Carmelized Onions and Pesto Quinoa Pasta

24 Jul 2011 3 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

We had such a super lovely week of vacation! We spent most of the week out in Sag Harbor relaxing, cooking, practicing yoga with the amazing Colleen Saidman at Yoga Shanti, hanging out with my wonderful sister & brother in law and their adorable twin girls and just generally taking it super easy. (I’ll post some of our other super quick vacation recipes soon!)

We then headed out to Northport to stay with our friend Lisa Dawn. She has a beautiful studio there, Project Yoga, that I was honored to be teaching at this weekend. Such a sweet and blessed space. We spent the rest of the time there at the beach and of course cooking a little more 🙂

As many of you know, I love onions! We bought the most beautiful onions at the Farmers Market in Northport and I wanted to use them right away. Lisa had this amazing Vegan Pesto from Delpozzo at the farmers market so it was just a perfect quick and easy beach meal to throw both these together with quinoa pasta. Easy Peasy!

The pesto was Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Basil, Garlic, Pinenuts, Tofu, Salt and Pepper. Super easy! I have never tried tofu in the my pesto and this was out of control amazing! I usually make my pestos with olive oil, pinenuts (or sometimes other nuts), salt and pepper -occasionally I will add some nutritional yeast. I always like to try new things of course, so I am excited to experiment with this one soon myself.

Caramelized onions are one of my favorite things ever. They come out so sweet and deelish!! All you have to do is cook them down and the sugar in the onions make them super sweet. Yum!

Carmelized Onions and Pesto Quinoa Pasta

 

 

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3-6 onions (depending on how much you love onions and if you want some for leftovers)
  • 4 ounces of quinoa pasta
  • 2-3 ounces vegan pesto
serves 2

To caramelize the onions, just peel and chop the onions. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and add the onions, stirring. Continue to let the onions cook for a while, stirring occasionally to make sure the onions don’t burn. You can either cover the onions with a lid and let their liquid cook themselves down or for a browner more caramelized version, keep the lid off and the liquid begins to evaporate as the onions begin to brown, just make sure you are stirring frequently to prevent them from burning. You can cook both versions for about 10-20 minutes till you reach your desired color and texture.

After you get the onions in the pan, boil the pasta water. Add the pasta and cook according to instructions.

Then simply combine the onions, pesto and pasta with a bit of salt and pepper and Enjoy 🙂

I kept the cover on for the onions, so they are not as brown, but they are soft and super sweet!

I LOVE it when it says Vegan on it!! So Special!!!

Vegan Passover 2011

26 Apr 2011 6 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

This Passover was extra special with an addition of some new recipes! YUM!!!

We always eat a lot of quinoa, salads and veggies. And of course I also get to have the treat of Matzah & Earth Balance. So simple, yet amazing of course!

Last year we tried these vegan matzah balls but they disintegrated when left in the broth. This year my friend Lisa Dawn has been experimenting for a few weeks for the perfect Passover recipes. Thanks to Lisa Dawn and to Nava Atlas for these new amazing Matzah Balls and Matzah Brei recipes!! And thanks to my Mom and Mother-in-Law for making these amazing matzah balls for us. And Michael and I loved the Brei! YUM!!!

Also check out these recipes as well 🙂

photo from http://lisaprojectvegan.blogspot.com since we didn't photo them from my Mom and Mother-in-Law

Matzah Balls
Makes: About 24

The main difference with these matzah balls are you don’t boil them, you bake them so they stay intact!  The quinoa flakes bind them together and adds protein, how fabulous! These were amazing!!! And now I see what Lisa Dawn was saying how quinoa flakes are her new best friend!

1 cup quinoa flakes
2 cups boiling water
One box (2 packets) Streit’s or Maneschewitz Matzo Ball Mix
1/4 cup light vegetable oil (like safflower)

In a large mixing bowl, cover the quinoa flakes with the water. Let stand for 2 or 3 minutes.  Stir in both packets of matzah meal mix along with the oil, and mix until well blended. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.  Just before baking, preheat the oven to 275º F.  Roll the matzah meal mixture into approximately 1-inch balls; don’t pack them too firmly. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, carefully turning the matzah balls after 10 minutes, until firm to the touch; don’t let them brown.  If making ahead of time, let the matzah balls cool completely, then cover until needed. Warm them briefly in a medium oven and distribute them among the soup bowls, allowing 3 or 4 matzah balls per serving.

