Quinoa Stuffing

My cooking club met for our November get-together over the weekend, and it was such a wonderful time, as usual. The wine and the laughter flowed, and we enjoyed a truly delicious meal. This month's theme was Thanksgiving, but not just any Thanksgiving dish; we had to make a new twist on a classic. We had harissa green beans, loaded mashed potato casserole, and salted caramel mascarpone pumpkin cheesecake (OMG), among other delicious dishes. My contribution was this quinoa stuffing, which was universally enjoyed.

I'm a huge fan of stuffing; in fact, I think it's probably my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal. And I have to be honest: This particular stuffing would never replace the traditional, all-bread version of stuffing on my Thanksgiving table. But that doesn't mean it wasn't absolutely delicious. It's prepared just like you'd make a traditional stuffing, but quinoa is added to it before baking. The recipe can easily be adapted to make it vegetarian or even completely vegan. The quinoa gives the stuffing a great texture and a nutritional boost that means you can feel good about eating it. And on a holiday when practically everyone overeats on all kinds of fattening yumminess, feeling good about eating even one aspect of the meal is no small thing!

Quinoa Stuffing

adapted from About.com

1 cup quinoa

2 1/4 cups chicken stock

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, diced

4 ounces sliced button mushrooms

1 rib of celery, chopped

2 cloves minced garlic

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup dry white wine

6 slices dried (or lightly toasted) bread, cubed

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1. In a medium saucepan, simmer quinoa in 2 1/4 cups chicken stock with bay leaves until done, about 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves and discard, and set the quinoa aside.

2. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.

3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, mushrooms, celery, garlic, thyme sprigs, sage, and salt and pepper. Add white wine and simmer until reduced. Discard thyme sprigs.

4. Reduce heat to low and add cubed bread and nuts, stirring to combine well. Add chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time until bread is well moistened. Add reserved quinoa and gently toss to combine well.

5. Transfer to prepared casserole dish and bake uncovered for 40 minutes.

Greek Quinoa Salad

Earlier this week, glasses of wine in hand, my best friend and I watched The Bachelorette, just like we do every week (don't judge). In part of the episode, the bachelorette took two bachelors with her on a date. When they got their meals, both of the guys remarked on the “quinn-o-ah” on their plates. They talked about how much they liked “quinn-o-ah” and how healthy it was. They were, of course, talking about quinoa.

Maybe it was the wine, but I couldn’t stop giggling over their mispronunciation – even though I didn’t really know how to pronounce the word correctly myself until relatively recently, and to this day, when I say “quinoa” in my head, I still pronounce it exactly the way they did. I think it was the fact that both of these guys thought they were pretty awesome, so it was kind of fun to laugh at their mispronunciation when they were so obviously trying to impress a girl.

Regardless of how you pronounce it, quinoa is pretty amazing. In this recipe, it gets a Greek twist with the addition of spinach, chickpeas, feta, cucumbers, and lots of other yummy, healthy ingredients. It’s a feast for the eyes and for the body; it’s just as pretty to look at as it is healthy and delicious to eat, and I happily took this to work for lunch for more than a week. Even Andrew and Will loved this!

(P.S. Add kalamata olives if you’ve got ‘em. Joe hates them, so I left them out, but I missed them!)

Greek Quinoa Salad

adapted from Sweet Peas and Pumpkins

2 cups cooked quinoa

1/2 cup fresh baby spinach leaves, rolled into a chiffonade and thinly sliced

1 cucumber, diced

1 small red onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 can chickpeas, drained

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Juice of one lemon

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, spinach, cucumber, red onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, chickpeas, and feta. Toss to combine.

2. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper. Stir until combined.

3. Pour the dressing over the quinoa. Stir well to fully coat the quinoa and vegetables.

Pineapple Quinoa

I’ll admit that, when one of the girls in my cooking club proposed that we make vegan food for our next gathering, I was somewhat apprehensive. That’s just not the way my family eats, and it’s pretty far outside my cooking comfort zone. I have nothing against vegans, of course – in fact, I think they have an incredible amount of willpower and are nearly superhuman with their ability to resist cheese, something I could never give up – but I just don’t eat a lot of vegan food.

Although I was apprehensive, I was also excited and to expand my culinary horizons. And it turns out that our vegan meal was probably the best one we’ve had yet. We had falafel, vegan paella made with chickpeas and wheatberries, two kinds of hummus, salsa, vegan chocolate cake, vegan pineapple upside down cake, and – my contribution – this pineapple quinoa.

My cooking club just met on Saturday, so obviously I’m skipping way ahead in my list of recipes to post to share this with you today, because I seriously can’t stop thinking about how delicious it was, even days later. This is probably one of the best dishes I’ve made, ever. It was so flavorful and delicious and healthy, and I just can’t wait to make it again for my family. Even Joe, who is as meat-and-potatoes as they come, sampled some and raved about it.

The pineapple gives a delicious sweetness to the quinoa, and the serrano pepper counterbalances the sweetness with some heat. Cashews provide nuttiness and texture, the edamame provides color and flavor, and the soy sauce provides that salty quality. The basil and lime juice, stirred in at the end, just take the dish over the top into some new realm of taste. It’s seriously so delicious, you guys, I can’t even describe it. I’ll be making this again and again – and feel really good about eating it, too.

Pineapple Quinoa

from Annie’s Eats

1 cup quinoa

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup cold water

2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce, divided

1/3 cup raw cashew pieces

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 cup cooked edamame

2 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1-inch piece of ginger root, peeled and grated

Half of a medium pineapple, cored, peeled and diced

1/2 cup loosely packed basil, finely chopped

Lime wedges, for serving

1. Combine the quinoa, pineapple juice, 1/2 teaspoon of soy sauce and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat, let stand covered for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and fluff with a fork.

2. Toast the cashews in a large skillet over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Remove from the pan and set aside.

3. Return the pan to the stove and increase the heat to medium-high. Heat the vegetable oil. Stir in the bell pepper and edamame and stir fry for about 3 minutes, or until the bell pepper is slightly softened. Stir in the scallions, garlic, ginger, and serrano and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

4. Stir in the pineapple, quinoa and basil. Mix well to combine. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and continue to cook for a few minutes more until everything is well blended and heated through. Serve garnished with lime wedges.