Quinoa And Beet Pilaf Food

QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• Cook's Note: To toast the almonds, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven until lightly toasted, 6 to 8 minutes. Cool completely before using.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saucepan or a high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper, salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 5 minutes. Make a space in the center of the vegetables and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring constantly, until coated with oil, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until all of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer until all of the broth has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Keep covered and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the arugula, almonds, mint, cucumber and lemon zest and toss well. Season with salt and pepper.

QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallot, tomatoes, peppers and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring often, until slightly softened and aromatic, about 4 minutes. Season with the salt and add the quinoa. Using a wooden spoon, stir to coat the quinoa in the oil. Add the chicken broth, stir and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and cook until the quinoa is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir in the spinach to wilt and serve drizzled with olive oil.

QUINOA AND BEAN PILAF

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers, scallion whites and celery and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the tomato paste turns brick red, about 2 minutes. Stir in the quinoa, then add 2 cups water and the beans. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until most of the water is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Add up to 1/4 cup more water if necessary.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the spinach until just wilted. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and half each of the scallion greens and cheese. Divide among bowls and sprinkle with the remaining scallion greens and cheese. Serve with hot sauce.

QUINOA AND BEET PILAF

Steps:

• Scrub and roast the beets. Once they are cooled, remove the skins and cut into 1/4-inch dice. Set aside.
• Blanch the greens in a large pot of generously salted water or steam them above an inch of boiling water until wilted, one to two minutes. Refresh with cold water, squeeze dry and chop.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet. Add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the caraway, beet greens, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir over medium heat for 30 seconds to a minute until the greens are nicely infused with the garlic and oil. Add the beets and quinoa. Toss together until the ingredients are well combined and the quinoa is heated through and colored with beet juice. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Transfer to a wide serving bowl or platter, and sprinkle the goat cheese over the top. Serve hot.

QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• Heat the fat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion until translucent and fragrant. Add the quinoa and stir to coat. Add the liquid and bring to a simmer for about 20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is tender. Combine with the herbs, spices, or seasonings and season with salt, and pepper, to taste.
• Quinoa Pilaf Variations:
• Coconut-Lime Quinoa: Cook the quinoa in 1 cup coconut milk and 1 cup chicken broth. Season the quinoa with fresh lime zest and lime juice.
• Mediterranean Quinoa: When the quinoa has finished cooking, add chopped fresh parsley, diced tomatoes, kalamata olives, fresh lemon juice and zest. Top with feta cheese.
• Lemon-Thyme Quinoa: Cook the quinoa in 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1 3/4 cups chicken broth. Season the quinoa with chopped fresh thyme leaves.

QUINOA PILAF WITH SWEET PEAS AND GREEN GARLIC

Steps:

• Bring a medium pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add the peas. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer until tender, 4 to 10 minutes, depending on the size and freshness. Place a strainer over a bowl and drain the peas. Measure out 2 cups of the cooking water (add fresh water if necessary), return to the pot, add salt to taste, bring to a boil and add the quinoa. When the water comes back to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender and, in the case of white quinoa, displays a thread. Remove from the heat, drain through a strainer and return to the pot. Cover the pot with a clean dish towel and return the lid. Let sit 15 minutes.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-low heat in a wide, heavy skillet and add the leek and sliced green garlic. Add a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until tender, fragrant and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the quinoa and peas to the pan and toss together with the remaining olive oil for about 2 minutes, taking care not to mash the peas. Add the fresh herbs, grind in some pepper, taste and adjust seasoning, and serve.

VEGETABLE QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• Pour oil into a medium saucepan, and place over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots; cook and stir for 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
• Using a strainer, rinse quinoa under cold water. Drain well. Stir into the vegetables; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add water, bay leaf and lemon rind and juice; bring to boil. Cover, and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender.
• Discard bay leaf. Stir in peas, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the shallot, fennel, carrot, and a pinch of salt and sauté for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables start to sweat. Stir in the quinoa, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, and cardamom, then stir in the broth and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender.
• Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork, then add the parsley and fluff again. Do a FASS check and add a spritz of lemon juice to amp up the flavor if needed.
• rebecca's notes
• Rinse, rinse, and rinse again! Quinoa is naturally coated with a bitter-tasting resin. To get rid of the resin, put the grain in a bowl of cool water, swish it around with your hand, then drain it in a fine-mesh sieve.
• Quinoa is gluten free, which makes sense when you consider that botanically, it isn't a grain at all; it's more closely related to beets. It makes a great replacement for couscous in Orange Pistachio Couscous (page 145). It's also a great hot cereal; try it in place of oats in Best Oatmeal Ever (page 128).
• storage
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days.
• nutrition information
• (per serving)
• Calories: 270
• Total Fat: 9.9g (1.3g saturated, 5.7g monounsaturated)
• Carbohydrates: 39g
• Protein: 8g
• Fiber: 6g
• Sodium: 180mg
• WHO KNEW? Chemo and Carbs and Diabetes Risk
• By now, most of us know that chemo can cause muscle loss. But it can also lead to diabetes if you're not careful. Less muscle mass is a double whammy: You burn less sugar than with normal muscle levels, and you also store less sugar, in the form of glycogen, in those muscles, meaning all that unused consumed sugar stays in your body (usually in the liver, blood, and kidneys), elevating overall blood sugar levels and forcing you to use more insulin.
• Dr. Jeanne Wallace says that on top of that, "when you're given chemo, you're often given a steroid that really increases the glycemic response," creating the type of blood sugar spikes and insulin surges that can predispose people to diabetes. Wallace's suggestion? While you're in treatment, forget the USDA food pyramid. It suggests 6 to 11 servings of carbs per day. You want to eat fewer carbs, so shoot for half of that if not less. When you do eat carbs, avoid refined white flour and sugar and stick with whole grains, as their higher fiber content slows the release of their sugars into the body. This may have direct anticancer benefits too, as some studies have shown that lowering blood sugar levels in animals suppressed tumor growth.

QUINOA PILAF WITH CHICK PEAS, POMEGRANATE, AND SPICES

Steps:

• Heat a large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat and add the cumin seeds and coriander seeds. Toast in the pan, stirring or shaking the pan, until they begin to smell fragrant, and transfer to a spice mill. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then pulse to crush or coarsely grind. Set aside.
• Return the frying pan to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and salt, stir together for about half a minute, and stir in the cumin seeds, and coriander seeds. Add the remaining olive oil and stir in the quinoa, chick peas, and 3 tablespoons of the pomegranate seeds. Stir over medium heat to heat through, several minutes. Taste and adjust salt. Transfer to a platter or wide bowl and decorate with the remaining pomegranate seeds. You can also mold the pilaf into 1/2-cup ramekins or timbales and unmold onto the plate, then decorate with pomegranate seeds.
• Stir the garlic into the thickened yogurt. Serve the pilaf topped with the yogurt.

BEETS, SPICED QUINOA AND YOGURT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 2-quart baking dish or gratin. In a medium saucepan or a large, heavy skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and add the spices. When they begin to sizzle, add the cooked quinoa. Stir together for one minute, and remove from the heat. Taste and adjust salt. Transfer to the baking dish, and spread in an even layer.
• Arrange the sliced beets over the quinoa. Drizzle on the remaining olive oil, cover and place in the oven for 20 minutes or until hot. Meanwhile, place the garlic in a mortar and pestle with a generous pinch of salt, and mash to a paste. Whisk or stir into the drained yogurt.
• Remove the quinoa and beets from the oven, and top with dollops of yogurt. Sprinkle with the walnuts, and serve.