciting news!

No, I'm not pregnent... or moving... although it seems like every other blogger is one or the other, which is kind of odd.  Anyhoo...

I'm going to the Big Apple tomorrow!  Yup, that's right!  For college visits/vacation, so I won't be here for the next few days... be back next Wednesday, though, with loooots of pictures of good vegan restaurant food.  You know, I haven't been on a vacation in... what, 2 years or so?  That's a long time!  Well, I'll leave you with a faboo salad to look at..

And if you want more food, check out my tumblr page!

Adapted from Cook Easy Vegan

Grill up some chopped onions, carrots, and mushrooms on a panini press.
Mix cooked quinoa with nooch, southwestern seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, and  sumac.
Top with black olives, pistachios, and drizzle with sugar free maple syrup.

Quinoa and Veggies

I think the pictures speak for themselves.

A light, refreshing summer dish.

Adapted from Vegetarian Adventures

Base: cooked quinoa (water : quinoa = 1.5 : 1) seasoned after cooking with
garlic powder
tofutti herbed cream cheese
chopped fresh basil
nooch
vegetble bouillon
Topped with panini-grilled red bell pepper, onions, and carrots.

Oregano Quinoa Soup

Oh, yeah... I chose the best day to make soup!

Hottest day this week... 108.  You've GOT to be kidding, right?

Bleck.  Oh, well.  I needs my soup.  ;)

(This BURSTED with oreganoy-goodness!  I literally whacked off about 20 stems from my plant.  Although it's so big right now that it doesn't look like any was taken off...)

Adapted from Cooking Light
Veggies: carrots and onions
Stuff: quinoa, lentils
Seasonings: veggie chicken bouillon, liquid smoke, nooch, a bit of soy sauce, paprika, and more fresh oregano than I care to talk about (I was plucking that stuff off the stem for a good 10 minutes!)
Finished with a corn starch slurry and seitan.

Mushroom-y Burgers

Yeah, there are more than a MILLION veggie burger recipes out there.

 So, really, this one is just a drop in the bucket.

 So, tell me, does it look like I care?  I'm gonna post this, either way! ;)

Adapted from WTHDAVEA

In a blender (I used Mister V), finely chop/blend 1/2 lb criminis, 1/2 carrot, 1 small red onion, and 1 clove garlic.  Don't sweat it if there are a few big chunks.  (The mixture will look pretty gross... sorry!)  Pour into a frying pan, and saute for about 8 minutes to get the onions cooked.  Stir together with 1/2 cup dried quinoa cooked with 3/4 cup water, ~1/4 cup nooch, ~1/2 cup flavoured bread crumbs, 1 tbsp flax meal, paprika, a bit of bbq sauce, Italian seasoning, and a splash of soy sauce.  Cook for ~20 minutes on a panini press (just plop some blobs on the press and kind of shape them into burgers).  Serve with buns, pickles, burger-tofu-mayo, and cheeze sauce.

Quinoa + Tofu + Brussels

Brussels Sprouts!

Dear sprouts,
You are such an underrated veggie.

Please, tell the world how GOOD you taste on the panini press.

Love,

Basil

Adapted from That's So Vegan

Cook up some quinoa, and mix with maple syrup, paprika, cumin, and thyme.

Slice one slab of tofu per serving, and grill on the panini press (drizzleing with maple syrup before), along with some trimmed brussels sprouts.

Serve, sprinkled with cilantro and cashews.  Drizzle with more syrup, if desired.  (Mine was a bit too dry for my tastes.)

Quinoa Salad

I finally had potatoes tonight.  How UTTERLY exciting!  I have been wanting them for a while, but have never really gotten around to making anything with potatoes.  So, here goes!

