Spring Quinoa Salad {Vegan}

I fell in love with Peruvian food when I was a missionary in.....Nebraska.  Yeah, there are a lot of Peruvians in Nebraska and they are wonderful!  I love them and I LOVE their food.  When I moved to Philly my first visiting teaching companion turned out to be from Peru!  She is a WONDERFUL person and OH how it was wonderful to live near her and every so often get to eat her food.  I have never eaten anything of hers that wasn't absolutely mouthwatering and delicious!  The last time we ate with her and her husband (Hey, Mike!) before we moved she made this salad and it was so simple and refreshing and DELICIOUS that I have been dreaming of it ever since.  I finally got around to getting the recipe from her and so now I will share.  This is the perfect hot summer meal.

From Karen's Peruvian Kitchen

Spring Quinoa Salad {VEGAN}

2 cups of water
1 cup of quinoa, soaked for 20 minutes and rinsed well

1/2 lb asparagus (could use frozen)
1 ear fresh corn or 3/4 cup frozen corn
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 cucumber

Herb Lime Vinaigrette Recipe

2oz fresh lime juice (about 2 fresh limes)
4 oz olive oil (~1/2 cup)
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
salt pepper to taste

1. Rinse and drain Quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Combine the 2 cups of water and the Quinoa in a 2qt sauce pot bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. The grain should be soft and the germ should be visible. Spread out on a baking sheet to cool.

2. To cook the asparagus and corn, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cut off the tough ends of the asparagus (cut about 2" off the bottom the spear). Have a large bowl of ice water ready. Cook the asparagus spears in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes and the using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove them from the water and plunge them into the ice water to stop from boiling. You want the asparagus to be tender-crisp. In the same boiling water cook the ear of corn for 5 minutes and then put it in the ice water too.

3. Cut the asparagus on the bias into 2" pieces. Cut the corn off the cob and separate the kernels. Cut the red pepper into julienned strips, about 1/4'x2". Peel the cucumber, cut into 2" sections and then into 1/4" strips.

4. Put the Quinoa and vegetables into a large bowl.

5.  In a medium sized bowl combine lime juice, parsley and whisk together while adding in the olive oil slowly.

6. Add all the dressing to the Quinoa and vegetables and combine.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Quinoa Burgers/Nuggets {Vegetarian}

Quinoa Burgers

Original Recipe Found HERE

1 cup dry quinoa
3/4 cup shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese
1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 cup carrot or zucchini, finely grated
2 green onions (including white parts), chopped
3 eggs
3 TBS flour
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
olive oil for frying/baking

For burgers:
whole wheat buns
fry sauce (mayo, ketchup and sometimes mustard - all to your own taste)
thinly sliced onion
thick sliced tomato
crisp lettuce leaves

1. Place quinoa in a bowl of cold water and let soak about 20 minutes and then rinse thoroughly. Bring 2 cups of salted water to boil, add quinoa and turn down heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 18-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. While quinoa is soaking/cooking, prep. the carrots, green onions, and cheddar cheese.
3. Also combine flour, sugar and spices in a large bowl. Add the eggs, carrots and green onions and mix together well.
4. Once the quinoa is cooled add it to the mixture and using your hands fold the egg into the qunioa very well.
5. Add both cheeses and once again fold cheese throughout the quinoa/egg mix.

If pan frying:

1. Heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Take 1/4 - 1/3 measuring cup (depending on how big you want your burgers) and pack it full of the mixture. Drop mixture into the hot pan and then press the mixture into a burger patty with the back side of the measuring cup.
3. Cook low and slow on each side so it gets brown and crispy on the outside and done on the inside with out burning (this also helps when it comes to flipping).
*I cook one at a time but that's just because I have a really old electric stove top and only a small little pan to cook them in.

If baking:

1. Either rub pan with oil or non-stick spray OR use a Silpat (baking mat - I LOVE MINE!).
2. Form patties on pan and bake for 25 minutes at 400º flipping halfway through.

I made fry sauce and topped each burger with tomato, onion and lettuce. I served them with roasted cauliflower and a spring salad with hemp seeds and craisins. Yum and yum.

FOR NUGGETS:

1. Using non-stick spray or a Silpat baking mat, drop 1-2 TBS of mixture onto baking sheet. Press down and form little nuggets with your fingers. I fit about 12 on one baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes at 400º flipping halfway through.

