Quinoa Pilaft and Breakfast Quinoa

QUINOA TWO WAYS

INGREDIENTS-

For Warm Breakfast Quinoa:
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Handful almonds, chopped
Handful dried fruit (raisins, apricots, cherries, etc.)
1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey

For Veggie Quinoa Pilaf:
2 cups cooked quinoa
2 medium-sized zucchini, shredded
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 large shallot, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil
1 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS-

For Warm Breakfast Quinoa:
- Combine the cooked quinoa with the cinnamon. Stir in the nuts and fruit. Drizzle with agave nectar or honey. Serve warm!

For Veggie Quinoa Pilaf:
- Heat a large saucepan covered with olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic. Saute until soft and fragrant.
- Add diced peppers and shredded zucchini. Saute until softened, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Add cooked quinoa and stir to combine. Add black beans. Saute for a few minutes, until warmed through.
- Stir in cheese and continue cooking until thoroughly combined. Toss in toasted pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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This delicious recipe brought to you by A Dash of Sass
http://www.adashofsass.com/2011/01/01/quinoa-two-ways/

Aioli (Provençal Garlic Mayonnaise)

From New York Times.

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

Aioli is the quintessential Provençal condiment, a very pungent garlic mayonnaise that in its home country contains more garlic than the version below – which is already pretty garlicky. It’s easy enough to make, and wonderful with all sorts of vegetables, like greens, steamed artichokes and asparagus. All it requires of the eater is a taste for raw garlic.

On Fridays there is a meatless tradition in Provence called aioli monstre, or huge aioli: a feast of boiled vegetables and salt cod accompanied by copious amounts of aioli. In the fall, the end of the harvest might be celebrated with such a feast, and at one of my favorite Provençal restaurants, Le Paradou, near Arles, that’s what you go there to eat on Fridays. Aioli is also traditional on Christmas Eve, in the ritual meal known as the gros souper.  In Catalonia, garlic mayonnaise, which is traditionally made without the egg but in modern times has evolved into something more like this version, is traditionally eaten as an accompaniment to grilled spring onions and snails at a feast called the cargolada. It’s also an indispensable accompaniment to paella.

But aioli requires no feast. This week I had some left over from a dinner party, so I stirred it into a mixture of steamed cod and fava beans, with delicious results. I spread it on sandwiches, and I used it for a wonderful chickpea and green bean salad.

Aioli (Provençal Garlic Mayonnaise)

I find that it is easy and just as quick to make aioli in a mortar and pestle or in a bowl with a whisk as it is to use a food processor. I prefer the tight mayonnaise I get this way. No matter which tool you use, always mash the garlic in a mortar and pestle first so that you have a paste and not little bits of garlic suspended in mayonnaise.

2 to 4 large garlic cloves (more to taste; authentic aioli has more like 4 to 6), peeled, cut in half, and green shoot removed

Salt to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)

2 free-range organic egg yolks, or 1 egg and 1 egg white (the yolks are traditional, but the whole egg and white works fine)

1/2 cup grapeseed oil

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Whether or not you are using a mortar and pestle for the mayonnaise, begin by mashing the garlic and salt together in a mortar and pestle. Mash to a smooth paste.

2. Using the mortar and pestle (for egg yolks only; this is the traditional method, and will result in a very silky, creamy aioli if you do it correctly):

Add the egg yolks to the mortar and beat with the pestle until smooth. Measure the grapeseed oil into a measuring cup with a spout, and drip by drip, work the oil into the egg yolks, gently but constantly stirring in one direction with the pestle. As the mayonnaise begins to emulsify, you can start adding the oil in a steady stream, but the stream must be a thin one, and you must stir constantly but not too fast. Once you have a good emulsion, you can scrape the mixture into a bowl and continue with a whisk if it’s easier for you. It helps to rest the bowl on a damp towel shaped into a ring. Use up the grapeseed oil first, since it makes a better emulsion than olive oil, then continue with the olive oil. I find that once the egg yolks and oil are emulsified, it’s easiest to drizzle in a tablespoonful of oil while beating, stop drizzling and really beat hard to work it in, then continue with another tablespoonful. When all of the oil has been added and the mayonnaise is thick, taste and adjust salt. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Using a food processor:

Place the egg yolks or egg and egg white in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Turn it on, and begin drizzling in the grapeseed oil, then the olive oil, in a thin stream. Some food processors have little holes in the plungers meant for controlling the flow of oil into the mayonnaise. When all of the oil has been added, stop the processor and scrape in the garlic paste. Process for a few seconds, until the paste is well blended into the mixture. Taste and adjust salt. Refrigerate until ready to use. The mayonnaise will be thinner than the mortar and pestle version.

Rouille

This variation is served with bouillabaisse and other fish soups. I like it with just about anything that aioli is good with.

To the above recipe add:

2 generous pinches saffron

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne, or 1 dried hot red pepper, seeded

1/2 teaspoon tomato paste (optional)

When you have mashed the garlic, add the saffron and the cayenne or hot pepper and mash together. Proceed with making the mayonnaise as directed.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups.

