2-on-Tuesday: Roasted Pepper & Corn with Quinoa

I needed a quick vegetarian, Tex-Mex-tasting, protein-packed filling for a tortilla or topping for a salad or I was gonna blow my nutrition budget!

To truly get the roasted effect I was craving, there should be gas in the grill. I didn't have time...I WAS HAWNGRY! I turned the oven up to 400 degrees at a medium broil, placed the orange bell pepper in the little cast iron skillet and monitored the roasting while occasionally turning the pepper with tongs.

Attempting to achieve a fire-roasted effect on the corn didn't pan out, too well. Will try, again, when the grill is fired up! I used what I cooked, but should have gone with fresh corn. Live and learn!

What I wanted was Chuy's Creamy Jalapeno Dip. What I opted for was a very ripe avocado partly diced and partly smooshed with shredded sharp cheddar to serve as the "creamy" binder for the recipe with a very large jalapeño chopped small for that bite I like! With the lime zest and juice, my hubby never suspected avocado was even near his mouth! (Sneaky wife stands smiling while hubby enjoys his tortilla!)

Cilantro is the star with quinoa receiving the supporting

role! You'll probably want to double or triple the entire recipe if serving a family.

Roasted Pepper & Corn with Quinoa!

1 cup cooked Quinoa
1 cup Corn
1 orange or red Bell Pepper, roasted, skinned, seeded & diced
4 Green or Spring Onions, sliced (I'm not fond of raw onions)
1 - 15 oz can Black Beans, drained & rinsed (I used half of the can)
1 bunch Cilantro, chopped
1-2 large Jalapeños, chopped small
1-2 very ripe Avocados, partly diced & partly smooshed with
1/2 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar
Zest and juice from 1-2 Limes
1 teaspoon ground Cumin or Adobo
Salt, to taste
Tortillas or salad greens

• Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well!
• If your quinoa is still warm, it will somewhat "melt" the very ripe avocado with shredded cheese!
• Remember, this is NOT an exact science, so add and subtract with what your mouth likes!
• Serve chilled over a bed of salad greens OR stuffed into a warm tortilla!

It curbed my hawnger in a nutritious way and there were left-overs for another meal! <cha-ching!>

#GoPlaywithYourFood

2-on-Tuesday: Crustless Spinach Quinoa Quiche Cups

Perusing all of the social media fronts, I came across this handy recipe posted by a friend! By handy, I mean, it is one of those snatch-and-run meals packed full of goodness to keep you powered until the next break or meal! OR, enjoy it with a side salad and raw carrots for an enviable lunch at the office!

Crustless Spinach Quinoa Quiche Cups

1/2 - 3/4cup Quinoa, cooked (I've used the off-white and tri-color varieties)
4 Whole Eggs, beaten
1 - 2 fistfuls of Baby Spinach, chopped with any tough stems removed
1 Leek, white and some of the green thinly sliced
1 - 2 tablespoons Your Fave Fresh Herb (suggestions: Oregano, Rosemary, etc.)
5 - 6 ozs Goat Cheese, softened (a.k.a. Chevre. Or, choose cream cheese)
S&P, to taste
*optional: red pepper flakes, sriracha, garlic, 1 teaspoon baking powder

• Remember to rinse and slightly massage quinoa in cold water to remove the bitter, outer seed case layer. In some people, this bitter layer may cause intestinal discomfort. Quinoa is a protein-packed super grain, which has a faint nutty flavor and absorbs the flavors it is cooked with. Tip: I cook quinoa in my rice cooker. Quinoa doubles when it is cooked.
• 
  
• While quinoa is cooking, prep and sauté the leek. To prep the leek, slice-off the root end and
  
  most of the tall green blades and discard. Cut lengthwise and run water over each half, fanning the layers to wash out any dirt. Thinly slice and sauté in just a splash of olive oil or coconut oil.
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep muffin tin. I prefer to use my mammoth muffin tin lined with parchment. Tip: I've tried coating the cups with Baker's Joy...it did not work well.
• 
  
• In large bowl, beat eggs and smoosh-in goat cheese, stir-in spinach, cooked quinoa, herbs, sautéd leeks and seasonings. Divide the mixture between 10 regular or 5 mammoth muffin cups. 
• 
  
• Bake 15-20 minutes for regular muffin tin or 30-35 mammoth muffin tin...until the center is set. Make sure the spinach does not burn. Tip: I laid a sheet of foil loosely on top to trap any steam
  
  and prevent the spinach from burning.