I made a bunch of nuggets at this size. My 3 year old at 3 of them along with some roasted cauliflower and was filled up. I am going to freeze the rest for lazy dinner days :)

Bullet holes are super motivating but not for cooking

(don't care to read the bullet hole story....scroll down to find a recipe at the bottom of this post...I'm not offended)

Hello readers. Are there any readers of this blog left? I'm so sorry you have been so neglected. First it was because of morning sickness. I'm glad to report that I am feeling much better, although I'm still struggling with my appetite a little bit. I'm sorry to report that cooking is still the last thing on my list of things to do. Here's why:

The other night before putting my little guy to sleep I found a big hole in his wall. I knew instantly what it was (I don't know how I knew...it's not like I have any experiences with this sort of thing). It was a bullet hole. After some conversation with my (doubting) husband we called the police. Sure enough they dug a 9 mm bullet out of my son's bedroom wall (across from where I had seen the first hole). The bullet came from the neighbors apartment. The police broke in but didn't find anyone hurt or any sign that anyone had been injured (THANK GOODNESS) but they have been unsuccessful in talking to our neighbor at all to find out what in the world happened.

Sunday night my husband and I were forced awake by some loud noise. I heard a bunch of stuff going on around us but it sounded like it was coming from a different apartment or outside or something so I just went back to bed. My husband said he could swear he heard something shatter so he got up and checked the apartment for something that fell and broke or a broken window or something like that but he didn't find anything that looked crazy, Freddy was still sleeping and by this time so was I so he went back to bed as well. The next day we were gone ALL day long (not to mention we had just come back from a trip so the house was a disaster zone) and we didn't notice the larger bullet hole in his wall but when I was rushing to get him into bed that night (after a really long day) I was laying in his bed with him and right before my husband shut off his light I thought I did see a little hole above his door and wondered for an instant if it had always been there....then I started singing the bedtime songs and forgot all about it. It wasn't until I noticed the large bullet hole on the opposite wall that I remembered the tiny hole I had seen the night before and that's when I knew what it was.

We don't share a wall with these neighbors but we share a small hallway and a staircase with them and so I had my husband go into the hallway to see if he could find a hole on their side. Sure enough he found two freshly patched holes one on their side and one on ours. So someone took the time to patch up the holes but not to come over to see if we were OK. Shady? YES.

The very little information the police have given us have not made us feel any better about the situation - only A LOT WORSE. Things like, this neighbor won't cooperate and has "lawyered up". That she has had multiple run-ins with the police in the past and that she has permits for SEVERAL weapons....among other things....

The bullet was just feet from our sleeping two year old. It came through the wall at about the height of my nose so if either of us had been up checking on Freddy - which we do FREQUENTLY (me because I get up to go to the bathroom like 4 times a night and always just go in to make sure he's covered and not falling out of his bed, and my husband because it is his job to comfort crying, scared, thirsty or sick kids during the night) either one of us could have been hit easily by that bullet. TALK ABOUT SCARY.

By the way, we live in a really safe neighborhood. We live just a 5 minute walk from an elementary school, the library AND the police station. We live in one of the safest neighborhoods surrounding Philadelphia. Unfortunately, we still live really close to Philly (can you say, North Philly....Broad Street...CHESTER) and CAMDEN, NJ!!!! So I guess you can live out of the ghetto but you can't always keep the ghetto from moving in next door. We are pretty sure this neighbor moved from Camden.

So that is the story of the bullet hole. Every time I walk past my little boys room I see that bullet hole staring me down. We have had him sleeping in our bed every night and we don't even let him play in his room anymore. Yes, the likelihood of it happening again is minimal and that may be overreacting a little but next time a bullet comes screaming into your child's room let me know if you don't overreact just a little bit. We are very tired (stress + two year old kicking you and waking up all night long + fetus kicking you and waking you up all night long = NO SLEEP WHATSOEVER) but we are VERY motivated to find a new home.

Right now we are just trying to figure out where we are going to move and what we are going to do. All the stress (and 114* heat we've been having) haven't really made cooking a priority or even a thought in my mind.

But since I love you I do have one recipe I came up with that I will share....but don't be expecting anything else really soon....