Vegan Matzah Brei
Makes 4 servings
Adapted from Nava Atlas and Lisa Dawn

I have only seen recipes for vegan mazah brei with tofu and was sooo happy when Lisa Dawn posted this recipe from Nava Atlas. More of our new best friend Quinoa Flakes! This was so good and I added the sugar so it tasted just like my mom’s growing up! YUM!

6 sheets of matzah, crumbled
1 cup quinoa flakes
4 cups boiling water
3 tablespoons Earth Balance
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Sugar

Boil the water.  In a bowl, mix the crumbled matzah and the quinoa flakes.  Pour the hot water over it and let it sit for 3 to 4 minutes.  It is ready when the water is absorbed.  In a skillet, melt Earth Balance and pour the mixture in.  Sort of flatten it down a little and sprinkle with salt and sugar.  When it has been going for a few minutes, scramble it a little to give all sides a chance to crisp up. Just scramble for a few more minutes and then serve and Enjoy!

Double Broccoli Quinoa

19 Apr 2010 5 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

OMG! We loved this! Broccoli Pesto – Genius!! I always love quinoa but this was a really exciting and super deelish way to have it. Such a creamy and well seasoned dish! I know we will have this again soon.

Let me know if you get to try this and what you think! ENJOY!!

Double Broccoli Quinoa
Recipe adapted from 101cookbooks

3 cups cooked quinoa
5 cups raw broccoli, cut into small florets and stems
3 medium garlic cloves
2/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
1/3 cup cheddar vegan cheese (preferably daiya)
2 big pinches salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil

  1. Heat the quinoa and set aside.
  2. Now barely cook the broccoli by pouring 3/4 cup water into a large pot and bringing it to a simmer. Add a big pinch of salt and stir in the broccoli. Cover and cook for a minute, just long enough to take the raw edge off. Transfer the broccoli to a strainer and run under cold water until it stops cooking. Set aside.
  3. To make the broccoli pesto puree two cups of the cooked broccoli, the garlic, 1/2 cup of the almonds, vegan cheese, salt, and lemon juice in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil and pulse until smooth.
  4. Just before serving, toss the quinoa and remaining broccoli florets with the broccoli pesto. Taste and adjust if needed, you might want a bit more salt or an added squeeze of lemon juice. Turn out onto a serving platter and top with the remaining almonds.

Serves 4 – 6.

Pesto in the Vita-Mix

Butternut squash, Apricots and Apples with Quinoa

21 Feb 2010 2 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

This is a great meal or side dish. The apricot and apples add such a nice sweetness and the spices were amazing! I left mine in the slow-cooker on warm for 2 hours after it was done cooking, it was still really good, but I would recommend not over-cooking this dish. I have said many time before how much I love slow-cooking. It is a tremendous time-saver and such a pleasure to come home to a house smelling so delicious and a meal ready to eat. YUM!

Butternut squash, Apricots and Apples with Quinoa

1 tbsp. cumin powder
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. ginger, minced
2 tsp. orange zest
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. crushed black pepper
1 cup veggie broth
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 medium, peeled butternut squash
2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1 1/2 cups quinoa

  1. In a skillet or heatproof slow-cooker liner, heat oil over medium heat and cook onions about 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, zest, cinnamon stick, turmeric, salt and pepper, stirring for 1 minute. Add veggie broth and orange juice and bring to a boil. If using a skillet transfer to a slow cooker stoneware.
  2. Add squash, apples, and apricots to stoneware and stir well. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours, until vegetables are tender.
  3. In a pot, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add quinoa stirring to prevent lumps and return to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes until tender and liquid is absorbed. Add to slow cooker and stir well. Serve immediately.

Crock-Pot Oatmeal

14 Dec 2009 7 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

I know you had all heard me profess my new-found love for breakfast but I haven’t posted one in a while. For the last couple of weeks I have been making Crock-Pot Oatmeal. As you know I am always cooking up a storm in my kitchen, so to have this one be super easy really takes the pressure of breakfast off me 🙂 What I do is throw all the ingredients in the crock pot on sunday, let it do its thing and then refrigerate them in perfect portions for the week. Love it! This really couldn’t be easier and there are so many versions to play with! The one below is this week’s breakfast but I will list addition as well.

