I've been reading about quinoa. It's considered a "whole food" with enough protein and carbohydrates to sustain life. Did you know there's an international seed bank that is to save society if something horrible happens? Quinoa is an ancient grain that could provide sustainability for the world should the inevitable global meltdown happen.
I got this sun dried tomato quinoa box at the funny grocery store (local food coop) about a year ago and it was so rich, I could hardly stomach it. I'm pretty sure I threw most of it away. (Please say prayers for people who are starving in the world. I mean it. I'm not being sarcastic.) But I bought some plain, ordinary quinoa grains about two months after that and have since been researching ways to cook it so it would be palatable.
I tried tonight. I was feeling adventurous. Plus, it's snowing - so I'm hunkering down for the night and good food smells make me happy.
I figured quinoa was like rice, so I put two cups of water and one cup of quinoa in a pan and brought it to a boil, then covered it and simmered it for about 20 minutes. Perfection. In the meantime, I sauteed choppped onion and garlic with italian seasonings and red pepper flakes in a tiny bit of olive oil. When it was nice and translucent and a little browned, I added the cooked quinoa and sauteed it a little, too. I tasted it and it definitely needed salt and pepper, so I added some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and I gobbled a bunch of it down. It's super yummy. And I think I'm sustainable.
Thank God.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Crinkly Fingers
Baked Chicken Fingers
adapted from cleaneatinmag.com
Olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c. skim milk
1 T. dijon mustard
1/4 cup almonds, sliced
1/4 c. rolled oats
1/2. c grated parmesan cheese
1 T. dried parsley flakes
1/2 t. ground black pepper
Preheat oven tp 350 degrees. Lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Trim any fat from chicken and cut into strips. Stir milk and mustard together in a bowl. In a separate container, mix together almonds, oats, parmesan, parsley and pepper. One at a time, dip chicken into milk mixture, then dridge them in oatmeal mixture, making sure each piece is coated evenly. Arrange on baking sheet and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, turning once, or until chicken is cooked through and coating is golden brown.
The original recipe didn't call for parmesan cheese, but I wanted it, so I substituted it for whole wheat bread crumbs. You could go either way for less fat. These were easy to overcook, too. So watch it! Super yum!
adapted from cleaneatinmag.com
Olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c. skim milk
1 T. dijon mustard
1/4 cup almonds, sliced
1/4 c. rolled oats
1/2. c grated parmesan cheese
1 T. dried parsley flakes
1/2 t. ground black pepper
Preheat oven tp 350 degrees. Lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Trim any fat from chicken and cut into strips. Stir milk and mustard together in a bowl. In a separate container, mix together almonds, oats, parmesan, parsley and pepper. One at a time, dip chicken into milk mixture, then dridge them in oatmeal mixture, making sure each piece is coated evenly. Arrange on baking sheet and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, turning once, or until chicken is cooked through and coating is golden brown.
The original recipe didn't call for parmesan cheese, but I wanted it, so I substituted it for whole wheat bread crumbs. You could go either way for less fat. These were easy to overcook, too. So watch it! Super yum!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Baked Penne with Aspargus and Turkey
Another Clean Eating recipe from http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/ that I changed up a bit.
13.5 oz. whole wheat penne pasta
1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
Cooking spray
1 lb lean ground turkey
3 cups organic pasta sauce - I used Muir Glen Garlic Roasted Garlic
1/2 t. dried basil
1 t. minced garlic
1 small onion, minced
1/4 t. sea salt
1 cup part skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook penne according to directiosn. When pasta is 1 minute from being done, add asparagus and boil for 1 minute. Drain and return to pot.
Meanwhile, coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Cook ground turkey and onions until turkey is browned, add garlic, basil, salt and pepper to taste. Add pasta sauce and simmer until heated through.
Add turkey meat sauce to penne and asparagus and stir to combine.
Coat a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray and add 1/2 the penne mixture and sprinkle with 3/4 of the mozzarella. Add remaining penne, then sprinkle remaining mozzarella and top with Parmigiano-Regianno. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. This makes six servings. And it's really good.
The original recipe did not call for onion or for fresh garlic - rather garlic powder. I thought it needed onions. And I think it was an excellent addition. The original recipe also called for just tomato sauce. I couldn't find it and replaced it with organic pasta sauce. Again, a good substitute.
13.5 oz. whole wheat penne pasta
1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
Cooking spray
1 lb lean ground turkey
3 cups organic pasta sauce - I used Muir Glen Garlic Roasted Garlic
1/2 t. dried basil
1 t. minced garlic
1 small onion, minced
1/4 t. sea salt
1 cup part skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook penne according to directiosn. When pasta is 1 minute from being done, add asparagus and boil for 1 minute. Drain and return to pot.
Meanwhile, coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Cook ground turkey and onions until turkey is browned, add garlic, basil, salt and pepper to taste. Add pasta sauce and simmer until heated through.
Add turkey meat sauce to penne and asparagus and stir to combine.
Coat a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray and add 1/2 the penne mixture and sprinkle with 3/4 of the mozzarella. Add remaining penne, then sprinkle remaining mozzarella and top with Parmigiano-Regianno. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. This makes six servings. And it's really good.
The original recipe did not call for onion or for fresh garlic - rather garlic powder. I thought it needed onions. And I think it was an excellent addition. The original recipe also called for just tomato sauce. I couldn't find it and replaced it with organic pasta sauce. Again, a good substitute.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Homemade
So, M and I are doing the Clean Eating diet (which is NOT a diet, but a WAY OF LIFE. Whatever. I've tried them all...) But I love to cook and this recipe tried to be labor intensive. It is a pasta dish, so I was immediately intrigued. Anything pasta makes me happy.