Advance preparation: This will keep for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator, but the garlic becomes more pungent, so use the smaller amount. You can make the mayonnaise ahead, mashing the garlic to stir in shortly before serving.

Nutritional information per tablespoon: 85 calories; 9 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 15 milligrams cholesterol; 9 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 49 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 0 grams protein.

  Martha Rose Shulman is the author of “The Very Best of Recipes for Health.”

Spaghetti Alla Trapanese

Free recipe from Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver - spaghetti alla trapanese

spaghetti trapani style

serves 4
Ok, tigers - this could be your next favourite pasta! It's the Trapanese way of making a kind of pesto sauce, and it's so great with spaghetti. It's best made with ripe cherry tomatoes, but I ran out, so I've used normal ones in the picture. The sauce can be made in the time it takes to boil the water for your pasta and cook it. I prefer to make the pesto in a pestle and mortar, but I've used a food processor with good results too.

455g/1lb dried spaghetti
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
150g/5 1/2oz almonds, skins on or off
1 clove of garlic
4 large handfuls of fresh basil, leaves picked
150g/5 1/2oz freshly grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese
extra virgin olive oil
600g/1lb 6oz tomatoes, halved

Cook your spaghetti in salted boiling water according to the packet instructions. Warm the almonds a little in a dry pan, then smash them up in a pestle and mortar or whiz them in a food processor until you have a coarse powder consistency. Put them into a bowl. Bash the garlic and basil separately in the mortar and mix with the almonds, adding the pecorino or Parmesan, a good glug of olive oil and some salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and really scrunch them with your hands into the almond mixture until they have completely broken up. Loosen with a little extra olive oil and toss with your hot drained pasta. Check the seasoning, divide on to 4 plates, and spoon any sauce that remains in the pan over the top.


Another version:

¾ pound cherry tomatoes, very ripe and sweet
12 leaves fresh basil
⅓ cup whole almonds, lightly toasted
1 garlic clove, crushed and peeled
¼ teaspoon peperoncino
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for cooking the pasta
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound spaghetti
½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated

Rinse the cherry tomatoes and pat them dry. Rinse the basil leaves and pat dry.

Drop the tomatoes into the blender jar or food processor bowl followed by the garlic clove, the almonds, basil leaves, peperoncino and 1/2 tsp salt. Blend for a minute or more to a fine purée; scrape down the bowl and blend again if any large bits or pieces have survived.

With the machine still running, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream, emulsifying the purée into a thick pesto. Taste and adjust seasoning. (If you're going to dress the pasta within a couple of hours, leave the pesto at room temperature. Refrigerate for longer storage, up to 2 days, but let it return to room temperature before cooking the pasta.)

To cook the spaghetti, heat 6 quarts of water, with 1 tablespoon salt to the boil in the large pot. Scrape all the pesto into a big warm bowl.

Cook the spaghetti al dente, lift it from the cooking pot, drain briefly, and drop onto the pesto. Toss quickly to coat the spaghetti, sprinkle the cheese all over, and toss again. Serve immediately in warm bowls.

Blueberry Chocolate Walnut Breakfast Bars

Will try this recipe for our camping trip.

Yield:  about 15 bars, depending on how you cut them

Ingredients:

1 cup white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 cup dried blueberries (I bought mine at Trader Joe’s because my regular store doesn’t carry them.  You can substitute dried cranberries, but I really like the blueberries for this.)

1 cup chocolate chips (milk or dark, whatever you like)

2 cups oats (rolled oats or quick-cooking)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Grease a 9″ x 13″ baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until well-combined.

With a stand mixer or hand mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar.  Add the egg and vanilla, then mix to combine. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until incorporated.  Stir the walnuts, blueberries, chocolate chips, and oats in by hand, which takes a little muscle.

Press the dough into your prepared baking dish, pushing it down into an even layer.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Set the dish on a wire rack to cool completely.  Cut into bars (I’ve cut them into longer, granola bar-shaped pieces with good results, but wanted squarer pieces this time).  Store in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze in a sealed container.

"The Best" Brownies

I like this recipe because it uses vegetable oil and cocoa powder; especially good for those times when I don't feel like melting butter or chocolate! 

Source: Hershey's Cocoa Cookbook, 1979.

1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter (I sometimes use coconut oil)
3/4 cup sugar (originally 1 cup, but I like to use less sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup unsifted all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa (i like using dark cocoa)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease 9-inch square pan. (I used an 8-inch square pan).
2. In a large bowl, combine oil, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs. Beat well with a spoon. If you love a crispy top, just beat the batter as much as possible after adding the eggs and before adding any other ingredients. 
3. Combine flour, cocoa, baling powder, and salt; gradually add to egg mixture until well blended.  Stir in nuts. Spread in pan.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until brownie begins to pull away from edges of pan. Cool in pan. Cut into squares.

Makes 16 brownies.