Crock-Pot Oatmeal

1 cup of steel-cut oats
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 brown rice
5 cups water
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup agave

In a crock-pot, combine the oats, quinoa, rice, water, raisins and salt. Turn on high for 2.5 hours or slow for 6 hours. About 1.5 hours in, stir and recover. Once the oatmeal is finished cooking add the sweeteners of your choice. Enjoy 🙂

Additions or substitutions

  • apples, chopped (before cooking for baked apples or after for crisp apples)
  • dried fruits (goji berries, cranberries, chopped figs, etc. )
  • berries (after cooking)
  • other grains (wheat berries, barley, buckwheat, cornmeal, etc)
  • sweeteners (honey, stevia, date sugar, etc.)

Apple Quinoa Breakfast Cereal

19 Oct 2009 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I have been loving quinoa lately! I have always loved it but with the addition of breakfast to my diet I have been eating so much more of it lately. My mom was so awesome and picked me up this amazing 4 pound bag of quinoa from Costco. Thanks Mom!

IMG_2331

If you have seen my other posts I have been loving quinoa for breakfast! Check out my Quinoa “Oatmeal” and Quinoa Apple Oatmeal.

Here is another take on Quinoa and Apples. I added more apples this time which made it that much more tastier.

IMG_2332

Apple Quinoa Breakfast Cereal
6 Servings

2 cups quinoa
5 cups water
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 apples diced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup maple syrup

Bring quinoa, apples, salt and water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until cooked, about 15 minutes. Add cinnamon and sweeteners, stir and Enjoy.

Per Serving: 300 calories, 3g Fat, 0 Sat. Fat, 0 Chol, 14mg Sodium, 62g Carbs, 4g Fiber, 22g Sugars, 7g Protein

Quinoa Apple Oatmeal

06 Oct 2009 3 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Another great breakfast recipe! I love this one. The combo of oatmeal, my favorite quinoa, apples and raisins make this a real winner!! The apples are cooked and so soft and good! The raisins become plump and juicy when cooked. So good!! I put all the servings into 1/4 pound containers to have meals for the whole week!

IMG_2307

Quinoa Apple Oatmeal
5 servings

1 cup oatmeal
1 cup quinoa
1/2 raisins
3 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup almond milk (You can just use all water and skip this if you want)
1 apple diced
cinnamon to taste
2 tablespoons agave
4 tablespoons maple syrup, or to taste
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Combine all the ingredients, except the sweetener in a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until your breakfast is ready. Add the sweetners of your choice and Enjoy 🙂

Per Serving: 352 calories, 5g Fat, 0 Sat. Fat, 0 Chol, 46mg Sodium, 71g Carbs, 7g Fiber, 30g Sugars, 8g Protein

look at all that fiber and protein!!!

Quinoa “Oatmeal”

24 Sep 2009 3 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Superfoods, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

IMG_2287

As I told you last week my new addition to my diet is Breakfast and I am LOVING it!!! I plan to switch it up every week and try something new. This is a cooked breakfast and it was so good! I love quinoa but I don’t think it is ever thought about as a breakfast food. I thought that this super-grain would be great sweet and hot in the morning and I was right 🙂 So good and super nutritious. Love it!

Quinoa “Oatmeal”
serves 3

1 cup quinoa
1 cup almond milk
1 cup water
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons agave

Rinse the quinoa and add to saucepan with water and almond milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the dried cranberries and cinnamon and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the agave. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes until all liquid is absorbed.

I can’t promise to do this for ever recipe but I looked up the nutrition stats for this breakfast. 🙂

Per Serving: Calories 324, Fat 4g, No Saturated Fat or Cholesterol, 71mg sodium, 67g carbs, 4g Fiber, 25g sugar, 7g protein

Breaded Herb Chicken & Summer Quinoa with Corn

05 Jul 2009 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , ,

chicken & quinoa

Breaded Herb Chicken & Summer Quinoa with Corn

Breaded Herb Chicken

serves 3-6 depending on how hungry everyone is

I like that this chicken is pretty low in fat and is baked. It is a pretty simple breaded chicken recipe that you can mix and match with. You can serve as is or make a lemon butter sauce to go along with this. I am sure many other sauces would go great with this as well. You can also mix up the spices/herbs in the breadcrumbs for a different flavor.

