Recipes

I love food, and I love cooking food, so I am going to share some favorite recipes, and a few other tidbits.

Creamy Quinoa Primavera

1 1/2 cups rinsed uncooked quinoa
3 cups broth or water (I usually use veggie stock)
Fresh or dried herbs of your preference, I like dried dill and fresh parsley a lot
2 cloves garlic minced, or a big spoonful of the prechopped stuff in the fridge
5 cups assorted cut up veggies, I often use broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, squashes, green beans, asparagus, really whatever strikes your fancy, or needs to be used up from the fridge or freezer
A blob of reduced fat cream cheese (neufchatel) about 1/4 of a bar
1/4 to 1/2 cup cheese, depending on what you are using, parmesan or romano I don't use a lot of, but Cabot's reduced fat shredded cheddar I use more of

Place quinoa, broth, herbs, garlic and veggies in a rice cooker or large saucepan.  In rice cooker, hit the start button, in a saucepan bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes till quinoa has absorbed liquid and veggies are about tender.  Stir in cream cheese and shredded cheese of your choice.  CJ really liked the version with parmesan cheese, green beans, drained diced tomatoes, carrots and Italian seasonings, Eliza loved the cheddar, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, corn and dill version.  I have even used leftover roasted veggies, waiting to add them at the end.  Yummy!


I also do the same thing with quick cooking barley, and Rich really enjoys that!  I sometimes add leftover roast chicken to make a one dish dinner.

Southwest Quinoa Pilaf

Saute one onion chopped and 6 cloves of garlic minced in 1 Tablespoon of olive oil till tender.  Add 1 1/4 cups rinsed drained uncooked quinoa, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1 1/4 cups water and 1 3/4 cup broth (1 can) or more water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered 10-15 minutes till liquid is absorbed.  Uncover and stir in 1 cup frozen corn, 1 can black beans rinsed and drained, and 1 cup of your favorite mild salsa.  I often also add a bit of lime juice.  This goes great with grilled fish or chicken, or fajita seasoned steak.  I always use mild salsa since Eliza does not like hot foods, but CJ prefers it with a bit of jalapeno or some medium salsa on his.

I did a wonderful black bean and brown rice in my pressure cooker, and if anyone wants me to post it let me know.  I just don't want to waste space if no one else has a pressure cooker.

I have used cooked quinoa as a cold salad, mixing in a bunch of raw chopped veggies and vinaigrette.  I like a lemon olive oil vinaigrette with celery, carrots, green beans, thawed frozen peas, and chopped tomato.  And lots of chopped fresh parsley.  It tastes a little bit like tabbouleh. 

I mix whole wheat orzo, brown rice, chopped onion and garlic salt and pepper, and saute in olive oil to start a whole grain pilaf.  I add frozen peas and carrots to this, and Rich loves it.  Add the veggies and liquid, and cook till tender.

I also have used leftover cooked barley and quinoa mixed together with frozen broccoli to make a grain and cheese.  I warm milk whisked with flour or cornstarch to thicken and add Cabot shredded 50% light cheddar to make a cheese sauce.  I mix in leftover cooked chicken to make a whole grain healthy version of chicken divan.  You can't go wrong with cheese, and most especially Cabot's light cheese, it is our favorite. 

I also have made a baked barley and rice.  Toast barley and brown rice in a couple of teaspoons of olive oil, until it starts to brown.  Use about 1/2 cup raw per person you are serving.  Place in a casserole dish and cover with hot liquid, twice the amount of grain, 1 cup grain 2 cups liquid.  I usually use some veggie or chicken stock and some water.  It is important that the liquid is hot, otherwise this takes F O R E V E R to cook.  Stir in 1 cup of chopped veggies for each person you are serving, and 1/2 cup of chopped leftover chicken, turkey or pork for each person you are serving.  Alternately, you could throw in some raw shrimp or scallops towards the end of cooking, if you would prefer a seafood version.  Bake in a 350 oven covered for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.  I like to sprinkle fat free crumbled feta on this.  If using the seafood, uncover when it still has 12-15 minutes left to cook, and place fish on top of rice mixture and recover.  I usually also add a ton of seasonings to this.  I love smoked paprika and curry powder, or Italian seasoning and a bit of parmesan cheese.  I like also using taco seasoning and some leftover ground beef.  It is a perfect recipe for adding the types of spices and veggies you prefer.  Plus it only dirties a couple of dishes, which I love.

In addition to these, I am also including the recipes for play dough, and finger paint in case you don't already have them.  These have become my friends in recent months!

Play Dough

1 cup flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup salt
1 1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
Optional: cinnamon, or apple pie spice blend, or food coloring, or extract, or package of crystal light or unsweetened kool aid for color and scent

Cook all ingredients together in large saucepan over medium heat.  Stir constantly with a wooden spoon, it will get stiff quickly.  Let cook till it forms a ball in the pan, and let cool enough to handle.  Knead it a bit to soften and blend it, till it is cool enough for the kids.  I find this lasts a very long time if I keep it in ziploc bags.

Homemade Finger Paint

1/3 cup cornstarch
3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups cold water
food coloring

Mix cornstarch sugar and water in a saucepan.  Cook and stir over medium heat about 5 minutes till thick.  Divide into several small bowls and add different food colorings to each.  Stir till blended and cool.  Store in an airtight container.  This does not store as well as the play dough, but lasts longer if stored in the fridge.

Incidentally, I use pretty much the same method to make homemade pudding, except using milk instead of water, and 1/3 cup sugar.  Whisk cornstarch, milk, and sugar till blended, then heat and whisk till thick.  After it has thickened to pudding consistency, add vanilla or whatever flavoring you like, and a bit of butter.  For butterscotch use rum flavoring brown sugar and more butter at the end, about 2 tablespoons.  For chocolate, add 1/4 cup cocoa powder with starch and sugar.  It is yummy.

Please comment, and share any opinions, questions, or other recipe ideas.  Thanks!