Cheesy Eggy Toasted Quinoa

Toasted quinoa. Where have you been all my life?

This is one of those meals that is so simple, and so quick, that you couldn't imagine it would be quite as delicious as it is. But I did not want this one to end. This was an absolutely heavenly new way to experience one of my favorite grains (I got the idea from this blog).  The slightly nutty flavor of quinoa becoming crunchy and toasted on the stovetop, with melted Daiya cheese and dried thyme, and then topped off with a runny fried egg - perfection. Simple flavors that combine into a lovely meal that is at once both light and hearty.  I would eat this for any meal, to be honest with you, but have had it mostly for dinner so far. One of my friends did make it for breakfast and loved it in the morning. So there you go - solid proof that it's delicious any time of the day.

Cheesy Eggy Toasted Quinoa
Serves one

Cooking spray
1/2 - 3/4 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup Daiya Vegan Cheese
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste

Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and spread the quinoa out in a single layer (or as close as possible).  Sprinkle the thyme in and toast it over medium heat, stirring only occasionally, until it starts to brown. 

Make a good-sized well in the middle of the quinoa and crack the egg into it.  Make sure it has enough room to spread out and cook evenly or the quinoa will burn before it's done!  Sprinkle the Daiya cheese over the whole thing and continue to to toast, reducing the heat slightly.  When the egg is as done as you'd like it to be and the "cheese" is melted, transfer the whole thing to a plate.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!

Smoky Black Bean Burgers

It's been a long time since I've had a veggie burger - not to mention a good veggie burger.  The last time I checked, most of the ones commercially available brands use wheat gluten or some other gluten-ful product as a binder.  So when I found this recipe on a blog called "Voracious," I couldn't wait to try it out for myself.  These burgers are packed full of protein, with both black beans and quinoa as the base, and the liquid smoke gives them a lovely faux-burger-cooked-outside taste. (Colgin Liquid Smoke is gluten-free!)  And they hold together extremely well, despite being completely devoid of gluten binders.  We enjoyed them straight from the pan with some melted rice cheese and ketchup, and I reheated one the next day and topped it with some roasted red pepper cashew dip and Daiya Vegan Cheese.  But it turns out that they are also delicious right from the fridge as a snack!  We followed the recipe pretty much exactly as is, but made 6 pretty hefty burgers instead of the 4 from the original recipe.  These are quite filling, so you may or may not even need a slice of bread with them.  If you're like me and miss veggie burgers, these are definitely worth a try!

Find the original recipe here.

Quinoa Pilaf with Sweet Sausage, Dried Cherries, and Feta "Cheese"

This is a fantastically quick pilaf to throw together for when you're in a rush, or if you're so hungry you can't wait to for food that takes longer than 15 minutes to prepare.  Since recently discovering Sunergia Soy Feta Cheese (which is remarkably spot-on in flavor and texture, considering it's both dairy and gluten-free), I have been adding it to all kinds of things for an extra kick of flavor.  In this pilaf, it complements the tart cherries and sweet sausage perfectly, making for a quick and delicious meal.  I personally don't usually keep cooked quinoa on hand, but even if you don't either, the white kind only takes about 15 minutes to cook.  Once it's done, though, it's really just a matter of stirring the other ingredients in.  You'll be sitting down to eat before you know it. 


Quinoa Pilaf with Sweet Sausage, Dried Cherries, and Feta "Cheese"
Makes 2 small-ish servings

1 cup cooked quinoa (make as directed using chicken or vegetable broth)
2 Sweet Apple Maple Chicken Sausages (from Trader Joe's), sliced and sauteed until browned
1/3 cup dried cherries (can substitute cranberries)
2 - 3 tbsp. Sunergia Soy Feta Cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients together, breaking up the soy feta cheese well to distribute evenly throughout the pilaf.  Season with salt and pepper to your own liking.  This pilaf can be eaten either hot or cold.

Quinoa Pilaf with Sweet Potato, Pears, Avocados, and Toasted Sunflower Seeds

I make a lot of quinoa around here.  This is partly because it's so healthy (complete protein!), but also because it's so easy to transport to school for the many meals I eat away from home.  Usually I toss it with sauteed vegetables, or chicken sausage, or both.  But recently, I created a totally new kind of pilaf.  I would never have tried this combination of flavors without my trusty copy of Culinary Artistry, which lists ingredients that are, shall we say, friendly with one another.  It was a bit like playing a matching game, looking up different ingredients to cross-check and make sure that they all (hypothetically) would pair well together.  And they did!  This was delicious, despite sounding a bit strange at first.  I will definitely add it to my repertoire of go-to quick and easy meals.

