Quinoa, chicken, date & grape salad

I bought my second copy of the New Zealand magazine Dish last month. For the most part it is similar to Delicious but it does also include some tutorials on techniques. I think this is great. Not only do you get some awesome recipes but you also learn new skills. The article/tutorial in this issue is about preparation of sashimi. It includes details on the best fish to use, the best knives to use and how to care for them and then it goes through the techniques. If I liked fish and could get actual fresh fish then it would be really good for me. :-) It is still really interesting though. 

There are a number of things similar to Delicious including the recipe book reviews, new foods, promotions of local goods and produce. One difference that I think is great is that instead of just a letters page they have a "Dish Snaps" sections where readers take photos of the meals they have made from Dish magazines. There is a prize, just like with readers letters (emails) in Delicious however since it is a foodie magazine the photos of people's creations are a terrific way to do it. 

I find that there is a great range of recipes in the magazines. The first issue that I bought was one of the winter issues. The range of winter dishes in it was wonderful. I made a few of them, one didn't work out as planned but still tasted really good. I really couldn't decide what to make from this issue. I, of course, wanted to make heaps of things but then there is heaps of things that I want to make from all over the place. I must have 100 or 200 recipes bookmarked to make. Some of them will never get made but they are there if I want them. There is over 100 issues of Delicious magazine that 99% have recipes to make marked. There are recipes that I have saved over on Taste.com.au that I want to make and there are also a bunch of cook books that have even more recipes. 

The one section I was looking at was Grill Master since I recently bought myself a new barbecue. There is a number of recipes which also include side dishes to go with them. I was looking at making the Italian burger which is made with veal mince patties that have all the usual things in them plus toasted & ground fennel seeds. While cooking a slice of mozzarella on top to melt and then served on a toasted bun with rocket, tomato and pesto. The recipe for the pesto is also given. Along with the burgers a side of a Caramelised carrot, corn and coriander salad. I have said before that I don't like coriander but I will admit that I have "gone to the dark side" and am eating small amounts of it. I wouldn't use the whole amount recommended in the recipe but I would use a small amount. The carrots are also done on the bbq so a test out all round. 

What I did end up going with for my first recipe was the Quinoa, chicken, date, red grape & hazelnut salad. I didn't have hazelnuts but did toast a few macadamia nuts and used those. It was a very good lunch time dish although I did find that the combination of the dates and grapes made it a bit sweet for me. I think if I was to make it again I would use one or the other but not both and add some extra greens into it. For the dressing, like most other dressings, I didn't use all the oil in the recipe. I also didn't put all of the dressing on. I find that most recipes have too much dressing and it would be swimming if all of it was used.

Quinoa, chicken, date & grape salad

Ingredients   

500 g free range boneless, skinless, trimmed, chicken thighs 

1 c quinoa 

2 c vegetable or chicken stock

300 g green beans, ends trimmed, halved 

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced 

6 fresh dates, roughly sliced 

big bunch of red seedless grapes, halved 

1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted & skinned

Dressing

1 cloves garlic, crushed 

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 

1 tsp salt  

2 tbsp olive oil

Place in a jar with some freshly ground black pepper & give it a good shake. 

Method 

Season chicken with salt & pepper & cook over a medium heat until golden and cooked through. Set aside until cool, then slice. 

Bring stock to boil and then add quinoa and simmer for around 10 minutes. Cool and drain.  

Blanch beans and then refresh in cold water and drain. 

Combine all the ingredients, refrigerate for an hour or so for it to let flavours combine. 

Quinoa orange, ginger, carrot & coconut salad

I bought this book a while ago now and have only made this one recipe so far. I plan on making a lot more but so many recipes, so little time. LOL 

I really quite enjoyed this salad. I didn't have an orange but did have some tangelos so used one of those instead. I also used red quinoa as I don't have any black but I will try to get some and give it another try to see what the difference is. I am not usually a fan of sweet things in salad but I really did like this one. I didn't add as much ginger as was in the recipe as I was worried about it overpowering it but I really should have used the whole amount. I made half the recipe but it still made plenty. I served with herbed salmon and steamed asparagus.

Quinoa orange, ginger, carrot & coconut salad 

3/4 c black quinoa, rinsed and drained 

1 3/4 c water

4 medium carrots, grated 

1/2 sultanas

3/4 c shredded coconut

3 tbsp chives (I would probably use green onions next time) 

juice & zest of 1 orange (zest wasn't in recipe but I added)

1 tbsp grated ginger 

2 tbsp olive oil 

2 - 3 tbsp lime juice

Bring water & quinoa to the boil then cover and simmer until water is absorbed. Let cool. 

