Quinoa Salad with Fennel and White Beans in a Light Lemon Vinaigrette

I came across this recipe a while ago, whilst looking through “Spork-Fed : Super fun and Flavorful vegan recipes for the Sisters of Spork Foods” by Jenny Engel and Heather Goldberg. I wanted to try in straight away but had two stumbling blocks. Firstly, I could not for the life of me find German mustard. I am not much of a mustard eater but remember years ago, having some by Masterfoods. I looked through two different supermarket chains and could not find it. After some online investigation, I found out that Masterfoods discontinued that variety. I found that quite astounding. Anyway, check out the international/import food stores and you should find some there.

My next challenge was the fennel. It was out of season and so was either hard to find or very small and very expensive. I decided that I would wait until winter when fennel is in season and easy to find. Oh, and the bulbs are big and lush.

I simplified and tweaked the original recipe to suit me.

What you will need:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well and boiled in 2 cups water until the liquid is absorbed (You can use a mix of colours if you want – red, white, black – it doesn’t matter)

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed

1 large fennel bulb, finely chopped

1 tbsp agave syrup

Juice of half a lemon

1 tsp German mustard

1 tsp cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil

5 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

A big bag of salad greens

Method:

This is really easy.

Throw all of the ingredients together and toss! You can season with salt and black pepper if you wish. Serve it warm.

I found this makes a meal size quantity for 2 people or as a side dish for 4 people.

Everyday Chickpea and Quinoa Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

This recipe is from the legendary vegan chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz's book "Appetite for Reduction : 125 fast and filling low fat vegan recipes". It is, infact, the very first recipe of the book. I thought I would do my best to try as many of the recipes in this book as I could, and this one is a good start.

What you will need for the salad:
2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled
1 small red onion, sliced thinly (optional)
4 cups chopped cos lettuce
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
a few leaves of fresh basil, chopped finely
handful of snow pea sprouts
1 carrot, grated

What you will need for the vinaigrette:
1/4 cup cashew pieces
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp agave nectar
3/4 tsp salt

Method:
Mix all the salad ingredients together. For the vinaigrette, place cashews in a blender and pulse to chop up. Add rest of the ingredients and blend for about 5 minutes, to get the mixture smooth and not grainy. Add to salad and toss to coat. Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up 3 days if a tightly sealed container is used.

Southwest Quinoa Salad

Another gluten free recipe I found in the book “Quinoa 365” by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming. This one is a mix of quinoa, black beans, corn and coriander. You can make it as hot (or not) as you like.

What you will need:

2 cups water

1 cup quinoa, rinsed thoroughly

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup lime juice

4 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 ½ tsp ground cumin

1 tsp finely minced jalapeno (optional)

1 can corn kernels, drained and rinsed

1 diced red bell capsicum (optional)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup chopped coriander

¼ tsp salt

Method:

Bring the water and the quinoa to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover and reduce to simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes. Turn off heat and leave covered to sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and allow to cool.

Place quinoa in a large bowl.

Whisk oil, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, cumin and jalapeno (if using) in a small bowl. Stir dressing into quinoa.

Add capsicum, black beans, coriander and salt. Toss and serve.

Salad will keep for up to 3 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator. 

Tabbouleh-Style Quinoa Salad

This is such a simple recipe and yet it taste so good! I found it in the book “Carb-Conscious Vegetarian” by Robin Robertson.The original recipe instructs to cover and refrigerate the quinoa mixture for 1 hour or more before serving but I just could not wait and ate it straight away. Still tasted great, but I imagine the refrigeration was for the flavours to develop further.

What you will need:

2 cups water

Salt

1 cup quiona, rinsed well and drained

1 cucumber, peeled and chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

1 can chickpeas

½ cup flat leaf parsley

1/3 cup olive oil

3 tbsp lemon juice

4 cups mixed salad greens

Method:

Bring the water to boil in a medium sized saucepan and add salt to taste. Stir in quinoa and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until water is absorbed – about 15 minutes. Fluff and let stand, lid covered.

In a large bowl, mix together the quinoa, cucumber, tomato, chickpeas and parsley. In a small bowl, combine the oil, lemon juice and salt to taste.  Pour dressing over quinoa mixture and mix gently.

Place salad greens in individual bowls and then spoon out quinoa mixture over the top.

Sunny Summer Salad

This recipe is from the book “Quinoa 365” by Patricia Green. It is not a vegan or even vegetarian cookbook but there are quite a lot of vegan recipes in there, many that I have tried and quite a few that have become favourites.