Quinoa and Cheese Broccoli Casserole
(this is a healthier version of mac and cheese - but let's get honest...it's still not the healthiest thing you can eat)

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and soaked 1/2 hour
2 TBS vegan butter
2 TBS flour
2 cups milk (or milk substitute)
3 nice good cups of your choice of shredded cheese (I used colby jack), reserve 3/4 cup
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets, steamed
2 tsp sea salt
pepper to taste
1/2 tsp thyme (optional)
1 cup crushed french fried onions

1. Cook quinoa uncovered in 2 cups of salted water until all the water is absorbed. Place in a casserole dish.
2. Steam frozen or fresh broccoli, let sit for a minute and then add to the casserole dish.
3. Melt butter in a sauce pan and then add flour. Whisk together to form a bubbly rue. Slowly add milk while continuously whisking. Let this cook over medium heat until milk is thickened. Add cheese, remaining salt (just add as much as tastes good to you), pepper and thyme. Stir until cheese is melted and well combined. Add cheese sauce to the casserole dish.
4. Mix everything together really well and then top with remaining cheese and crushed french fried onions.
5. Bake at 400 until bubbly and starting to crisp up on top, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool and serve with a big salad or sauteed green beans.

My husband and son devoured this! They absolutely loved it. I don't think Freddy took one bite with out saying, "MMMHHH MMMHH!!!" I'm not sure if it really was that good or if they were just so glad to be getting a home cooked meal. You can try it and let me know what you think :)

*If I was in my right frame of mind I probably would have chopped up half an onion and sauteed that with a tiny bit of minced garlic in the butter before I added the flour to make my rue. But as you just read I am far from my right frame of mind....Hopefully we'll be moved and back to normal sooner than later. WISH ME LUCK (or sanity...either or)!!!!

Quinoalicious Casserole {Vegetarian}

Casseroles are a wonderful thing for busy moms. They are almost as handy as crockpots. It is nice to put things together in the morning and then heat right before dinner. It is fantastic to feed the family from one dish then add a little side salad and ta-da dinner is served! That said, casseroles are something I have missed as a vegetarian. The only casseroles I knew how to make before consisted of some kind of meat, with some kind of cream-o-something, with some kind of pasta or rice. Once I decided not to cook with meat and canned creams my casseroling went out the window. I decided it was time to reclaim casseroles for my vegetarian self (and friends :0) I took a recipe from my friend Kindee and tweaked it. I am happy to report that it was absolutely delightful. I hope you enjoy this Quinoalicious casserole on a busy day!

Quinoalicious Casserole

3 Cups Dried Quinoa - Soak for at least 20 minutes then rinse

1 TBS Better Than Bullion Vegetable Broth (or 4 cups of your favorite vegetable broth)

1 can Rotel Tomatoes

1 1/2 TB Cumin

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 onion

1 green pepper

2 garlic cloves pressed or minced

1/2 bunch cilantro chopped, 1/4-1/3 cup

2 cans black beans

1 small can sliced olives

2-3 cups frozen corn

8 oz block of pepper jack cheese

1. Placed soaked and rinsed quinoa in pot with 4 cups water, BTB Vegetable Broth (or just use 4 cups of vegetable broth instead of the water and BTB Vegetable Broth mix) and Rotell Tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then turn heat to really low and simmer uncovered.

2. While quinoa is simmering, dice onion, pepper, and garlic.

3. Place chopped onion, pepper and garlic in a saute pan with a little olive oil. Saute until onions are translucent.

4. Add sauteed onion, pepper, garlic, most of cilantro, salt, pepper, and cumin to simmering quinoa. Cook quinoa until water is absorbed. Remove from heat. Add corn, beans

and 3/4 of shredded cheese, stir until cheese is melted and it is a little gummy.

5. Place in casserole dish and place remaining cheese and cilantro on top.

Bake at 350 until cheese is desired meltedness.

***Make this vegan by simply leaving out the cheese. That was easy.

Top with Suped up Guacamole, add a nice side salad or a baked sweet potato, and bask in the savory quinoaliciousness of this casserole!

*Dear Beloved Readers of The Vegetarian Tree,

Did you like this post? Do you have a comment or question? Let us know! Comments help us know what you want to read about. Don't be shy, we want to hear from you! Also, if you like this post share it with your friends using the sharing toolbar at the bottom of the post!

LOVE - Amy & Ronda*

Quinoa and Black Bean

My mom just sent me a link to a friends blog who made Quinoa and Black Beans and served them on greens with pico de gallo and sour cream* to make it like a Taco Salad. Looks great doesn't it?

(Picture taken by Megan Laing)

*Dear Beloved Readers of The Vegetarian Tree,

Did you like this post? Do you have a comment or question? Let us know! Comments help us know what you want to read about. Don't be shy, we want to hear from you! Also, if you like this post share it with your friends using the sharing toolbar at the bottom of the post!

LOVE - Amy & Ronda*