Category Archives: Quinoa

Citrus Black Bean Quinoa Salad

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Ever since I discovered the oil-free cold salads at Whole Foods, I’ve been on a quest to find good quinoa and lentil salad recipes. While I thoroughly enjoy my sampler box of all the oil-free salads they offer, I cannot continue that type of expensive habit!

My youngest is now eating solid food three meals a day which means I REALLY have limited time to eat! That’s why I love this quick and easy salad recipe. It’s easy to make and the leftovers are fantastic for days!

I often pack this in my diaper bag for an after-workout snack and I’ve even eaten it for breakfast. I keep steamed greens ready in my fridge at all times and I often add those to this salad as well. Enjoy!

Citrus Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Original recipe from Healthy Mammas.

Citrus Black Bean Quinoa Salad

(2) 15-oz cans no-salt added black beans, drained and rinsed OR 4 cups cooked black beans
1/4 – 1/2 minced red onion, diced small (I used 1/2 of a medium sized red onion)
1 large grapefruit, divided into segments and cut into cubes (An orange would work too!)
1-2 roasted red bell peppers (in water), diced (you could also use 1 large fresh red bell pepper)
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 cups cooked quinoa
2 large (ripe but firm) avocado, diced
1 small bunch fresh cilantro (about a handful), chopped into small pieces (also rinsed well!)

Dressing Ingredients – Simple yet so good!

juice of 3-4 limes (I like lime so I used 4)
2 tsp cumin
3 T water or low-sodium broth (I use leftover bean cooking liquid)

Instructions

.    Rinse and chop all your veggies.
.    Place black beans, red onion, grapefruit, cilantro, bell pepper, avocado and corn in a large bowl. Toss to combine.
.    In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Add quinoa and dressing to salad, then toss well and serve.
.    Salad will keep in sealed containers for up to five days in the fridge..

Quick and easy dressing!

Yummy!

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Lemon Quinoa

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I make quinoa every few days and add it to all sorts of things, I like to always keep a cooked bean and grain on hand at all times. Here’s a really easy way to spruce up your regular quinoa. 🙂 I usually double this recipe because we like leftovers. I use this in collard wraps with Chickpea Salad or with Gingered Tofu & Zucchini. Our toddler loves this!

Lemon Quinoa

Lemon Quinoa

Ingredients:

* 1 cup cooked quinoa

* 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

* 2 celery stalks, chopped

* 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

* 1/4 cup chopped onion

* 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

* 1/2 tsp ground cumin

Instructions:

1. Mix cooked (and slightly cooled) quinoa in a bowl with all the ingredients and combine. Serve warm or cold. 

So easy to make!

Mix all ingredients together and serve warm or cold

YUM!

 

 

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

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I used to make cauliflower with olive oil, rosemary, 16 cloves of garlic (yes, 16!) and salt but since I’ve stopped using added oils and salt I’ve had to find new recipes. This soup turned out really good! It’s nice and creamy yet dairy-free, oil-free and very low salt (depending on what you decide to use for broth). The cashews are an excellent addition. Our toddler loved this soup!

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

The original recipe is from Healthy Blender Recipes. I added lemon thyme, black pepper and cayenne sprinkled on top. I chose buckwheat for my grain since that’s what I had on hand for the day.

  • 8 cups of strong vegetable broth – I used half low-sodium veggie broth/half water
  • Leftover bean cooking liquid for sautéing OR just use water if you’re trying to stay oil-free (Olive oil if you’re not) **NOTE: I save the leftover bean cooking liquid from my pressure cooker and use it in place of oil in recipes… works great and it’s much better for you! I use mostly chickpea 🙂
  • 1 whole head of garlic roasted
  • The white part of 2-3 leeks washed and chopped
  • 1 large head of cauliflower chopped
  • 1/2 tsp dried lemon thyme (or regular thyme is fine)
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews (you could also use raw blanched almonds) – soaked in hot water for around 20 minutes
  • 4 Tbsp chives chopped finely to garnish
  • cayenne pepper to serve on top
  • white or black pepper, to taste
  • organic brown rice, quinoa or millet to serve – I served with buckwheat
  1. Place the whole head of garlic unpeeled in an oven at 400 F for about 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. (This makes the house smell REALLY GOOD!)
  2. In a large saucepan fry the leek in a little bean cooking liquid until soft. (About 3 minutes)
  3. Add in the cauliflower and stir for a couple of minutes until well coated. Squeeze in the roasted garlic pulp.
  4. Cover with the vegetable broth/water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a medium flame, and simmer partially covered for about 30 minutes until the cauliflower is soft.
  5. Let the mixture cool enough to put batches in the blender (I like to use a Vitamix), and puree with the cashews until smooth and creamy.
  6. Transfer to a clean pot and heat on low to serve. Season with salt (if you wish) and white or black pepper, to taste.
  7. To serve – top each bowl with a grain ball and a generous sprinkle of chives. Top with a little cayenne pepper.