This gluten free salad can be made and eaten straight away or can be prepared the night before. I have left out the use of bell capsicums because they just don’t agree with me, but feel free to use them, as they would add a nice colour to this salad. There is a strong contrast between the sweetness of the currants and the sour of the lemon juice. I found the use of a 1/3 of a cup of lemon juice to be a bit too strong, so I suggest taking it down to a ¼.

What you will need

1 1/2 cups water

¾ cup quinoa

3 cups finely diced zucchini

1 cup finely diced red bell capsicum

1 cup finely diced yellow bell capsicum

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1/3 cup dried currants

2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

2 tbsp finely chopped coriander

¼ cup lemon juice

¼ cup olive oil

1 tsp minced fresh garlic (optional)

½ tsp salt

Pinch each of cayenne pepper, ground cumin and ground turmeric

Method

Bring water to boil in a small saucepan. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit with cover on, for about 5 minutes. Remove lid, fluff with fork and let cool.

Place zucchini, capsicums, sunflower seeds, currants, parsley and coriander in a large bowl. Add cooled quinoa.

Whisk lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt and spices in a small bowl. Pour over the salad and gently toss. 

Coles Simply Gluten Free Quinoa Range

This is a nice little range that Coles have put out for those who have an allergy or intolerance to gluten.

I was a bit wary at first, however, as to whether these products were suitable for vegans, as there was no indication as to the type of emulsifier used. Some are plant derived, some animal.

I ended up emailing Coles and they stated:

Upon receipt of your correspondence, we were in contact with our National Quality Team. They have advised that this is vegetable based emulsifier. We do not use the animal source in our products.



Great news!
There are three varieties available - the plain quinoa, the Moroccan style brown rice and quinoa , and the Mexican style brown rice and quiona, which is my favourite, as it has quite a bit of 'kick' to it. NOTE: the Moroccan contains milk so avoid that one!

They are easy to use - just heat up in a microwave - so they are good to take to work for lunch. I like to heat and then add to some raw vegetables.
These are also very handy when travelling, as they do not need refrigeration.

You can find them in Coles supermarkets, in their very own 'Simply Gluten Free' section.

Recipe: Party sausage rolls

I am a subscriber to the Australian magazine “Living Vegan” and in their 3^rd issue, I came across this recipe which they got from the book “Wrapped in pastry” by Leigh Drew. 

 My partner has made these little beauties a few times now, and they have been a hit with us and with our friends.  I have to admit that the puff pastry that we used was not gluten free.  I have found from experience that vegan, gluten free puff pastry is hard to find (though not impossible!) and it doesn't really puff all that well.  As I am not a celiac but just sensitive to gluten, I can tolerate some gluten, so treat myself with these now and then.

This recipe also calls for vegan Worcestershire sauce. We actually found some in Coles, called 'Spring Valley Worcestershire Sauce'. Not only is it vegan, it is also gluten free.

Note that I have slightly altered the recipe to my tastes. If you want the original, subscribe to Living Vegan or buy the book mentioned above.

What you will need:

Pastry

4 sheets of vegan puff pastry – we used Pampas Puff Pastry ready rolled sheets.

Filling

Half cup red or white quinoa

1 and a half cups vegetable stock

2 tbsp olive oil

1 and a half cups onion, finely chopped (optional)

3 tbsp garlic, minced (optional)

2 cups brown lentils, cooked or canned

3 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp dried sage

Half tbsp paprika

Half tbsp dried marjoram

Quarter tsp nutmeg

1 third cup tomato paste

1 cup water

1 third cup besan (chickpea) flour

1 third cup nutritional yeast

Half tsp salt

Filling Preparation

Rinse the quinoa and place in a medium sized saucepan with vegetable stock. Cover and bring to boil and then reduce heat to minimum. Simmer, stirring now and then, until quinoa is tender and all of the liquid has been absorbed. Set to one side.

Heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté onions until translucent and tender. Remove half a cup of the onions and set to one side.

Add garlic to remaining onions and sauté for another minute. Pour in cooked quinoa and brown lentils. Stir to mix. Add vegan Worcestershire sauce, herbs, nutmeg and stir. Add tomato paste and cup of water and stir.

Turn heat to low and simmer, stirring now and then, until liquid has been absorbed. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes. Pour mixture into large bowl and set aside to cool.

When cooled to tepid (approx.. 20 minutes), spoon into a food processor or use a hand held blender and blend the mixture until smooth. Pour back into the bowl and stir through the retained half cup of sautéed onion, besan  flour, nutritional yeast, and salt. Set to one side and cool completely.