I have a little friend who wanted to know if only egg whites could be used. SURE! My suggestion to her was to add an additional egg white and 1 teaspoon of baking powder to hold the loft!

2-on-Tuesday: Quinoa-Stuffed Tomatoes with Spicy Cilantro Pesto

Saturday was the first day of college football season and I was in the mood for cookin' up

some spice! Here's another offering from the Forks Over Knives cookbook! As of this writing, I've been enjoying a mostly-plant-based nutrition since December 1, 2012! 

If you are considering making a lifestyle shift with fitness and nutrition to effect your health, I do have a couple of notes for ya...

1. The first 2 weeks of your new fitness and nutrition lifestyle will be the hardest.
2. If you can swing it -OR- if your health insurance covers a yearly wellness exam, DO IT! You'll have a good base of numbers to launch forward. Find out cholesterol, weight (ugh), blood pressure, thyroid (TSH) levels, then, you'll know what type of nutrition to pursue. Don't be too overwhelmed if your physician suggests meds to control these areas. Typically they opt for fitness and nutrition as their first prescription.
3. Find a fitness regime that makes you smile -after the first 2 weeks of fatigue and muscle soreness- and STICK TO IT! Consistency is the key! The cheapest is walking or running. I love REFIT® & Zumba! Known as "The Angry Runner," I am intentionally trying to smile for a couple of seconds during each run.
4. If there's a nutrition change, the hardest parts are (1) not giving up and (2) food preparation, if you have a busy lifestyle. When I don't prepare a menu or weekend food prep for the meals ahead, my husband and I will end up making poor nutritional choices and it'll cost us more money, too.

OK. On to the good stuff...FOOD!

Quinoa-Stuffed Tomatoes with Spicy Cilantro Pesto
(page 188, Forks Over Knives cookbook)

4 large Tomatoes, topped and scooped-out
1/2 Yellow Onion, peeled and diced small
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and diced small
2 cloves Garlic, peeled and minced
2 ears Fresh Corn, kernels removed (+/- 1 cup)
1/2 (15 oz.) can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked Quinoa
S&P, to taste
3/4 cup Spicy Cilantro Pesto

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut the tops off of the tomatoes and scoop out the flesh. Set aside while you prepare the filling.
• Place onion and red pepper in a large saucepan and dry/water sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes. I like the veggies slightly crunchy!
• Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes--careful not to scorch the garlic.
• Add corn, black beans and cooked quinoa.
• Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.
• Mix-in the cilantro pesto.
• Spoon quinoa mixture into tomatoes, arrange in baking dish, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes!
• Prior to serving, top with some of the pesto!

Spicy Cilantro Pesto
(page 24, Forks Over Knives cookbook)

2 cups (+/-) packed Fresh Cilantro
1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds, toasted (I used pine nuts, instead!)
2 Jalapeño peppers, coarsely chopped (I used 2 because the tofu and nooch de-heated the peppers!)
4 cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped
Zest and juice of 1 Lime (I only had the bottle kind on hand.)
Salt, to taste
1/2 package Extra Firm Silken Tofu, drained
optional: 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast (nicknamed "nooch")

• Combine all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pureé until smooth and creamy!
• This recipe serves as a pretty good dip for baked corn chips, too!

