Monday, January 24, 2011

Wholegrain Pancakes

Quinoa is a complete protein...meaning that it has all the essential amino acids that you need in your diet. This is a rare phenomenon for a grain and therefore vegetarians should consider adding quinoa as a staple of their diet. Here is one idea for adding quinoa to your menu.

1 cup uncooked quinoa (or 2 1/2 -3 cups leftover cooked quinoa, heated)
2 1/4 cups water

1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated raw carrot, sweet potato, or winter squash
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
1/4 brown rice flour (or wheat flour)

Maple syrup or applesauce for topping

Rinse quinoa in a sieve and in a medium saucepan bring the water and quinoa to a boil. Cover, turn down heat, and simmer until water has been absorbed.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet saute onion and grated vegetable of choice in olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add quinoa, season to taste with salt, and mix until combined. Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing well after every addition, until the mixture sticks together. Remove from heat and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Using an ice cream scoop, or about 1/4 cup of mixture, form balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Flatten with a fork to about 1/4 inch thick. Bake 10 minutes, flip pancakes, and bake 10 minutes more or until crispy and browned.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Moroccan Rice Pilaf

Serve this aromatic side dish with local grass-fed sausage (we chose chorizo...the spice is great with the sweetness of this dish) or some chick peas or both. OR cook this up and stuff a delicata squash with it!

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1-2 carrots, peeled and diced small
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup brown rice
3 cups chicken broth or water (or a mixture of white wine and water)
1/3 cup dried currants
Zest of 1 orange
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or 1 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 1/2 tbsp fresh chives (optional)
chopped walnuts or sliced almonds
1 tbsp butter
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

In a large skillet (one that has a top), heat the olive oil and saute the onion until lightly browned. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the rice is slightly browned. Add the liquid and cover the skillet, bringing to a boil on high heat. As the liquid comes to a boil turn heat to low. Add the diced carrots, cinnamon, zest, currants, and cayenne pepper. Cook on low heat until rice has absorbed most of the liquid. While you are waiting for the rice to cook, heat the butter in a small skillet, add nuts, and saute until golden, sprinkling with pepper and salt to season. Set sauteed nuts aside in a serving dish. Turn off the heat when there is just a small amount of water left in the pan and allow mixture to sit with the cover on for about 15-20 minutes. At this point, season to taste with a little salt (1/4 - 1/2 tsp will be sufficient) if you desire. Serve with sauteed nuts.

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Jessica
With a degree in Restaurant Managment and Nutrition and a background in and love of the culinary arts, Jess is able to whip up delicious yet nutritious meals. She gardens extensively and uses what she grows to feed her family not only during the summer and fall but throughout the winter and spring by preserving and freezing the fresh produce. She is committed to growing, buying, and eating as much local food as possible. She started this blog to spread information about eating locally and its benefits. She also wanted to have a forum to share the recipes she uses and the stories she writes. She would love the opportunity to be able to share this knowledge to increase the amount of people using local and organic products.
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