Putting it all together

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius or Gas Mark 6. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

Defrost puff pastry sheets.  Slice in half. Place mixture down the centre third of each half sheet. Carefully roll one side over the mixture and then over to the other side to form a rube. Cut each tube into six pieces. Place on baking paper and put into oven.

Bake until puff pastry is golden and puffed and filling looks dry. Approx 20 minutes.

Serve with tomato sauce. They taste great hot and cold as well.

Recipe: Sweet quinoa-pumpkin seed pilaf

This is a rather curious recipe that I found in the cookbook “Big Vegan” by Robin Asbell. Although it is on the sweeter side, you could have this for lunch, as well as for breakfast. The toasted grains and seeds give it a popcorn sort of flavour. You can find the pumpkin seeds, quinoa and millet in supermarkets, but you may have to look in their health food section. Alternatively, they can be found in health food shops or stores that sell bulk grains, nuts, seeds, etc.

What you will need:

Half cup quinoa

Half cup millet

1 cup apple juice

Half cup raisins (or other dried fruit)

Half cup grated carrot

Pinch of salt

Half cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup water

Agave syrup for drizzling over the top (optional)

Method:

In  a saucepan, dry-roast the quinoa and millet over high heat. Swirl grains until they are crackling and fragrant. Take off heat and add 1 cup of water and apple juice.  Add raisins, carrot and salt and bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

In a pan, dry-roast the pumpkin seeds over medium-high heat. Swirl and toss seeds until toasted and popping.  Pour onto plate to cool.

Serve the pilaf with the toasted pumpkin seeds on top and drizzle with agave syrup if you like. 

Recipe: Hearty Beans and Greens Stew

I found the basis of this recipe in the book "Quinoa 365" but it included animal products and some ingredients that I could not find, so I tweaked it a fair bit and this is what I came up with. A one-put stew that is easy to make and great for dinner on a cool night.

What you will need:
4 cups vegetable stock. I use Marigold Swiss Vegetable Vegan Bouillon Powder which you can find in health food shops.
half cup quinoa
quarter tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 can (approx 400g) cooked red kidney beans
1 can (approx 400g) cooked butter beans (or any that take your fancy really)
chopped kale or spinach - how much you use is up to you, though I used a fair amount, as it wilts down
a few cooked and diced vegan sausages or firm tofu, cubed. Again, how much you want to use is up to you.

Method:
Combine the stock, quinoa, oregano and bay leaf in a pot and bring to boil.
Reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 15 mins.
Remove lid and add beans and spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted. Stir in vegan sausage or tofu and cook for a few more minutes. Serve.

Recipe: Quinoa "Mac 'n' Cheese" Casserole

I nabbed this recipe from the book "The Everything Vegan Cookbook". I don't really think the title of the recipe fits, as it doesn't really try to imitate macaroni and dairy cheese, but is rather a taste delight of its own. Regardless, give this one a go because it is seriously delicious.

What you will need:
1 and a half cups quionoa
3 cups veggie broth
1 onion, chopped (optional)
3 gloves garlic, minced (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch broccoli, diced small, stem and all
1 tbsp flour (I use gluten free flour)
1 large tomato, diced
three quarters of a cup soy/rice milk
half tsp sea salt
half tsp dried parsley
1 cup bread crumbs (optional. I use gluten free ones)
1 cup vegan cheese, shredded (I used Cheezly which you can buy at PAWS)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius
Simmer quinoa is vegetable broth, covered, until done and liquid is absorbed. This should take about 15 mins.
In a medium sized pan, heat oil and add broccoli and tomato. Cook for 3-4 mins, stirring frequently.
Add flour, stirring to coat well. Add soy/rice milk and salt. Stir for about 3 mins.
Combine quinoa with  broccoli and soy milk mixture with half of the vegan cheese in a large casserole dish.
Sprinkle the other half of the vegan cheese on top, along with the parsley and breadcrumbs, if using.
Bake for about 10 minutes. If your oven, like mine, has a grill plate above the oven shelves, turn it on for about 5-10 mins, on medium heat to give the top of the dish a golden colour.

Serving proved to be a bit of challenge, as it fell apart a bit, but here is a photo showing what it looks like on the inside.

Quinoa via the rice cooker

I have been cooking with quinoa a lot lately and each time I have had to boil it up. It never occurred to me to cook it in a larger amount, in a rice cooker. But that is what I did the other day. Not only was it quick and easy, but also tasty.

I got the directions on how to do this via this fabulous website Low Fat Vegan Chef which I highly recommend you check out.

