Three Quinoa Recipes

Snow Toward Evening

by Melville Cane

Suddenly the sky turned gray,

The day,

Which had been bitter and chill,

Grew soft and still.

Quietly

from some invisible blossoming tree

Millions of petals cool and white

Drifted and blew,

Lifted and flew,

Fell with the falling night.

The quinoa trend is still in the upswing. It might be time to pay attention to this cooking trend and embrace this versatile, high-protein food.
Cooking Quinoa Tip: Substitue low-fat chicken or vegetable broth for water when cooking quinoa.

Blueberry, Lemon and Quinoa Pancakes 

Cook's notes: Healthy and hearty quinoa pancakes with lemon and blueberry. Fluffy and delicious. Recipe from ambitiouskitchen.com  

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour or white whole wheat
• 2 tsp.baking powder 
• 1/4 tsp. salt 
• 3 large egg whites 
• 1/3 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt 
• 2 TB. of milk of your choice (skim, soy, almond, coconut) 
• 1 TB. fresh lemon juice 
• 1 TB. brown sugar or honey 
• 1 tsp.pure vanilla extract 
• 2/3 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together quinoa, flour, baking powder, and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together egg whites, yogurt, milk, and brown sugar until smooth. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine.
• Add vanilla and lemon juice and whisk again. Next gently fold in blueberries.
• Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with butter or cooking spray and heat over medium. Drop batter by 1/4 cup onto skillet. Cook until bubbles appear on top, about 2 minutes. Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside, 2 minutes. Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more melted butter and remaining batter.
• Makes about 9 pancakes. Top with fruit preserves, peanut butter, or maple syrup.

Basil Parmesan Quinoa Cakes
Cook’s notes: Quinoa is a good gluten-free source of protein, iron, and fiber. It is a quick and easy way to get in a serving of whole grains. Quinoa's mild taste and rich texture make it perfect for different kinds of dishes. These cakes are a great vegetarian side served with soups or with main entrees such as salmon, fish and pork. Recipe was adapted from catesworldkitchen.com and makes 6-8 cakes.
Ingredients:

• 2- 1/2 cups cooked quinoa or 1 box (4.8 oz.) Easy Quinoa Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil
• 1 small sweet yellow onion, diced about 1 cup
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2-3/4  cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1-1/2- 2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs 
• 2-3 TB. olive oil

Directions:

• Cook quinoa according to directions substituting a broth for the water. In a skillet on medium heat 1 TB. olive oil and sauté onions until tender. Add in garlic and cook 1 minute longer. 
• In a medium sized bowl mix together cooked quinoa, beaten eggs, salt, basil, Parmesan cheese, and mixture of sautéed garlic and onions.
• Stir in 1-1/2 cups bread crumbs and let stand so the crumbs can absorb some moisture. The mixture should be easily formed into patties without falling apart. If needed, add a couple more tablespoons of bread crumbs and let stand a few minutes more. Form into rounded patties about 2 tablespoons worth in each.
• Heat 1-2 TB. olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan – the exact amount will depend on the size of the pan you use) in a skillet or wide frying pan over medium. Pat the mixture into patties and cook in batches, about 7 minutes on each side, flattening so they’re about 1/2″ thick. Flip carefully! Repeat with remaining quinoa mixture. Serve warm.

Chicken Chili with Quinoa

Cooking tip: The quinoa soaks up a bunch of liquid. So at the end you’ll add a bit more chicken broth to get the exact consistency you want- just a heads up so when you open the lid to your slow-cooker and see your soup is thick, you’ll know this is a normal part of the process.

Cook's notes: This chili or chili-like soup is hearty and healthy packed with protein. Like majorly packed with protein… chicken, black beans, and quinoa make every spoonful a little protein explosion! This isn’t a chili in the sense that it’s spicy or chili-flavored (you know, that beany meaty kind), but it’s stocked with beans, corn, peppers, onion, garlic, chicken, and quinoa, so call it what you want… I’d say chili-ish in nature The beauty of the recipe is it’s ease. Recipe adapted from honeygheeandme

Ingredients:

• 1 (28 oz.) can of diced tomatoes
• 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel)
• 1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 oz.) can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 oz.) can of corn, drained
• 2-3 cups chicken broth
• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (use 3 if they're small)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 1 cup combination of red and yellow baby peppers
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp.each thyme and paprika
• 1/4 tsp.oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2-3 tsp. chili powder
• 1 cup of quinoa, rinsed not cooked
• toppings of your choice (cheese, sour cream, avocados, and tortilla strips)

Directions:

• Make sure you rinse the quinoa and then add everything into a 6 quart slow cooker.
• Cook for 6-8 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high. If you're using frozen chicken you may have to cook it longer.
• Remove chicken and shred it with two forks. Return to slow cooker. Remove bay leaf before serving.
• Garnish with cheese, sour cream, avocados, and tortilla strips.