Quinoa Cauliflower and Carrot Bisque

Another Soup Love inspired soup. I invited Nadia and Yohan over and we had a big dinner with Xavier and I tricked them all into eating vegan soup, mwahaha.

Enjoy

Quinoa Cauliflower Bisque

2 cups cooked quinoa
1 large cauliflower (2 pounds) cut into florets, stem discarded
4 cups veg broth
1 lemon
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
2 medium carrots
1 large yellow onion
3 tbs olive oil
5 cloves garlic
1 tsp herbs de Provence
2 ounces soy creme fraiche or goat cheese if you aren't vegan

1. Put the cauliflower in a soup pot with 2 cups of water and the veggie broth. Scrub the lemon and zest off a 1 inch strip of the yellow skin. Be careful not to get any of the bitter white part! Juice the lemon and then add 2 tbs of juice and the 1 inch strip to the pot and a tsp of salt. Boil. Lower the heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Remove the lemon zest and discard.
2. While your cauliflower is simmering, heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a skillet and sautee the carrot, onion and garlic with 1/2 a tsp of salt until the onion is soft and turning color, about 20 minutes. Add the herbs de Provence and sautee a few more minutes.
3. Add your sauteed veggies to the cauliflower and simmer for 15 more minutes or until the cauliflower and carrots are very soft. Let the soup cool slightly then puree it with an immersion blender or in a food processor. Add the quinoa. Taste and add salt or lemon juice as needed.
4. Top each bowl with a dollop of creme fraiche, olive oil, and bread crumbs. You can take soft bread and break it into pieces then toast it in olive oil in a sauce pot over medium heat until they are brown and hot.

Broccoli Mac and Cheese Casserole

Mac and Cheese from a box is super hard to replicate isn't it? I've come to the conclusion that it can't be done. But, a good noodly cheesy casserole can be made that can satisfy a craving. I had just bought a package of quinoa noodles I wanted to try out and even though Im not crazy about broccoli usually, its full of good stuff for you (vitamin C, K, A and fiber) so I decided to make a little casserole.

Broccoli Mac and Cheese

1 large bunch of broccoli, cut into florets, trunk discarded
4 Tbsp butter (or vegan spread)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups soy creme fraiche (or whole milk, soy milk, soy cream)
2 cups grated Gruyere (or cheese of your choice)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or some other shallow 3-quart baking dish.
2. Cook the pasta according to the package directions and boil the broccoli until its tender but not mushy
3. Wipe out the past pot and melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes (do not let it darken). Still stirring, slowly add the creme fraiche. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce slightly thickens, 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Add the Gruyère, cayenne, garlic and 1½ teaspoon salt and pepper and cook just until the cheeses melt. Mix in the pasta and the broccoli. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish and bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes.



PS I liked the quinoa pasta

Potato, Quinoa and Spinach Omelette topped with Gruyere

So this is not one of the recipes I said I was going to be posting but it was something I made for lunch yesterday that turned out quite nice. The idea came from a little lunch party I attended a week or so back. Therese and Paula invited me to join in on an outing to Panzole to go the weekend market and afterward we went over to Anne's house where she made us a lovely lunch, part of which included a simple potato omelette.



I made a few alterations to Anne's omelette but it was still quite simple.

Potato Omelette for One (or two! you could split it and have a nice salad on the side!)
2 eggs, beaten well
2 small russet potatoes, sliced thin
large handful of spinach, stacked, rolled and sliced thin
Herbs de Provence
1/8 to 1/4 cup cooked quinoa
olive oil

1. Heat oil in a large skillet and then add the potatoes. Throw in some Herbs de Provence and a little salt. Cook, stirring often so they don't get too brown on one side. When they start to turn brown and crispy put a lid on the pan and let them cook a bit more (this keeps them from turning into dry chips). Taste a slice and make sure they are cooked through, then put them on a plate to wait.
2. Throw the spinach in the pan with a little oil and flash wilt them - meaning they are in the pan for less than a minute! Stir them up and let them soak up a little olive oil and get wilted, then throw them on the plate with the potatoes.
3. In a nonstick pan or a oiled/buttered one, throw in your well beaten eggs and let it start to cook. As its starting to set dash a little salt, pepper, and Herbs de Provence on top. When the bottom seems to have firmed a bit add your toppings. I did quinoa, then spinach, then potatoes. Cook the omelette until the top is cooked to your liking.
4. Remove from heat and sprinkle with Gruyere. Fold the omelette over and cut it in half. Serve right away!

Quinoa and Avocado Stuffed Quesadilla

Quesadillas are easy-pie to make. Perhaps it's even silly to make a post on them since it seems unlikely that they will be new news to any of you - but these quesadillas are a little bit different from your run-of-the-mill Taco Bell variety. Does Taco Bell even have quesadillas? I'm not a fan of that place.

Quinoa has made its jump into the American collective conscious just recently within the last few years I would say. Pronounced Keen-Wa, this strange looking grain is a pseduocereal and its its tiny edible seeds are in the same family as tumbleweed, beets and spinach from what I've read.

So why quinoa in my quesadilla? - well let me tell you something about quinoa! For a grain or something you might eat in the place of rice or wheat - quinoa is remarkably high in protein. Plus, unlike wheat and rice - quinoa is a complete source of protein because of its amino acid content. These reasons alone make it an awesome choice for vegetarians and vegans alike but in addition its also a good source of fiber, phosphorous, magnesium, and iron. Wiki.com says "Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights." There you have it...space its so cool that space-people might be eating it in the future.

Now I will warn you...quinoa tastes healthy. Like..its not like eating a bowl of rice. Therefore its best to combine it with yummy stuff like tomatoes, peppers, cheese, what-have-you.



Quinoa Stuffed Quesadilla (for 1)

2 corn tortilla (or flour if you prefer)
Half cup of shredded cheese (I used Gruyere)
Half an Avocado
Half cup of *pre-cooked quinoa
Salsa
Butter

1. Lay out your tortillas, on half of the totilla sprinkle some cheese, then quinoa, then 1/4 avocado, then a bit more cheese. On the untouched half spread your salsa. Fold the tortilla in half to create a semi-circle shape. Repeat with the other tortilla.
2. Heat a pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot throw some butter (or olive oil) in the pan and coat the surface well.
3. Place your quesadilla in the pan and let it brown and crisp, carefully flip and let the other side cook. Repeat with the second quesadilla.

* By pre-cooked I mean you already washed the quinoa in a fine mesh, and then cooked it. To cook - place 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water in a casserole on the stove. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer. Cover. Let the quinoa cook 12-15 minutes or until it has soaked up all the water. Fluff with a fork and serve. (Makes 3 cups).



Another interesting fact - the Inca cultivated quinoa way back when and considered it a sacred crop - referring to it as the "mother of all grains."

Also! Don't feel constrained to just quinoa and avocado - try spinach, bell peppers, tomatoes, minced fried potatoes, goat cheese, jalapenos!