What you will need:


1 and a half cups dry quinoa (red, black or white)
1 and a half cups of water, veggie broth (I use Marigold Vegan Swiss Vegetable Bouillon Powder)

You can also add lemon juice (2-3 tbsp) or parsley flakes, etc. Whatever takes your fancy, really.

Method:
Soak the quinoa in cold water for about 15 mins.
Drain and rinse the quinoa using a fine mesh strainer until the water is clear and not foamy.
Place in the rice cooker along with the water/broth and seasonings.
Set to white rice setting a cook.
When cooking cycle is complete, let it steam for about 10 mins and then fluff with a fork and serve.

I had my quinoa with some steamed veggies and the following day, had the leftovers in a salad, which was delicious. Something about quinoa and fresh tomatoes in a salad with a little olive oil and herb salt .....mmmm! Hit the spot.

Oh, and if you don't have a rice cooker, seriously consider getting one. They are not all that pricey and you can pick one up at department stores such as K-mart. Unless I am adding it to a soup, I never boil rice now.

Quinoa on the go!

Last weekend, my partner and I stumbled across a new vegan, gluten free item - quick to cook quinoa meals. They are by an Australian company called Celebrate Health, and although they do have a website,  it seems to be under construction at the moment.

We found three varieties in the health food section of Coles supermarket - Moroccan, Thyme and Lemon, and Tomato and Basil. 

We decided to give the Tomato and Basil a go first.
The preparation is simple and takes  about 20 minutes. With the quinoa grains, are a mixture of herbs and spices that make the meal absolutely delicious. Very flavoursome and the aroma was divine!

Although the packet says 'serves two', we found that it was really only enough for one. However, there was a recipe idea on the packet, and if followed, could easily feed two people. (The recipe basically involved the inclusion of zucchini, olives, semi-dried tomatoes, capsicum and fetta cheese. I might try that out next time - excluding the fetta cheese of course!)

We look forward to trying out the Lemon and Thyme variety next.

Recipe: Quinoa Stuffed Mushrooms

Recently, I posted about a recipe I tried out from the book "Quinoa 365" . I am revisiting this book, as there another recipe I road tested that turned out to be a winner. I picked up the red quinoa from a health food shop.

What you will need:
3 tbsp quinoa (use red or black if you can, as the colour contrast looks great)
6 tbsp water
20-25 white button mushrooms
1-2 tbsp olive oil
quarter cup minced onion (optional)
3 tbsp fresh finely chopped parsley
quarter tsp dried oregano

Method:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Thoroughly rinse and bring quinoa and water to boil in a small saucepan. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 mins. Turn off heat and leave on burner for another 4 mins. Fluff with fork and allow to cool.

Gently twist stems off mushrooms and finely dice. Saute stems in oil, with onion (if using) for about 3-4 mins. Allow to cool.

Stir quinoa, parsley and oregano into mushroom and onion mixture. Using a teaspoon, scoop the filling into the mushroom caps and place on baking tray. Bake for 12 minutes until mushrooms are tender.

Recipe: Mushroom Broccoli Quisotto

A quinoa version of risotto that is tasty and quick to make. I got this recipe out of the book "Quinoa 365: the everyday superfood" by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming. This is not a vegan cookbook but they do clearly mark out which are vegetarian and most of these can be veganized easily enough.

Earlier in the month, I posted a quinoa recipe which included a bit of information about this grain and why it is so super healthy for you. I do hope you give this recipe a try. Quinoa is not all that hard to find. Naturally, health food shops have it but you can also find it in supermarkets such as Coles and Woolworths.

What you will need:
2 tbsp olive oil ( I use cold pressed)
a small to medium head of broccoli cut into bite size pieces ( I use the stems too as they are the yummiest. Just makes sure you cut those a bit smaller. OR you can use fresh asparagus instead of broccoli.)
2 cups (or more if you wish) of chopped white button mushrooms
half cup of white onion (optional)
1 tbsp minced fresh garlic (optional)
1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable stock (I used this gluten free, vegan stock that you can buy in health food shops)
pinch ground nutmeg (optional)
quarter cup chopped fresh parsley
a few dashes of vegan parmesan (I use this product which you can buy at PAWS)

Method:


Heat the oil in the pan and saute the broccoli, mushrooms, onion and garlic (if using) until tender - approx 10 mins, stirring frequently.
Combine the quinoa, stock and nutmeg (if using) in a medium saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until tender - approx 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for 6 minutes to allow residual heat in the pot to complete the cooking.
Add the cooked quiona to the broccoli and mushrooms. Stir in parsley and parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.