Add carrot, sultanas, coconut & chives. Mix juice & zest, ginger, oil & lime juice then pour over quinoa. Toss and refrigerate for at least an hour to let flavours combine. 

Quinoa & haloumi stuffed mushrooms with pesto cream

I really, really need to use some of the food that I have stored in my fridge, freezer and pantry. I honestly think with a bit of imagination I could eat for a week on what I have already only spending money on milk and cat food. Oh and perhaps fruit...I know that I don't have any canned or frozen. Not sure I can actually do a month but I am going to try for a couple of weeks and see how I go. I have actually tried this before. Last time I did it I went to buy milk and cat food and ended up spending a bunch on more stuff. I actually managed to go to the supermarket today and get only 4 things, all of which were on my list and these included milk and cat food.

I had purchased some large flat mushrooms last week to make mushroom burgers but never got around to making them so I decided to do something with them tonight. I have a large amount of quinoa in the cupboard so decide to use some of that as the base for a stuffing for the mushrooms. I really just tossed things in and hoped it would be good. It was very, very good and I will definitely be making these again. I used this mixture to fill two flat mushrooms, but there is plenty left over. I think I could fill at least another two if not four mushrooms.

Quinoa & haloumi stuffed mushrooms with pesto cream

1 c. cooked quinoa

1 small sweet potato, finely chopped and roasted 

1 small red onion, finely diced 

1 clove garlic, crushed

6 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

3 piquillo whole roasted peppers, chopped

100 g grated haloumi, I had a herb & pepper one

handful of basil, oregano & parsley, chopped 

Flat mushrooms 

1 tbsp light sour cream 

1 tbsp basil pesto,

Preheat oven to 180 C. 

Saute onion & garlic until cooked. Combine with quinoa, sweet potato, tomatoes, peppers, haloumi and herbs mixing well. 

Place mushrooms on a tray and pile quinoa mixture on top. Roast in the oven for 15 - 18 minutes or until mushrooms are soft. 

Combine sour cream and pesto and serve with the mushrooms.

Meatloaf with Red Quinoa & Mushroom Sauce

It is a bit late to be starting a new blog post now but my bedroom is freezing cold and I need to let the heater in there do its job for a little while before going to bed. It is probably not as cold as it could be tonight but still cold enough that I don't want to be trying to sleep in a cold room. I did finally succumb last night and pulled out my heavy wool doona for the first time this winter. I was definitely warmer last night than I had been the night before and it was definitely colder last night. 

This is a recipe that I have been meaning to post for over a month now. It was the first thing that I made with my purchase of red quinoa. When I first purchased it I did a google search to see what I could come up with to make with it and I came across this meatloaf recipe over at Simple Recipes. It definitely sounded like a good way to start testing the red quinoa out. I do love meat loaf especially that you end up with a bunch of left overs that can be used to make meatloaf sandwiches for lunch during the coming week. I decided to make a few changes to the recipe. My mum almost always did a mushroom sauce with meatloaf. Hers usually involved a tin of cream of mushroom soup which is fine for family size but too much for a smaller one. I have done it with a sachet of mushroom cup-a-soup. However for this one I just sautéed a handful of mushrooms in some garlic olive oil and added some cream, a little bit of dijon mustard and some salt and pepper. It was just perfect with the meatloaf. I served this with harvard beets & carrots, peas and mash. It was a wonderful meal. I think next time I will do it in my mini loaf pans. I had intended on adding in the tomatoes, I forgot but next time would add them for a bit of extra moisture.

Meatloaf with Read Quinoa

Ingredients

• 450 g lean beef mince
• 450 g lean pork mince
• 1 cup red quinoa, rinsed and pre-soaked in water for about 30 minutes
• 1 small onion finely chopped and sautéed in some oil until soft
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp chilli paste, or to taste
• 2 tsp mixed herbs
• Dash worcestershire sauce
• ½ bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients together. 
• Place in a oven safe dish and bake for 40 minutes at 175 C.

 

June 2008 - Coconut Quinoa Porridge with Banana and Palm Sugar

Ahhh, cheese....who doesn't love cheese? I am sure there are those that do not like it but I am certainly not one of them. I love most types, blue is probably the one exception. Although I have had a nice blue cheese dressing previously (not the one I made a while ago though). Rick Stein's Swiss Cheese Fondue looks beautifully rich and glorious and would be terrific to share with friends.

I, however, was much more interested in two different recipes in issue # 72. The first was Jude Blereau's Roasted Eggplant with Chickpeas, Black Olive & Capsicum salsa. A seemingly glorious combination of stuff that I would have never put together myself. The salsa is made up of chickpeas, kalamata olives, roasted capsicum, herbs and feta. This is piled on top of eggplant halves that have been roasted in the oven after being fried for a couple of minutes and then basted with a balsamic, tamari, garlic, and basil marinade. I cannot wait to get my hands on some nice eggplants to make this, just the wrong season. There are still some in stores but they are a bit over ripe and kind of soft.