Chicken Rotini with Homemade Roma Tomato Pasta Sauce
6 lean chicken breasts
1 T. Olive Oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1/2 c. chopped fresh basil
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
4 cloves of garlic, passed through a garlic press (I'm using minced)
8 roma tomatoes chopped
1 medium sweet potato baked (Cut it in half, drizzle it with olive oil and place halves face down on a cookie sheet. It took an hour at 350.)
1/4 c. chicken broth
10 oz. whole grain rotini pasta
Cut chicken breasts into thin strips. (I bought the kind already cut up for stir fry and then sliced it up even more. Raw meat is GROSS!) Heat olive oil, add onion, carrot and celery until soft but not brown. Add garlic and herbs and continue cooking 2-3 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and the pulp of the sweet potato along with the chicken broth. Add chicken strips and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover tightly and simmer for 20 minutes. Cook the pasta al dente and mix with the sauce.
Um. Super good. But you totally could use canned tomatoes. Just saying. And in the future, I'd probably pre-cook the chicken and shred it before adding it to the sauce. I didn't like the end texture of it. Plus, this would be just as tasty without the chicken and I might consider adding black beans to it instead for some protein.
Chicken Rotini with Homemade Roma Tomato Pasta Sauce
6 lean chicken breasts
1 T. Olive Oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1/2 c. chopped fresh basil
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
4 cloves of garlic, passed through a garlic press (I'm using minced)
8 roma tomatoes chopped
1 medium sweet potato baked (Cut it in half, drizzle it with olive oil and place halves face down on a cookie sheet. It took an hour at 350.)
1/4 c. chicken broth
10 oz. whole grain rotini pasta
Cut chicken breasts into thin strips. (I bought the kind already cut up for stir fry and then sliced it up even more. Raw meat is GROSS!) Heat olive oil, add onion, carrot and celery until soft but not brown. Add garlic and herbs and continue cooking 2-3 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and the pulp of the sweet potato along with the chicken broth. Add chicken strips and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover tightly and simmer for 20 minutes. Cook the pasta al dente and mix with the sauce.
Um. Super good. But you totally could use canned tomatoes. Just saying. And in the future, I'd probably pre-cook the chicken and shred it before adding it to the sauce. I didn't like the end texture of it. Plus, this would be just as tasty without the chicken and I might consider adding black beans to it instead for some protein.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Fish. I Don't Hate It Anymore.
So, my girlfriend and I have started the Clean Eating "diet" which is not a diet, but a way of eating, which incorporates six small meals a day, eating protein and complex carbohydrates at each sitting. I did it all last week and frankly? I lost nothing, but I FEEL better. And that's what's most important at the end of the day.
Tonight, I took a suggestion from another friend and made this dish. It's incredible. The beans just pop in your mouth and the tomato sauce makes it zesty and the sprinkle of parmesean gives it just enough of the cheese flavor to satisfy me but keep me from eating the whole dang block of swiss that I like to do in one sitting.
Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Drain and rinse a can of great northern beans and dump into the casserole dish. Place two frozen fish fillets (any type that trips your trigger. I used tilapia) over the top and then pour a small can of tomato sauce over the top. Sprinkle with parmesean cheese and cook in the oven - uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees.
I have enough for tonight and an incredibly large lunch tomorrow. Bon appetit!
Tonight, I took a suggestion from another friend and made this dish. It's incredible. The beans just pop in your mouth and the tomato sauce makes it zesty and the sprinkle of parmesean gives it just enough of the cheese flavor to satisfy me but keep me from eating the whole dang block of swiss that I like to do in one sitting.
Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Drain and rinse a can of great northern beans and dump into the casserole dish. Place two frozen fish fillets (any type that trips your trigger. I used tilapia) over the top and then pour a small can of tomato sauce over the top. Sprinkle with parmesean cheese and cook in the oven - uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees.
I have enough for tonight and an incredibly large lunch tomorrow. Bon appetit!
Friday, December 26, 2008
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
3/4 c. butter
3/4 c. peanut butter
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c, flour
2 c. oatmeal
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Combine flour, oatmeal, baking soda, and salt. Then add to the wet mixture. Spray 9 X 13 pan with cooking spray and spread batter in pan. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes. Remove from over and cool.
Glaze:
1/2 c. peanut butter
2 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. butterscotch chips
Melt in saucepan and spread over cooled bars. Chill and cut.
3/4 c. peanut butter
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c, flour
2 c. oatmeal
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Combine flour, oatmeal, baking soda, and salt. Then add to the wet mixture. Spray 9 X 13 pan with cooking spray and spread batter in pan. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes. Remove from over and cool.
Glaze:
1/2 c. peanut butter
2 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. butterscotch chips
Melt in saucepan and spread over cooled bars. Chill and cut.
Lemony Cheesecake Bars
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1/3 c. finely chopped pecans
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. melted butter
Perheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine graham cracker crumbs, pecans, sugar and butter. Press into 9 X 13 pan and bake for 6 minutes. Cool.
2 8 oz. packages of softened cream cheese
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1/2 c. lemon juice.
Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweeted condensed milk. Add egss. Beat until combined. Stir in lemon juice. Pour atop crust and bake for 30 minutes. Cool 1 hour and then store in refrigerator.
1/3 c. finely chopped pecans
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. melted butter
Perheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine graham cracker crumbs, pecans, sugar and butter. Press into 9 X 13 pan and bake for 6 minutes. Cool.
2 8 oz. packages of softened cream cheese
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1/2 c. lemon juice.
Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweeted condensed milk. Add egss. Beat until combined. Stir in lemon juice. Pour atop crust and bake for 30 minutes. Cool 1 hour and then store in refrigerator.
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