Quinoa Pilaf with Sweet Potato, Pears, Avocados, and Toasted Sunflower Seeds

1/2 cup quinoa, cooked as directed with chicken or vegetable broth and cooled (should end up being about 1 cup of cooked quinoa)
1/4 cup toasted unsalted sunflower seeds
1 medium sweet potato, baked or microwaved until tender and then chopped/shredded
1/2 avocado, chopped
1 small or 1/2 medium pear, chopped finely
1/2 tsp. sea salt (more or less to your own taste)
1 tbsp. agave nectar
1 tbsp. parsley, shredded finely (optional)
Ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and toss until well-mixed.  Serve immediately.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

**Hint:  If you are not serving/eating this right away, it is best to add the avocado and pear just before serving so they stay as fresh as possible and don't get brown.  If you're going to have leftovers, add the avocado and pear as you eat it

Quinoa Black Bean Salad with Roasted Corn and Fresh Avocado

I have a surplus of quinoa in my cupboard at the moment, and I have put myself on grocery lock-down, meaning I am not allowed to buy any more food until I have eaten what is in my kitchen already.  I am preparing to move out of my house, and - in fact - out of Swaziland in a matter of 2 weeks, and I can't stand the thought of wasting the food I've already spent money on.

So, I surveyed my cabinets.  Quinoa.  A can of sweet corn.  Half a bag of black beans.  Done and done.

This tasted even more fantastic with slices of avocado mixed in, but it was also very good on its own.  It's a simple salad, thrown together, and it's best chilled overnight after the flavors have had a chance to develop nicely. 

Quinoa Black Bean Salad with Roasted Corn and Fresh Avocado


1/2 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cup water (or vegetable or chicken-flavored broth if you have it), divided
1 15-oz can roasted corn
4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 medium green pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans
1/2 large onion, diced
4 tsp. garlic paste
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (only if the garlic taste is not enough for you)
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion flakes
2 - 3 tsp. salt
1/2 - 1 tsp. pepper (to taste)
2 - 4 tbsp. lime juice (from concentrate) or juice of 2 fresh limes
Fresh avocado slices (optional)
Salsa (optional)

Put the quinoa with one cup of the water or broth into a pot and a pinch of salt and cook according to directions on package.  When done, set aside. 

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Drain the can of corn well and place in a large bowl. Drizzle about 1 - 2 tbsp. of olive oil and 1 - 2 tsp. salt and toss to coat.  Spread across the baking sheet and place in the oven.  Stir the corn every 10 minutes and cook until it has been roasted and turns dark, about 30 - 40 minutes.  When done, set aside.

Meanwhile, place the onions in a small saucepan with the olive oil.  Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes, and then add the garlic and stir to coat.  Cook for another 2 - 3 minutes and then add the chili powder, garlic powder, basil, oregano, onion flakes, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Stir to coat and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Add the black beans and stir to coat.  Add the remaining 1/2 cup water or broth, stir, and let simmer for 5 - 10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.

Place the cooked quinoa into a large bowl or pot and add the roasted corn, diced green peppers, and the black bean and onion mixture.  Toss to coat and season with salt and pepper according to taste.

Serve with slices of fresh avocado and salsa, if desired.  You could also wrap this salad in a crepe or wrap for more of a sandwich experience.

Almond Quinoa Crackers

I tried a recipe from The Gluten-free Goddess' website for my first attempt at crackers, and I was very happy with how they turned out. I don't have a rolling pin at the moment, so I just pressed them down with my hands, which made them a bit thicker than regular crackers, and also a bit softer than regular crackers.  But they were still delicious.  I ate some spread with peanut butter, and some with tuna salad spread over them.  And some of them, I just ate plain, appreciating the wonderfully grainy texture and the slightly sweet aftertaste.  Store these in an airtight container for several days, and keep them in the fridge to make them last longer.

Find the recipe here.  I used a real egg instead of the Egg Replacer and made half with the onion/garlic powder and half plain.  Both were great, but for spreading something like peanut butter or jam, make the plain ones.

Spinach Sausage Quinoa Pilaf

This week, I was in the mood for something simple.  Something hearty yet light; something that would fill me up but not be too heavy on the calories.  I love quinoa because it is exactly that: full of healthy protein that will make you feel full, but will not weigh you down.

This recipe is so simple to throw together that you'll be sitting down to a delicious meal before you know it.  The cumin in this recipe gives the flavor a delicious depth of flavor, which is rounded out by the peppers and fried sausage.  The meat in this is completely optional, of course, and could be omitted entirely or replaced with chickpeas or some other kind of bean.  It makes for quick meal that doesn't taste like one!

Spinach Sausage Quinoa Pilaf

3 gluten-free sausage links, chopped into thin slices
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped very finely
2 - 4 small chilies, with the stems cut off and pierced several times with a sharp knife
4 - 6 peppadews,cut into thin slices (optional)
3 - 4 tsp. minced garlic
2 - 4 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1/2 cup dry quinoa
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth OR  2 tsp. chicken or vegetable instant stock and 1 cup of water
3/4 cup frozen spinach
Salt and pepper to taste

In a non-stick frying pan, saute the sausage until it has been browned nicely on both sides.  Set aside.

Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion, garlic, and chilies.  Saute until the onion becomes translucent (about 5 minutes).  Add the spices and mix well, and then add the quinoa and stir to mix well.  Add the broth and bring to a boil, and then add the frozen spinach and return to a boil.  Add the fried sausage and stir to mix.  Reduce to a simmer and cover.  Cook for 15 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked through and the liquid has been absorbed.  Add salt and pepper to your own taste.

This is delicious served hot, but tastes even better chilled as a salad.

Quinoa with Fire-roasted Red Peppers and Spicy Sausage

I first have to apologize for the lapse in postings on this blog. It has been a crazy few months, and time seems to be flying. I have been busy with the end of classes, and the end of work, and the end of living in St. Louis. Many of you may know, but I will be leaving at the beginning of June to begin a new phase of my life. I will first spend two months volunteering with an organization called Save the Children in Swaziland, Africa, and then I will be heading to New Orleans to begin a degree in International Health and Development (Public Health, essentially) at Tulane University. If you happen to be interested in what I will be doing in Africa, you can visit www.clairetoafrica.com to read my Swaziland blog while I am away (and you can help sponsor me, too, if you so choose!). So, while there may be a slight hiatus on the blog, I will be back in the fall with new recipes! In any case, with the flurry of preparations for moving out of my apartment, getting ready to head to Africa, finding a place in New Orleans, and the other hundred things I feel like I have to do before June 1, it's been difficult to find time to cook anything, much less be creative in the kitchen. But I can sense that it's been too long for me, and I desperately need a day to myself where I can relax and bake all day, humming along to some good music. While I might not get a whole day to do that anytime soon, I took advantage of a small pocket of time today to try out a new dish, one that is a little spicy and very satisfying in its flavor. You could just as easily make this with some good brown and wild rice, if you would prefer, but I was in the mood for some hearty quinoa and decided to go with that instead.


Quinoa with Fire-roasted Red Peppers and Spicy Sausage

2 links of Fire Roasted Red Pepper Sausage from Trader Joe's (or your favorite spicy sausage), sliced
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion
3 - 5 cloves garlic (or 2-3 tsp. crushed garlic)
1 small red pepper, chopped coarsely
1 small green pepper, chopped coarsely
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 tbsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 - 1 small can fire roasted green chilies
3 - 5 tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup quinoa, uncooked
2 cups broth (I used chicken flavor)

Place the quinoa in a pot with the 2 cups of broth and bring to a boil. Add 1 tbsp. ground coriander and 1 tbsp. tomato paste, stir well, and bring to a boil again. Cover, reduce heat, and steam as directed for about 15 minutes. In another pan, place the oil, onion and garlic, and saute for about 3-5 minutes until onions are translucent. Add the chopped red and green pepper, salt, pepper, 2 tbsp. coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, and the can of fire-roasted green chilies and stir well. Continue to saute for another 3 minutes or so, and then add 2 - 4 tbsp. tomato paste. Cook over medium-low heat for another 5 minutes. Slice the two links of sausage and arrange in a skillet. Fry over medium-high heat for about 6 - 8 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside. Once all parts are done, add the onion-pepper mixture and the cooked sausage into the cooked quinoa and mix well. Add more seasonings to taste if desired. Tastes even better the second and third days!

Quinoa-Chickpea Salad

Ohh, this was so good.  My friend Suzuko made this for our Vegan Gluten-free Food Fest and said that it's usually served hot, but this worked so well as a cold salad that I think I might make it cold next time, too! This dish is packed full of goodness; quinoa is one of the oldest grains in the world and packs a punch with complete protein, calcium, iron, fiber, magnesium, and antioxidants. It is an excellent alternative to wheat grains like couscous, and can also substitute for rice. Plus, it looks a little like confetti when it's fully cooked. How perfect can a grain get?? It comes in several different varieties, including the one shown here, which is Inca Red. You can purchase quinoa at any health food store, including Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Chickpeas (or Garbanzo Beans) are extremely nutrient-dense with high protein and fiber content as well. This dish is incredibly healthy for you, and tastes delicious, too.

Quinoa-Chickpea Salad

Serves 4-6

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. crushed coriander seeds
several pinches ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup quinoa (any variety will work; Suzuko used a red heirloom variety)
2 cups cooked or 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups vegetable broth

In a small stockpot over medium heat, sauté onions in olive oil for about 7 min. Add garlic and sauté 2 more minutes.

Add tomato paste, coriander, cumin, black pepper and salt. Sauté for another minute. Add quinoa and sauté 2 minutes.

Add chickpeas and broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, lower heat to very low, cover, and cook for about 18 - 20 min., or until the quinoa has absorbed all the water. Stir occasionally. Fluff with fork and serve hot, or chill to serve as a salad.