The other recipe that I was very intrigued with was Melbourne cafe, Birdman Eating's, Coconut Quinoa Porridge with Banana and Palm Sugar. I am always looking for something different for breakfast as well as a new way to use quinoa so this ticked all the right boxes. I was, however, quite disappointed. The palm sugar syrup was a bit over powering. My main problem though was the coconut milk I used though, Ayam brand. It was incredibly thick and the end product was a bit tinny tasting. I will try it using either a different brand of coconut milk or regular cows milk and see what it is like. I think that next time I will sweeten with maple or agave syrup.

Coconut Quinoa Porridge with Banana and Palm Sugar

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups (500ml) coconut milk
• 1 cup (200 g) quinoa
• 250 g dark palm sugar, cut into small chunks (or use 1 1/4 firmly packed cups dark brown sugar)
• 2 bananas, sliced
• 1/2 c (35 g) shredded coconut, lightly toasted
  

Method

• Combine coconut milk with 1 cup (250 ml) water in a jug, then set aside.
• Combine quinoa and a pinch salt in a saucepan.
  
• Add half the coconut milk/water mixture, or just enough to cover the grains.
  
• Bring to the boil, stirring, over medium-low heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 - 25 minutes or until the grains are tender and the mixture is a porridge consistency, topping up with some of the remaining liquid if it is becoming too thick.
  
• Meanwhile, place the palm or brown sugar and 1 cup (250ml) water in another saucepan over low heat. Stir to dissolve sugar, then simmer for about 30 minutes until it is a thick, syrupy consistency and the mixture has reduced by half.
• To serve, pour about 1 tbsp of syrup in the bottom of each bowl, spoon over the porridge then add a little more syrup. Top with sliced banana and sprinkle with toasted coconut and serve warm.
• Store any remaining palm sugar syrup in the fridge for up to 1 week.

March 2010 - Paprika Chicken with Quinoa Tabouleh

On to the last issue for March. I changed my mind a lot on what to make from this issue. On my menu plan for the month I was going to make Jill Dupleix's Larb Gai with mint & basil, which is a Thai-inspired dish that looked to be light and tasty. However come the end of the month there were some bills that needed paying so there wasn't a lot left for groceries and I had to be a bit frugal.

Jamie Oliver's Kumara Pyramid Salad was another possibility. I had most of the ingredients, or things that could be substituted. However I had made a salad using kumara from the last issue so I decided that, as nice as it sounds, something different would be better this time around.

There is a feature on Noosa in this issue with recipes from executive chef at Berardo's, Shane Bailey. His Spatchcock with Corn & Herb Couscous, using Israeli (or pearl) couscous looked so good. However I didn't manage to get to the butcher on Saturday before they closed so I wasn't able to get a spatchcock and the chickens at the supermarket were all quite big. I think that it would have been very nice though.

In the end I chose another recipe from Jill Dupleix's Lighten Up feature, Paprika Chicken with Quinoa Tabbouleh. I had all the ingredients on hand so it made for a cheap and very tasty stores meal. The recipe did not state what type of paprika to use. I have smoked and sweet in my cupboard so I used smoked on the chicken breast and sweet for the quinoa dressing. The smoked paprika was nice on the chicken however I think that I need to get something with a bit more spice to it. I think it would have been better with a bit of a kick to it, perhaps I didn't add enough cayenne pepper. I enjoyed the meal and it was a good way to use some of the quinoa that I seem to have built up in the cupboard.

Paprika Chicken with Quinoa Tabouleh

Ingredients

• 1 c quinoa
• 600 ml water or vegetable stock
  
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp mint, finely chopped
• 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered (I used extra)
  
• 3 spring (green) onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 c (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
  
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika
  
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 100 g greek yoghurt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• 4 x 180 g chicken breast fillets

Method

• Combine 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp paprika and chicken breasts in a bowl and marinade for at least 20 minutes.
  
• Simmer quinoa in water for 10 minutes or until cooked and then drain. Cool and then add herbs, tomatoes and onions.
  
• Mix 1/4c oil, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp paprika, cumin, cayenne and sugar. Reserve 2 tsps and then mix the rest through the quinoa.
  
• Cook chicken under the a medium-high grill for 7-8 minutes each side or until cooked.
  
• Slice chicken breast and serve on a bed of quinoa then top with yoghurt and a drizzle of the reserved dressing.