Adapted from WTHDAVEA

Saute 1 finely chopped red onion and a chopped clove of garlic.  Add 1/2 cup quinoa and 3/4 cup water.  Simmer for 25 minutes.
Grill chopped onion and bell pepper on a panini press.
Mix together finished quinoa, black beans, cubed/boiled yukon golds, smoked paprika, nooch, oregano, fresh cilantro, and the grilled veggies.  Serve topped with avocado and tofu mayo (partially cooked silken tofu + lemon juice)

Old Bay Soup

Here's an old favourite of mine.  No one can say this isn't flavourful!  Oh, and don't be shy of using green beans in soup - I was at first, then I was like "Oh, this is perfectly fine"
Adapted from I Eat Food

Veggies: Onion, carrots, garlic, green beans
Then came tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, a bit of soy sauce, water, veggie bouillon, celery seed, thyme, Old Bay seasoning, a spicy spice mixture, and quinoa.  And pinto beans.
Lastly, thickened with a corn starch slurry, and served with veggie meat... and I am happy.

Quinoa Salad

Erm.  Not much to say tonight.  I'm rather tired.. although the salad was pretty good and easy.
I totally meant to add tofu - had it in the micorwave and everything!  Then I forgot.  I had just finished my portion, and then I was like "Oh my gosh, the tofu!"  But it was super good, none the less...

Adapted from HHL

Ok, so:
Quinoa + finely chopped sauteed onion, cooked in half orange juice and half water, mixed with nooch and spicy seasoning + paprika
Shredded carrots, chopped oranges, sliced avocado
Walnuts
Tofu mayo (partially cooked silken tofu blended with lemon)

Tofu Quinoa Tortilla

Totally a happy accident that I made this on Cinco de Mayo...
Who cares, really, if the food matches the holiday.  I just want it to taste good.  Don't you agree?

Adapted from HHL

So, first cook ~ 1/2 cup quinoa.  Mix that with wilted spinach, chopped parsley and cilantro, chipotle chili powder, nooch, lime juice, agave, and liquid smoke.
On a tortilla, lay a bit of the quinoa mixture.  Top with salsa, avocado, and tofu bacon.  Wrap and eat.. with a napkin...

Simple Flavourful Broccoli + Quinoa

This is one of those simple dishes that you don't think will amount to much, but it does.  Little (or big) bites of flavour.  Mmmm..  Good for a Friday evening.

Adapted from Healthy Happy Life.

Cook 1 cup quinoa with 1 1/2 cups water, and stir in 1 tsp garlic powder, 2 tbsp nooch, and 1 tsp smoked paprika.  Keep warm. 
Preheat the oven to 450, and mix together 6 cups broccoli florets, 2.5 tbsp soy sauce, 2.5 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1/3 cup nooch, and pepper.  Bake for 12 minutes, until broccoli is cooked.
Serve broccoli over quinoa, and top with chopped avocado.

Spinach, Broccoli, and Quinoa Salad

Mm... this was yummy!  I didn't expect it to turn out all that great, but it was...

Adapted from HHL.

Boil 1 cup water, add 3/4 cup quinoa, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
De-stem and finely tear 1/2 bunch spinach.  Mix with cooked quinoa to partially wilt.
Saute 1 small head broccoli and 2 cloves minced garlic, and add to the quinoa.
Other stuff to add: 1/2 cup parsley, chopped; 1/4 cup nooch; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 1/3 cup tofu mayo (partially cooked silken tofu blended with lemon juice); 1/4 cup orange juice.

Serve warm, cold, or room temp, topped with chopped blood oranges and avocado.

OMG Ok, so I found blood oranges for a decent price at Target the other day, so I decided to get one... this is where it went!  They taste like a cross between a grapefruit and an orange, and have a lovely deep red colour.  Mmmmm...

Warm Quinoa, Red Kidney Bean, and Veggie Salad

You know, quinoa and avacados are amazing.
You know, I have lots of orange juice to use up - I bought some for recipes, and I don't drink just juice.  So I'm putting it in everything...
Mmm...

Adapted from Oh She Glows.

The salad was 1 cup dried quinoa cooked with 1 1/2 cups water, cooked red kidney beans, and red bell pepper, carrots, and onion cooked on the panini press.  The dressing was a bit of lime juice, lots of orange juice, 3/4 cup each cilantro and parsley, cumin, garlic powder, mirin, and cooking sherry.  All of this was mixed together and served lukewarm, topped with chopped avacado.