This soup serves six people and makes really great leftovers!

Saute leeks in leftover bean liquid

Add cauliflower and roasted garlic

Add broth, bring to a boil and simmer half-covered for 30 minutes

Time to blend soup with cashews!

Yummy!!

Gingered Tofu & Zucchini (AND a little chit-chat)

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I’m a wee bit behind on blog posts… about 30 to be exact! Oops! My son will be 6 months old tomorrow, we moved him into his crib last month (our computer is in his room – my office/his room type of thing) and it’s been hard to get on the computer for any length of time. I cranked up his white noise machine tonight so I can get some of these posts out to you!

He starts solid food tomorrow too… yay!! Baby food recipes coming your way!

Anyways, we have made a few changes to our diet over the past month with the help of an awesome plant-based Registered Dietician – Elisa Rodriquez from EatUrVeggies.com. She’s helped us a A TON and I’ve never felt better! I started Crossfit three months ago and I am SO HAPPY with my overall appearance right now… I look and feel better than I did BEFORE I had both of my kids!!

If you need a little push or a little direction with your plant-based diet, talk to Elisa!!! She’s awesome and very reasonably priced!

A few of the changes we’ve made from this learning process:

* Cut out added oils and salt

* Stopped eating bread more than twice a week MAX

* Switched to eating more whole foods (cut out flour, etc… well, for special occasions!)

SO you may see my recipes changing a bit. I need to post the ones I’m behind on but after that you may see a change in the type of recipes I choose to cook OR I will be altering them to suit our new dietary path. 🙂

OK! Onto the food!

This recipe is from one of my favorites – Melomeals Vegan For $3.33 A Day… LOVE HER!! This is a really easy recipe, perfect for a busy evening!!

Gingered Tofu & Zucchini

My daughter loves this! I serve this over quinoa or brown rice OR I make it into Spicy Noodles! (Post to follow… that’s a GOOD RECIPE!)

Gingered Zucchini and Tofu
  • Cooking spray
  • 7 oz extra firm tofu cut into small cubes – I used one block Trader Joe’s Organic High Protein Tofu
  • 1 large zucchini,  medium chop  I used 3 for extra veggies
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 5 large cloves garlic, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
  • ¾ cup water
  • Smoked Sea Salt to taste
  • Soy Sauce to taste
  • Black Pepper  to taste
  • Siracha if desired, to taste
  1. In a screaming hot cast iron (medium high heat) add the tofu, onion and zucchini. Let it stay there until the tofu starts to come away from the pan. This will give it a nice caramelization.
  2. Now add the garlic and ginger along with the water and a pinch of salt.
  3. Stir well and cover for 5 minutes, add soy sauce, more smoked sea salt, pepper and siracha to taste

Tofu, zucchini & onion ready

Add to HOT pan

Now add garlic, ginger and water

Add soy sauce, pepper, smoked salt and sriracha to taste

 

Lentil Quinoa Stew with Red Chard

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This is one of our new favorites FOR SURE! My hubby loved it and so did our toddler, she ate two bowls! I reduced the amount of spice for her and I have to admit, I was a little surprised she ate so much because it still had quite a kick!

The original recipe is from Melody from Melomeals – I made a few changes to make it a wee bit healthier.

