Apple, Tuna and Chickpea Quinoa Salad

2c raw quinoa, cooked
1.5c chickpeas
Handful of mixed greens
1 apple, chopped into small chunks
2 spring onions, chopped finely
1 can of tuna, water squeezed out
1/3 c finely chopped cilantro
About 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 clove of garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

1:3 ratio of lemon juice to olive oil for vinaigrette

We just made this to bring to a friends house. It is yummy. A new spin on a macaroni tuna salad my mom used to make.

GF Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are some of the best GF cookies I've ever had that did not use almond flour as a base. Sooo tasty, I'm on to making another batch after the last one went pretty quick.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Rolled oats OR Quinoa Flakes
1/2 cup organic quinoa flour
1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour or potato starch (not potato flour)
1 cup organic light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup light olive oil ( I used a bit less)
3 tablespoons real maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large organic free-range eggs or Ener-G Egg Replacer
Warm water, as needed
1 cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips

Instructions:

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flours and dry ingredients.

Add in the oil, maple syrup, vanilla and eggs/egg replacer. Combine the wet and dry ingredients with a sturdy wooden spoon until you get a thick, sticky batter.

If you need to, add 1 tablespoon of warm water at a time, as needed, to achieve a (cookie style) dough that sticks together when you pinch it.

Stir in the dark chocolate chips with a wooden spoon. Cover and chill the dough for 30 to 60 minutes. (For the first batch I put it in for 10 minutes only and they still came out great).

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with an Exopat or parchment.

Roll spoonfuls of the dough between your palms and form the dough into 24 balls (slightly smaller than a golf ball). Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet and press down a bit to flatten slightly- not too much, OR you can spoon the dough out and flatten a bit with fingers. Place the pan into the center of a pre-heated oven and bake until golden and set - about 22 to 25 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the center is almost firm. The cookies will still have a little give to them while hot; as they cool they will crisp up.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes; then carefully remove the cookies with a thin spatula and place them on a wire rack to continue cooling.

Lovely warm and melty. Store in a covered container for up to a day or wrap cooled cookies in recycled foil, bag and freeze for longer storage. 

Makes 24 cookies.
Adapted from Gluten-Free Goddess
Read more: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2010/04/quinoa-chocolate-chip-cookies.html#ixzz1qLpNNVlw

Kamut and Broccoli Salad in Tangy Miso Dressing

I'm loving the miso!  It keeps forever in a sealed container in the fridge which is where mine has been for a long time. Yikes.  It's fermented anyway so how bad could it get?  It is one of those ingredients I don't think to throw it a dish without a recipe. It's like tamarind paste. I ALWAYS use a recipe with tamarind and I'm thinking I'll try winging it with miso before tamarind.  This again is a newish salad dressing for me as I tend to go with oil/vinegar mustardy combinations. I love the big flavours in this recipe that I also got from that grain book "The Whole Grains Cookbook" by Robin Asbell.  Fyi- I'm seeing a lot of "farro" recipes floating around. In Canada we call it spelt, in Italy they call it farro. It's another hearty grain like wheat berries and kamut.


You will need:

1 c uncooked kamut or another grain (cook according to directions)
2 T red miso
1 T grapeseed oil (or whatever you have)
1 T rice vinegar
1 T sesame oil
1 T grated ginger
1 clove garlic minced or crushed
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1 T honey or agave
2 c broccoli florets and stem, blanched
1/2 c julienned carrots
2 scallions, minced
1/2 c toasted cashews

In a bowl whisk the miso, oil and vinegar till smooth.  Whisk in the sesame oil, ginger, garlic, pepper flakes, and honey.  Pour the dressing over the cooled grain and toss to coat.  Pour dressing in salad to taste.

Sprinkle with cashews.
Eat as a main dish with a bed of wild greens underneath or pair with a veggie burger, seared tofu or a hot bowl of soup.

