Grilled Pineapple, Cashew and Quinoa Stir-Fry/Salad

A friend of mine recently made this for me and I was blown away. It can be eaten warm, at room temperature or cold.

 

I googled "grilled pineapple and quinoa" and found this 3 down. It's written like it was their original invention, which is totally awesome because I think it's genius. Fried rice, without the rice! I modified the vegetables, purely because of what I had in the fridge. Also in the original recipe they fry the onion in sesame oil, which I think is a mistake because it loses its sesame aroma quickly at high heat.

Grilled Pineapple, Cashew and Quinoa Stir-Fry/Salad

 

1 cup quinoa

1 zucchini

1 carrot

3 spring onions

1/2 cup unsalted roasted cashews

1 onion finely diced

5 cm knob ginger finely diced

3-5 cloves garlic finely diced

1 pineapple

3 eggs

1 lime

1/2 cup peas

sesame oil

soy sauce

 

Place 1 cup quinoa with 2 cups water, bring to boil and simmer 12 minutes, drain and set aside.

 

 

While the quinoa is cooking, finely dice up the vegetables and get started on your pineapple. Cut into 1.5cm thick discs and remove skin.

 

This one was super sweet, hello Sunshine Coast!

 

The Pineapple grilled really well on the baby Q weber, 3-4 minutes on each side on a low heat.

 

It also works well in a flat sandwich press.

 

Dice up your grilled pineapple, I wish I'd cut mine up finer because I wanted pineapple in every bite.

 

Add the onion to a pan or wok with 1 tbl vegetable oil.

 

 

Cook for 3-5 minutes until it starts to caramelise.

 

 

Add the carrot, fry for 2-3 minutes 

 

Add frozen peas, cook another minute or so

 

Add finely diced zucchini, fry another minute

 

Add white and some of the green parts of the spring onion (keep a little if the green tips for a garnish). Fry another minute.

 

And the cooked quinoa, a generous splash of sesame oil and soy sauce

 

 

Add cashews and grilled pineapple pieces, warm through

 

 

Quickly cook your omelette, with 3 eggs beaten well with 1-2 tbl water

 

 Roughly chop and stir through.

 

 

Add the green of the spring onion and a squeeze of lime to garnish. 

 

 

 The cashew, egg and grilled pineapple combo is so yummy. More cashews I say!

 

Enjoy!

 

Martha Rose's Eggplant, Quinoa and Tomato Casserole with Yogurt Topping

This is another winner recipe from Martha Rose Shulmans, Recipes For Health. This woman is my hero! It's vegetarian moussaka and oh so yummy! Light, but hearty at the same time.

 

I followed the recipe closely, except i replaced bulgur with quinoa (making it GF), I prepared my eggplant slightly differently and I used whole cinnamon and smoked paprika.

 

I've never made this yogurt-egg topping before, apparently it's "Balkan-style". Not only is it far more convenient than making a white sauce, but also lighter and healthier.

 

Eggplant, Quinoa and Tomato Casserole with Yogurt Topping

 

Tomato Sauce       

Olive oil       

1 large onion

4-8 garlic cloves

2 (425gm) tins of tomatoes      

Salt and pepper

1/2 - 1 & 1/2 teaspoon sugar (taste to adjust)

2 cinnamon sticks

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp allspice

     
Filling

3 small or 1 large eggplant
3/4 cup dried quinoa 

4 tbl Parmesan    

Topping 

3 eggs

1 cup thick Greek yogurt (I think full fat is important here)

Salt, pepper and paprika to taste

2 tbl freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat your oven to 220 degrees C.

 

Dice the onion and garlic. Don't worry about it being too fine as you blend it once the sauce is finished.

 

 

Start fry the onion on a medium heat.

 

 

Once the onions are nice and caramelised (5-8 minutes), add the garlic and cinnamon.

 

 

 Fry for another minute or so then add the all spice and paprika.

 

I found some smoked paprika, its yum!

 

Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper and let it simmer for about 30-40 minutes.

 

Keep an eye on the sauce while preparing the eggplant and quinoa.

 

 

Slice the eggplant into 1cm thick discs.

 

 

Lightly salt and oil the eggplant then place in oven for 30 minutes, turning them over at the 15 minute mark. Don't over cook them because they will become too sloppy in the casserole.

 

I haven't mastered cooking quinoa by evaporation, so I put 3/4 cup with about 2 cups of water and boiled it for about 10 minutes. Slightly under cook it as it continues to cook in the casserole.

 

Once the quinoa is done, drain and set aside.

 

 

Mix up the yogurt topping.

 

 

After the tomato sauce has simmered for 30-40 minutes, grab your hand held blender and make it nice and smooth.

 

 

Taste for sugar, salt and pepper.

  

 

Once the eggplant is done, turn your oven down to 180 and put the casserole together.

 

 

 

 A thin layer of tomato on the base.

 

Add about 1/2 the quinoa.

Make a nice snug layer of eggplant

 

 
Add another layer of tomato and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

The rest of the quinoa 

 

The yogurt sauce and another sprinkle of cheese.

 

 

 

Bake at 180 for 30-40 minutes until brown on top.