  • 6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups dry breadcrumbs
  • 6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  1. Wrap individual pieces of chicken between parchment paper or plastic wrap and tenderize with a mallet till 1/2-3/4″ thick.
  2. Place the pieces in a baking dish and pour lemon juice over them. Let sit for 15 minutes while you prepare the next steps.
  3. Preheat oven to 450°F.
  4. Melt butter with oil in small saucepan over medium heat.
  5. Mix breadcrumbs, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper in pie pan or plate.
  6. Remove chicken from dish and pat dry with paper towels.
  7. Brush chicken breasts on both sides with melted butter and then coat chicken on both sides with breadcrumb mixture.
  8. Place on baking sheet and bake until cooked through and breadcrumbs are golden, 20 minutes or so.

Summer Quinoa with Corn

serves 5-7

I love fresh raw corn! It is one of my favorite summertime loves. Just peel off the husk and dig in! Many people miss out on the wonders of raw corn because they are always eating it cooked. It is so fresh and sweet when it is raw, it should not be missed. Also a great nutritional benefit is that raw corn acts like a vegetable in your body where as cooked corn acts like a starch!

We also love quinoa in my house! Such a supergrain!! Plus of course it is super delicious! Here is a fun recipe to try out for the summer. The butter can easily be substituted with oil or margarine to make this vegan. This can even be served as an entree because of all the nutrition packed into those little adorable quinoa grains!

  • 4 ears corn, shucked
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter/Earth Balance or 4 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon mild honey (or agave)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cups quinoa
  • 3 scallions, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
  1. Melt butter with oil in small saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Whisk together lemon zest and juice, butter, honey, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until combined.
  3. Cook quinoa in a 3-4 quart bot of boiling salted water.
  4. Add quinoa to the lemon mixture and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in corn, scallions, mint, and salt and pepper to taste.

Baked Acorn Squash with Red Quinoa and Pumpkin Seed Stuffing

25 May 2009 2 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , ,

This was fun to make and super good! Plus don’t they look like little hearts! This is such a romantic and heart healthy meal!

I used regular quinoa because I could not find organic red quinoa (and I had regular quinoa in the house 🙂 ), but I am sure this came out just as Delicious! You could always substitute the butter for oil to make this vegan and I doubt it would change a thing as the butter is just used to sauté the veggies. I did not have currants so I put more cranberries and apricots in then the recipe called for. You will also have some of the quinoa left over, but it makes a great leftover side dish.

lots of squash

2 heart squashBaked Acorn Squash with Red Quinoa and Pumpkin Seed Stuffing

Recipe adapted from The Flexitarian Table.

SERVINGS 8

INGREDIENTS
2 cups quinoa
4 tablespoons Earth Balance or olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced onion
sea salt or Kosher salt
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped the size of raisins
1/4 cup dried currants
1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
freshly ground black pepper
4 medium Delicata squash, halved lengthwise, seeds and membranes removed
extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing

PREPARATION

  1. Adjust a rack to the middle shelf of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
  2. Simmer the quinoa in 4 cups of water until fluffy, 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. While the quinoa cooks, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook until softened, stirring frequently, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the carrots, celery, ginger, and sage.
  4. Cover the pan and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes (add a tablespoon of water, if necessary, to prevent scorching.)
  5. In a large bowl, toss together the quinoa and vegetables. Stir in the dried fruit, pumpkin seeds, nutmeg, and cinnamon, season with salt and pepper.
  6. Brush the skin of the squash lightly with oil. Place the squash, cut side down, in a baking pan large enough to hold them in a snug single layer.
  7. Pour 1/2-inch of boiling water into the pan and bake for 20 minutes (you want the squash to have softened slightly, but not completely). Transfer the squash to a plate and let rest until cool enough to handle.
  8. Stuff the squash halves with the quinoa mixture, return them, stuffing-up, to the pan, and bake until the flesh can be easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 20 to 30 minutes more.

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