Food Prep Tips: 

• I had the "1/2" onion, red pepper and the 1/2 can of black beans from the previous night's recipe of Cheesy Mexican Quinoa.
• Be sure to rinse your quinoa before cooking to wash-off the bitter outside. You can't see it, but it's there! Trust me, I forgot, once, and had a little upset tummy. Same with the black beans...rinse 'em!
• To drain silken tofu (a different technique than draining firm tofu), remove from package and let sit for awhile or over night. The whey (the liquid you'll drain-off) will separate from the curd.

2-on-Tuesday: Greek Black Bean Burgers

HA! YES! This was a great recipe I picked up from Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean!

Seitan is pretty great, but this filled that hawhnger in mah belly! Easy to make. My hubby found it yummy, too! I served on a bed of greens with sliced tomatoes and a dollop of olive tapenade on the side! But, it could have easily been between two buns with lettuce and tomatoes. I'm pretty sure this would be awesome rolled into "meatballs" with spaghetti...TONITE!! 

Greek Black Bean Burgers

1 small Red Bell Pepper, roasted, peeled & diced
2 3/4 cups Black Beans (I used 2 cans), rinsed
1 1/4 cup Quinoa, cooked and drained
1/4 cup Hummus (homemade or store-bought)
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup Onion, diced
1/2 cup Breadcrumbs (all I had was Panko, which worked great!)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Greek Seasoning

• Use a potato smasher in a medium bowl and smash those black beans!
• Add quinoa, hummus, garlic, Greek seasoning and onions and combine well.
• Add red pepper, feta and breadcrumbs. Mix until breadcrumbs are well combined.
• Form into patties (or "meat"balls) and squeeze firmly to make sure they stick together.
• Bake 400 degrees for 9 minutes - FLIP - 9 more minutes! 

I baked on parchment for ease of scooping, flipping and clean-up! Don't be skeered to re-use the parchment you just baked one batch of burgers on. Bake the second batch on that sheet of parchment.

How else can I use this recipe? Hmmmm....

~"Sam"

2-on-Tuesday: Cheesy Mexican Quinoa

This has become a favorite in our home in keeping with healthy, nutritional choices and plant-based recipes using Quinoa (sounds like KEEN-wah) an ancient and very nutritional grain-seed! It is the creation of Lindsay of The Lean Green Bean blog. You should follow her nutrition and fitness blog!

Cheesy Mexican Quinoa

1/2 Onion, diced
1 Red or Orange Pepper, diced
1 Green Pepper, diced
*1 Jalapeno, chopped (highly suggested!)
1 can Black Beans
1 can of Whole Corn
1 clove Garlic, minced
1-2 teaspoons Cumin
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
2 cups Quinoa, cooked
1 cup Low-Fat Cheese, shredded
1 cup Soy Milk or Skim Milk
1 tablespoon Butter or *Coconut Oil or Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Flour
Toppings/Sides: Tomato, Salsa, Avocado, Cilantro, Cheese

• In a pan, saute onions, peppers, garlic and spices until softened
• Add black beans, corn and prepared quinoa. Mix well
• Transfer mixture to a bowl and set aside
• In the same pan, melt butter or heat oil and whisk-in the flour
• Slowly add milk while whisking to minimize lumps
• Add cheese. Stir until melted
• Combine quinoa mixture and cheesy mixture
• Transfer mixture to baking dish. Bake 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through
• Serve with Toppings/Sides

Occasionally, when my supply of an ingredient (paprika or cayenne pepper) the recipe calls for is depleted, I will substitute with a similar ingredient for the same taste effect. For example: instead of using cayenne pepper, opting for a small can of green chilies.

It's ok for cooking t0 take on your personality! It's not an exact medium. Let your creative juices flourish! 

Tip: You can find Quinoa from Walmart to Whole Foods Market. Simply follow the package directions, much like those for cooking rice. The fun thing to note is that most often when Quinoa is ready...the cute little spiral appears! Also, Quinoa takes on the flavors it's cooked with and, sometimes, can trick meat-eaters into thinking they're consuming meat! Is Quinoa considered Gluten-Free? Yes!