 

 

 

Be very careful not to over cook it. Baked dishes with yogurt or ricotta can curdle if you cook them too long.

 Enjoy!

Azuki Bean Smoothie

I'm so excited about my latest breakfast smoothie; it's almost chocolatey and down right delicious! 

 

I've ventured into the world of the azuki beans for a couple of reasons.

 

 

I've always loved them in Asian desserts as sweetened red bean paste and I've been meaning to experiment with  them.

 

They are a legume, therefore great for you.

 

Introducing another legume to my repertoire = more variety.

My main driver, however, was my back. Azuki beans (also known as adzuki and aduki beans) are identified as a special bean for draining dampness in the body. "Dampness" is a term used in traditional Chinese medicine. I recently started getting acupuncture for my back issues (that I've had for years) and was told the excess "dampness" in my body was a strong contributor to my aches and pains.

 

I'm always sceptical of this kind of talk, but after just two acupuncture sessions, there has been a noticeable improvement. So I'm will to try anything (except supplements).

 

It takes a little planning and preparation the day before, when you soak and cook the beans, but the cooked beans will last 3-4 days in the fridge and you can even freeze them if you like.

 

Soak 1 cup of beans in plenty of cold water for 6-8 hours. This will make about 4, 1/2 cup serves of cooked beans.

 

Place your soaked beans in a saucepan on the stove and bring to a simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until foam develops on the surface of the water.

 

Strain the beans, discarding the cooking water, rinse off the foam and clean out the saucepan (all website recipes I looked at include this step and I can't find an explanation why).

 

Add 2-3 cups of cold water to the beans and bring back to a simmer for 1 to 1 & 1/2 hours, until they are soft enough to break with your tongue.

 

While boiling, keep the temperature low because if they boil to rapidly they tend to break up a little.

 

When they are done, strain and put in the fridge to chill.

Azuki Smoothie

 

 

1/2 cup chilled, cooked azuki beans

1/2 cup unsweetened natural yogurt

1/2 cup almond milk (rice, oat, dairy milks are also fine)

1 banana (mango works well too)

A generous spoonful of honey or sweetener of your choice.

The beans require a fair amount of added sweetness. The exact amount will depend a lot on the natural sweetness of your fruit and milk choice (the almond milk I used is not very sweet), you can always add more honey.

 

I used a hand blender, it takes a couple of minutes to break down the beans and make it nice and smooth.

 

 

I really hope you enjoy it!

 

 

Mexican Corn Pizza

Homemade pizza is a quick, easy and highly adaptable meal that everyone can enjoy. Like pasta sauce, everyone has their own methods and today I'd like to share mine. For the base I prefer to use either wholemeal pita bread or tortilla wraps and I'll be researching gluten-free bases in the near future! Pita bread and tortilla wraps are cheaper, thinner and therefore a comparatively healthier option to designated "pizza bases" available in the supermarket.

If I'm in a rush I usually make a quick tomato sauce using 2 tbl tomato paste, 1 clove of crushed garlic, 1 tbl water, 1 tbl olive oil and some fresh basil/oregano. If I have more time, I make a tomato sauce along the lines of my Tasty Tomato and Mushroom Pasta Sauce except I skip the mushrooms, making it with anchovies, garlic and a tin of tomatoes and let it simmer it for 35-50 minutes.

 

Today's recipe has a vague Mexican twist. I made these pizza's just before I decided to take a break from gluten. They were delicious and a lovely change from the more traditional homemade style of pizza.

Sauce

3 tbl Black bean pate/refried beans

1 tbl tomato paste

1 clove garlic

1 tbl olive oil
1 tbl water

 

Toppings

spring onions

black olives
jalapenos

quick roasted corn

red capsicum

mushrooms

grated cheese

Making a pizza is similar to making a stir-fry, the key to low stress cooking is doing all your prep before you start putting your pizza together.

 

So first of all pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees.

Next start on the quick-roasted corn. It may seem tedious, but the sweet roasted corn flavour is pretty central to this recipe.

Heat your the BBQ and wet a peeled ear of corn under the tap (do not dry). Place corn on a plate and cook in the microwave for 2 minute bursts until it is cooked. Mine took about 6 minutes total, but all microwaves are different.

 

Place the corn on a medium heat BBQ, turning frequently for about 5-10 minutes until all sides are golden. Once it is cool enough to handle, cut the corn away from the cob ready to be used (I eat whatever corn is left on the cob).

Prepare you tomato-bean sauce.

 

I  had a bunch of left over Martha Rose Shulman's Black Bean Pate. It tasted great but I think I cooked it too long and it was a little dry. You could easily substitute this for tinned refried beans.

 

Mix 3 tbl Black bean pate/refried beans, 1 tbl tomato paste, 1 clove garlic, 1 tbl olive oil and 1 tbl of water in a small bowl.

Then finely chop a little spring onion, mushroom and capsicum. Remember any vegetables you add, contain water and you don't want a mushy pizza, so cut them finely.

Now you are ready to make your pizza. Add a thin layer of tomato-bean sauce

Veggie it up, don't forget the black olives and jalapenos!

Then cheese it up

Bake until golden. Once out of the oven, let it rest for a good 5 minutes
(or as long as you can retain self control)

Enjoy!