Red Curry Peanut Sauce w/ Tofu and Broccoli

This dish is a-mazing!!! The peanut butter/red curry combo was something I've never had before and the flavor was so new that I savoured this dish long after I ate it.  I have been taking lots of books from the library with a ton of great recipes. I take photos of the recipes and then when I have time I try it out. I don't know which book this one came out of but I think it was about grains. This will knock your socks off if you love peanut butter and curry.

My newest projects involve experimenting with a bread maker I borrowed from a friend, and learning about the ins and outs of pressure cooking.  I'm trying to get away from eating beans from a can.  I just read somewhere that Campbells soup will be starting to use BPA free lining in all their soups. 

You will need:

4 T oil ( separated)

1/2 c peanut butter

2 T red curry paste

1 c coconut milk

2 T fish sauce (go easy on adding this -some fish sauces are VERY salty)

2 T water

2 t curry powder

1 t cumin

1 t freshly ground black pepper

1 large head of broccoli, blanched

large handful of bean sprouts

1 500g pack of extra firm tofu

1/2 c of potato starch, corn starch, tapioca starch, or flour

2 c brown rice (to be cooked according to instructions)

**DO NOT put salt in until the end and taste it first. Depending on which fish sauce you use you may not need it. I made it again putting less salt than the original recipe required and it was still salty. Also you can add in 1 tsp at a time of fish sauce to make sure it doesn't get too salty.

Method:

In a medium saucepan, heat 2 T or less (not 4 T) of the oil over medium heat. Add the curry first and blend it into the oil, then add PB and cook, stirring frequently, until the PB is melted and the ingredients are well combined, 3-4 mins.

Stir in the coconut milk and fish sauce and bring to a slow boil.  Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 5-7 mins.  Add the water, curry powder, cumin, salt and pepper and simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened, 3-4 mins.

Dice the tofu and put in a plastic bag with the starch or flour to coat the cubes of tofu. Add the rest of the oil, 2 T, to pan and saute for a few minutes to brown the tofu, 5-6 mins.  If it starts to burn or looks like it needs oil add more.

Set up plate with rice on the bottom, add fresh bean sprouts, tofu and then broccoli. Pour the peanut sauce over and enjoy.  You can also mix the sauce with the tofu and broccoli and then serve on rice.  It was just as good the next day. 

You can substitute the vegetables with red peppers, snow peas, snap peas, kale, spinach, etc. 

Early Spring Salad

From: http://ohsheglows.com/2010/12/28/back-on-track-wheat-berry-and-bean-salad/

If you're not familiar with wheat berries they are firm and hearty, one of the meatier grains. High in fibre they are a great addition to a bean salad making it something more substantial.  I really like the texture and often use it as a base for salads, adding veggies and dressing.  Substitutions for wheat berries could be kamut (kamoot), quinoa, spelt, rice, cous cous, etc.)  Wheat berries, spelt, kamut, etc. are really easy to freeze. If it a bit of a process making them make extra and freeze for another meal.

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry wheat berries, cooked and drained
• 2 cups/500 ml cooked navy beans (or black beans, chick peas, etc.)
• 1 English cucumber, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup fresh parsley, diced with large stems removed
• 4 green onions, diced
• Kosher salt + pepper, to taste

Dressing Ingredients:

• 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, to taste 
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp hot mustard (or regular)
• 1 tbsp Tamari (soy sauce)
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions: In a medium bowl, soak the wheat berries overnight in cold water. If you have a rice cooker cook on brown rice setting (there is no need to soak).  The next day, drain the wheat berries and place in a medium sized pot, covered in 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour. They should be firm but not hard. Drain and cool.

In a large bowl, mix all salad ingredients.

In a small bowl whisk together the dressing ingredients.

 Now season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Garnish with additional parsley if desired.

Yield: 7.5-8 cups.

