Quinoa Herb Muffins

Based on herbed rice muffins that are somewhere else on this blog, these quinoa-stuffed muffins are great with soup. I am not fond of quinoa flour, but I love quinoa itself, so when I wanted herbed rice muffins but had no brown rice cooked, the best idea seemed to be to cook up some quinoa and swap it into the recipe.

1/2 cup quinoa, cooked in 1 cup water until tender and water is absorbed, then cooled a bit

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup potato starch flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1 tsp xanthan gum
4 tso baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp each dried basil, marjoram, and oregano
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup (generous!) freshly, finely grated Parmesan cheese

Grease 12 muffin tins.

In a medium bowl, whisk flours and starches, flaxseed meal, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, herbs, and cheese.

In a large bowl, combine quinoa (making sure it's cool enough to not cook the eggs), oil, eggs, milk, and cheese. Whisk until well combined.

Stir into dry ingredients, just to mix.

Fill prepared muffin tins about 3/4 full. Bake muffins at 400F for 20 to 25 minutes.

Quinoa Tabouli

To make tabouli gluten-free, I use quinoa instead of bulgur. It’s more delicious that way, if more expensive! I love the texture of little bitty quinoas, with their little bitty tails.

1 cup dry whole quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, crushed
black pepper, to taste

4 green onions, finely minced (whites and greens)
1 packed cup minced parsley
10 to 15 fresh mint leaves, minced (or 1 to 2 tbsp dried mint)
2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
1 medium cucumber, seeded and diced
Optional: 1/2 cup cooked chick peas

Cook quinoa in boiling water in a rice cooker or saucepan until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Add salt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and black pepper, and mix thoroughly. Cover tightly and refrigerate until about 30 minutes before serving.

About 30 minutes before serving, stir in remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve cold.

Cool Curried Quinoa Salad

On to the healthy recipes, the ones you can make a meal of rather than a dessert! This is a yummy summery salad. Quinoa costs an arm and a leg, but it’s really, really good for you. And filling and whatnot.

1 3/4 cup quinoa
3 1/2 cups hot vegetable (or chicken) stock
4 tsp curry paste
1 tbsp minced ginger

1/2 cup each fresh, chopped coriander and parsley
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of salt

3 green onions, chopped
1 6” chunk (or more) cucumber, diced (and seeded, if necessary)
1/2 a red or yellow pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 cup raw snow peas, chopped in bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
1 small to medium carrot, peeled and grated

In saucepan or rice cooker, combine stock, curry paste, and ginger. Add quinoa and cook until liquid is absorbed and the disturbing little curlicues in the quinoa have emerged. Let cool; fluff with a fork.

In a large bowl, whisk coriander, parsley, lemon juice, oil, garlic, and salt. Stir in cooled quinoa, green onions, cucumber, red pepper, snow peas, and 1/4 cup of the almonds. Toss to coat.

Serve cold, topped with grated carrot and remaining 1/4 cup almonds.

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

A vegetarian delight, featuring oh-so-good for you (oh-so-expensive) quinoa. The almonds are a must for texture. Select peppers that are shorter than they are long. They will sit more easily in the pan as they bake.

*I used canned tomatoes for convenience, and I drained the tomato juice, seeds and all, and used it, topped up with veggie stock, to cook the quinoa. This was delicious.

3/4 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock, or a combination of vegetable stock and tomato juice

5-6 small- to medium-sized peppers -- all red, or a mix of red, green and/or other colours

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups mushrooms, diced
1/2 to 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 tbsp herbes de Provence
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced*
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
1 cup old Cheddar cheese, grated

Cook quinoa in vegetable stock until the water is absorbed and the disturbing little curlicues have emerged from the grains of quinoa. (A rice cooker works equally well for quinoa.) When cooked, pour the quinoa into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F. Cut the tops off the red and green peppers. Discard seeds and core, and dice remaining tops.

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Add diced mushrooms, jalapeno pepper, and reserved diced pepper tops. Sprinkle with herbes de Provence, salt, and freshly ground pepper. Cook until vegetables are just tender.

Stir vegetable mixture, diced tomatoes, lemon juice, and toasted sliced almonds into the quinoa. Stir in 3/4 cup of cheese, reserving 1/4 cup to sprinkle on tops of peppers. Taste mixture and adjust seasonings.

Spoon mixture evenly into prepared peppers, mounding the mixture if necessary. Sprinkle each pepper with a little bit of reserved cheese. Place in 8" glass baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until peppers are almost tender. Remove foil and bake another 30 minutes, until peppers are tender and topping is nicely browned.

Makes 5-6 servings.