Curried Quinoa with Almonds and Cranberries (and some other stuff too)

I used to make this recipe as a couscous dish.  It was perfectly divine.  But then I discovered quinoa and was pretty much hooked.  So I've converted all my couscous recipes to quinoa recipes.  But there's another factor at play here.  I've recently developed the most intense food aversions known to man.  Or woman for that matter.  Yes, there's a reason for this.  It's the life-sucking parasite residing in my uterus as we speak.  It has literally turned my world upside down.  There are only a small handful of foods I can tolerate at this point and this happens to be one of them.  I'm going to post soon about dealing with food aversions during pregnancy but for now, enjoy this little gem.


Curried Quinoa with Almonds and Cranberries (and some other stuff too)

1 1/2 cups quinoa

3 cups water

2-3 Tablespoons good olive oil

1/4 cup plain soy yogurt (I omitted this but have used it in the past)

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar (I use a few sprays of braggs liquid amino's instead)

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup minced fresh-flat leaf parsley

1/2 cup dried cranberries (I used more)

1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds (I used a few more)

2 green onions thinly sliced (white and green parts)

1/4 cup small diced red onion

Cook quinoa according to directions on the package.  Let cool a bit.  Whisk together the olive oil, yogurt, vinegar, curry powder, turmeric, salt, and pepper.  Pour over the fluffed quinoa and mix well with a fork.  Add the carrots, parsley, cranberries, almonds, green onions and red onions; mix well and taste for seasonings.  Serve at room temperature.

I actually think this recipe is better after a day or so in the fridge.  But maybe that's just the HCG talking.

Quinoa and vegetables

This has been one of the staple meals at our house for many years now.  I actually can't believe I haven't posted it yet.  The beauty of this dish is that you can make it with anything you have around.  If I have a lot of "scrap" veggies, this is what I make. It takes about 20 minutes total, including cooking time for the quinoa (about 15 min.), so it fits into a busy schedule very nicely.  This is one of a few meals that I get a "craving" for.  So yummy.....

Quinoa and Vegetables

Serves 6-8 as a main entreé, depending on portion size

2 cups quinoa, rinsed

4 cups water

However many veggies you want.  I use at least a large cutting board full. I routinely add:

Red onions

Bell peppers: red, orange, or yellow

Tomatoes

Carrots

Black Beans

Zucchini (finely diced)

Broccoli

A couple cloves of garlic

Cilantro (added after cooking)

1. Put rinsed quinoa in a pot with water.  Bring to a boil and then turn down heat to simmer.

2. When water is absorbed (quinoa is done), add raw veggies, keeping temperature on low. Stir.

3.  When veggies have warmed, you're done!  I like my veggies to be crispy and still raw, just warmed.

4.  Top with cilantro, avocado, "zip" seasoning (http://www.thespicehunter.com/), and Real Salt. My husband likes to add the cilantro after cooking because if you eat it for leftovers, the cilantro doesn't taste good if it has been previously cooked. 

Here is a quinoa that's a little different from the above pictures.  This one has orange bell peppers, red onions, tomatoes, and cilantro.  When I make this kind without the "zip" seasoning, I drizzle a little olive oil into the finished product. Then I add salt to taste.  So simple, yet so good.