This recipe calls for her Goaty Cashew Cheeze and Easy Garlic-Roasted Marinara Sauce (Oil-Free) so if you just made the sauce from my post yesterday… save some for this! The Goaty Cashew Cheeze is excellent to have on hand so whip up a batch of that tonight so it will be ready to use!

I’ve learned a ton from Melody’s website! She uses a few base recipes to make a bunch of different dishes, all delicious!

This stew is nice and thick, perfect for turning into burgers!! I mixed 1 cup of the leftover soup with 3/4 cup rolled oats and 1 Tbsp flax meal. It’s sitting in my fridge tonight and will make perfect burgers tomorrow! I think I’ll wrap them in collard greens, that sounds delish! Here’s the “How to Make Burgers Out Of Leftover Soup” recipe if you need a reference.

Lentil Quinoa Stew with Red Chard

  • Water or broth for sautéing
  • 1 tsp good quality Italian Seasoning
  • 1/4 – 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes (omit if you don’t like hot – I only used a few dashes and it was a little spicy but good)
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 3 c cooked lentils – I used 2 cans of Lower Sodium Organic Black Lentils, rinsed well (Sprouts sells them)
  • 3 cup water or broth – I used water
  • 2 cup Easy Garlic-Roasted Marinara Sauce (A MUST!)
  • 3 Cup greens of choice, chopped – I used a whole bunch of red chard, stems included
  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms – I used one whole package of sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 – 4 Tbsp Goaty Cashew Cheeze (I used 4Tbsp)
  • 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp t lemon zest (I zest all citrus before using and freeze it!)
  • Pepper to taste
Method:
  1. Saute dried spices, onions, chopped chard stems and garlic for 3 minutes
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the chard leaves, balsamic vinegar, Goaty Cashew Cheeze, nutmeg, lemon zest and pepper – cover and bring to a boil for 15 minutes
  3. Remove lid, add chopped chard leaves and cover, cook for a few minutes or until chard wilts
  4. Take off heat, stir in vinegar, goat cheese, nutmeg, zest and add pepper to taste

Saute onions, garlic and chard stems with red pepper flakes and italian seasoning

Add selected ingredients (I messed up and added the Cheeze early but it was still good!)

Add chard leaves

Add balsamic, Goaty Cheeze, fresh nutmeg, lemon zest and pepper

Enjoy!!!

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Balsamic-Glazed Chickpeas & Mustard Greens

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I really like mustard greens, if you’ve never tried them this is a great starting point! This can be served as a side dish or a warm dinner salad. I like mine over quinoa for dinner! My toddler enjoyed this, she likes chasing the chickpeas around her plate. 🙂

Balsamic-Glazed Chickpeas & Mustard Greens

This recipe is from one of my favorite plant-based food blogs, Fat Free Vegan. She has such delicious recipes and lots of them! I changed the original recipe in an effort to reduce my sodium intake. 🙂

Ingredients

  • 10 ounces mustard greens – (I used one whole bunch)
  • 1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
  • 4-6 tablespoons vegetable broth, divided – (I used water to saute to reduce sodium)
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce – (I used light soy sauce)
  • 1/4 teaspoon agave nectar or sugar – (I used agave)
  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained – (I used cooked beans but you can used one can too)

Instructions

  1. Remove any large stems from the greens and discard. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces.
  2. In a deep pot or wok, sauté the onion in a tablespoon or two of vegetable broth (or water saute) until mostly faded to pink, about 4 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and red pepper and another tablespoon of broth and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the mustard greens, 2 tablespoons of broth, and cook, stirring, until greens are wilted but still bright green, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the salt, if using. Remove greens and onions from pan with a slotted spoon and place in a serving dish, leaving any liquid in pan.
  3. Add the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and agave or sugar to the liquid in the pan (if there is no liquid, add 2 tablespoons of broth). Add the chickpeas and cook, stirring, over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by about half. Spoon the chickpeas over the greens and drizzle the sauce over all.
  4. Serve warm, with additional balsamic vinegar at the table.
  5. YUMMY!!

Saute onions, add garlic and red pepper

Add greens, cook until wilted but still bright green. Remove from pan and place in serving dish.

Glaze the chickpeas and top

Delish!