Perfect Potato and Tomato Salad by Marika

So this is my friend Marika's photo of her amazing potato salad found at http://ediblediaries.blogspot.com/2009/06/recipe-potato-salad-la-nicoise.html. Her photo is much better than mine which is in a crowd with two other salads I made one evening below, all posted somewhere here.  The dressing is very versatile and I will often double the recipe and save it for a quinoa or kamut salad.



You will need:


2 pounds of baby nugget potatoes
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
3/4 to 1 cup mixed olives
4 poached eggs (optional)
2 shallots, minced
2 tablespoons chopped chives





Save this dressing as a perfect go to for quinoa, rice, lentil, kamut salads. Keeps well in the fridge for a few weeks and the recipe is easy to double. If you don't have a food processor drizzle the oil slowly into the rest of the ingredients to blend the oil well with the vinegar.


Dressing:
1 tablespoon dijon mustard, grainy or smooth
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves
5 fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Servings: 4

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add potatoes and cook 10-15 minutes or until done.
Remove and drain in a colander. Put in a large salad bowl with tomatoes.
Add all dressing ingredients into a food processor. Blend well.
Pour dressing over warm potatoes and tomatoes. Plate and top with olives, chives and shallots.

Optional: Place poached egg on top so yolk acts like a gooey warm sauce on top of potatoes.

Beet, Carrot & Jicama Patty on Greens

Wow I think all of these photos are blurry. Yikes. I just thank my lucky stars that I'm able to find the time to post at all. I cook way more than I post and I have a ton of backed up recipes that need to be posted so I just do what I can and blurry pictures will just have to do.

I started making a beet, carrot, jicama salad and I shredded way too much so I searched online for something to make with the tons of leftovers I had. I googled beet burgers and I found something I really liked. The toasted sesame and sunflower seeds provide a good bang factor. The best part is these are baked, the worst part at first glance is the 1/4 cup of oil. Not sure why its needed so I put in a bit less. The next time I make it I will add less.  I thought a cup or two of mashed chickpeas or another kind of bean would be a nice addition. You can't really go wrong with putting what you like in it. I was worried that they mixture wouldn't stick together when I first put it on the parchment paper but they crisped up just great. I did add an extra tablespoon of flour because I thought it looked a little too wet.  This was really good and we even froze the leftovers and they were just as tasty.  For the dressing, we had some leftover from Perfect Potato and Tomato Salad by Marika.

FYI- Jicama is a crunchy root vegetable. Brown on the outside and white on the inside.  It is a cross between a pear and a potato or a very crunchy water chestnut. Learn about it's health benefits here. 

I sprinkled some fried onions on it and it was even better. Those can be found at Indian stores or other places. Don't buy them in a can- too expensive and not the same.

You will need:

1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups peeled grated beets (1-2 medium beets)
2 cups grated carrots (about 4 carrots)
1/2 cup minced onion (about 1 medium onion)
*2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Butter or oil for greasing the baking sheet.

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

2. Place a small, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sesame seeds and stir them on the dry skillet just until lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning them. Immediately remove from heat and transfer the toasted seeds to a dish to cool.

3. Return the skillet to the heat. Add the sunflower seeds and stir them on the dry skillet just until lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning them. Immediately transfer them to the dish with the sesame seeds.

4. Combine the beets, carrots, and onion in a large bowl. Stir in the toasted sunflower and sesame seeds, eggs, rice, cheddar cheese, oil, flour, parsley, soy sauce or tamari, and garlic. Add cayenne and mix until thoroughly combined.

5. Using your hands, shape the mixture into 12 patties and arrange them in rows on the baking sheet.

6. Bake the patties until brown around the edges, about 20 minutes. Unless they are very large and thick, it should not be necessary to flip them.

Makes 12 patties.
Serve in a burger bun or on a bed of organic leafy greens.

*To replace one egg:

1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
3 tablespoons water (or other liquid)

Stir together until thick and gelatinous.

From: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/beet-and-carrot-veggie-burgers.html#ixzz1nSItB3g2