Friday, July 13, 2012

Swap ~ Vegetarian


It's the middle of July!!! Half my birthday month flew by... how did that happen? Well I will move on & enjoy the rest of this glorious summer. This post is our bi-weekly Swap from my National Cooking Board, put together by Sarah from A Taste of Home Cooking (THANK you, Sarah!) I love, love, love these swaps & the subject was Vegetarian. I always am looking for a great veggie dinner for when my sister visits & I love my veggie meals too so I was ecstatic. I got this gem from Mary Ellen... & I saw quinoa. Now, I am really not a fan of quinoa (to the extent I pronounce it Quin-Noah purposefully- it's Keen-wah.) When I saw Mary Ellen had a recipe she wanted to share I became ecstatic again. Her blog is great! That, combined with my hubby's need to eat better/lower his cholesterol... And I made it. And it was yummy. Not "I cannot wait to eat quinoa again yummy" BUT it you love or like the grain, MAKE this. It came out moist & tasty. The only thing I will interject here is that this was a hard one for the summer for me- turning on the oven (to roast the garlic) in 100 degree weather like we've had (even with a/c) was awfully hot & tough. But the outcome was delish. Thank you, Mary Ellen!
<3 Lishie (btw- I gave my Round Pasta)

This is Mary Ellen's Italian version of quinoa:



Quinoa with Roasted Garlic, Tomatoes, and Spinach from Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations
  • 1/2 c quinoa, rinsed and drained (it is important to rinse quinoa to wash off any residue which can be bitter in taste)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, I like them for some kick)
  • 2 tbsp dry white wine
  • 1 c vegetable broth
  • 1/2 bulb roasted garlic (about 6 cloves), chopped
  • 1 small tomato, seeds removed and chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach
  • 1 tbsp shallots, chopped
  • 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese
Heat olive oil in a pot
Add shallots and red pepper flakes and saute for 1-2 minutes
Add quinoa and stir for 1-2 minutes
Add wine and stir until absorbed (wait until you see how the quinoa jumps around in the pot when liquid is added!!)
Add broth and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and cover. Let simmer until broth is absorbed, about 12-15 minutes.
Once the broth has absorbed, stir in the roasted garlic, tomatoes, spinach, and cheese.
Serve immediately.


4 comments:

  1. I'm glad you tried this and liked it!

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  2. I still haven't tried quinoa. I need to, though. I've heard such good things about it health-wise.

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  3. Oh and thanks for being part of the recipe swaps!

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