Quinoa and Bean Patties/Wraps

So, these were SUPPOSED to be patties, but they were WAAAY too crumbly for that, so they kind of turned into a wrap filling.  Adapted from here.

For the patties: Cook 1 cup dried white beans, and mash with allspice, cumin, and mint.  Cook 1 cup quinoa and mix that in, and cook 1/2 bunch green onions and mix those in.  Then shape this mixture into patties, and either bake, grill on a panini press, or just leave as is.

Put into a wrap with shredded carrots and tofu mayo (18 oz silken tofu, partially cooked, blended with 1/4 cup lemon juice).  Eat, and watch out for quinoa explosions...

Quinoa Broccoli Casserole (Fabulous!)

I think that this is the first time I have ever tried quinoa not in a soup.  I was kind of concerned, but hah!  It turned out to taste fabulous.  The tofu topping was oh so creamy, and the broccoli was a brilliant green burst of flavour.  Not to mention the ever popular chicken, and parmesan cheese, which added a deep and rich flavour.  Plain quinoa would not be all that great- I have to admit- but, mixed with a smooth sauce and other flavours, it makes for a stellar casserole that makes a large amount of better than average leftovers.

Quinoa, Broccoli, and “Chicken” Casserole

Adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen

Serves 6--8

1/2 cup quinoa, cooked for about 20 minutes, like rice, in 1 cup water
3 cups broccoli florets
1 small onion, chopped

½ bunch spinach, stemmed

2 cups vegetarian chicken, diced small
12 oz tofu, pressed
Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp dijon mustard

½ tbsp curry powder
1-2 tbsp molasses
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese.

Preheat the oven to 350.
Heat a small frying pan over medium heat, and add the broccoli and onion with a bit of water. Sauté until
tender, about 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, spread the quinoa on the bottom of a casserole dish – I used a 9x13.
Put the broccoli and onion on top of that.

Reheat the pan, and then wilt the spinach, which should take about 2 minutes. Spread over the broccoli and onions.

With a blender, blend the tofu with lemon juice, mustard, curry powder, and molasses until they become a smooth paste. Spread over the spinach.
Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven, add the cheese on top, and let the cheese melt for 5 minutes. Serve hot, topped with salt and pepper.

Two New Toys (aka foods)

As I was mulling over what to make in my next round of cooking, I stumbled upon a recipe authored by Fat Free Vegan called Pink Bean, Quinoa, and Spinach Soup.  A few days before, I had come home from a grocery trip with M toting along two new ingredients: raspberry vinegar, which I used in this salad and dressing, and pink beans.  Just my luck finding this soup recipe, because I had also been wanting a quinoa dish.  Two birds with one stone.
The beans that I bought were kind of weird, though, because, after only a day of soaking they started sprouting... oh well.  They still tasted fine, although, as M pointed out as we were happily eating our soup, most beans taste pretty similar.  Pink beans, I was happy to see, are very high in protein and fiber.  Yay!
One thing I really love about this soup is the addition of cinnamon and nutmeg, which really give it a sweet flavour, and make it smell excellent.  It really makes a lot, and is quite thick, but not too much so for a summer's day.

I also found that we were out of salad dressing, so I created a new one.  I won't post the recipe, seeing as I really have no clue of how much of everything I used, but it consisted of about a cup of mayo, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, a splash of balsamic vinegar, italian seasonings, and a whole bunch of basil.  It turned out quite good, and M declared it a winner, so I was pleased.  Although it is not the prettiest dressing around.

Pink Bean, Quinoa, and Spinach Soup

 

6 servings

Adapted from Fat Free Vegan

1 large onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
6 cups water
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
14 oz crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons curry powder
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked for 15-20 minutes in 1 cup water
½ cup dried pink beans, soaked and cooked
1 bunch spinach, stemmed and washed
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Heat a large soup kettle sprayed with nonstick spray over high. Saute the onion until tender, then add the carrot and garlic, and sauté for 2-3 more minutes.
2. Add water, bouillon cubes, tomatoes, beans, and spices. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Add the spinach and quinoa and cover. Cook until the spinach is wilted, stirring. Adjust seasonings to taste, and serve.