Baked Tofu Quinoa With Chickpeas And Spinach Recipe 5

BAKED TOFU & QUINOA WITH CHICKPEAS AND SPINACH RECIPE - (5/5)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray or lay a piece of aluminium foil over the baking sheet and grease that with cooking spray (the aluminum foil keeps your baking sheet nice and clean). Cut tofu into 1 cm pieces (approximately 10 pieces). Coat each slice of tofu in flour. *Tip: use a medium sized bowl, fill it with flour and roll the tofu in it Dip each slice of floured tofu in a bowl holding the Asian sauce. Make sure each slice is completely covered (sometimes the flour will try to create a barrier, just keep pouring that sauce on). *Tip: similar to the flour, I use a medium sized bowl, poured my sauce in it and dip the tofu in that. Lay tofu slices in rows along the greased baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes and serve. If you are waiting on your quinoa to cook, cover tofu with aluminum and set aside. Directions: Clean your quinoa using a fine strainer by pouring the quinoa into the strainer and running water over the it until the water comes out clear. Pour the cleaned quinoa into a rice cooker along with the chickpeas and add enough water as if you were cooking rice on the "mixed" setting (So for 1 1/2 cups quinoa I added water between the 1 and 2 lines in the cooker). Turn the cooker on and let sit. While the quinoa cooks, heat a medium sauté pan to medium-high. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and let sit until the oil glistens. Add chopped onion to the pan and saute for 4-5 minutes until onion turns translucent. Add garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute and then add spinach. Add another tablespoon of olive oil if needed and let spinach cook down, 3-5 minutes. Once cooked, remove from heat and cover. Once your quinoa is cooked and your rice cooker beeps, add cooked spinach mixture to the quinoa. Add salt and pepper, stir and close the rice cooker. Let sit for 3-5 minutes. (This allows the flavors to mix before serving). To Serve: Platter aproximately 1 cup of quinoa per plate. Place 2-3 slices of tofu over the quinoa. Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of Asian sauce over the top and serve. Optional additions: chopped green onions or peanuts.

LEMON-TAHINI QUINOA WITH RAW CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Mix olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, salt, and pepper together a bowl until smooth. Set lemon-tahini sauce aside.
• Bring water, quinoa, and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
• Toss lemon-tahini sauce with quinoa, red cabbage, raw chickpeas, fresh parsley, and scallions.

QUINOA WITH CHICKPEAS AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Rinse the quinoa well and drain in a fine-mesh sieve. Combine water and orange juice to equal 1 3/4 cups, and bring to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Add the sea salt, orange zest, and rinsed quinoa. Return to boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes to fluff up.
• While the quinoa is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet that has a tight-fitting lid. Add the onions and saute over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, until they have softened and started to brown a bit. Add garlic and saute until golden.
• Add raisins, chickpeas, and chopped spinach. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, or just until the spinach has wilted. Adjust heat if necessary. Drain any excess water after cooking the spinach. Season to taste with sea salt.
• To serve, fold the vegetables into the hot, cooked quinoa. Stir in cinnamon. Garnish with the toasted pine nuts (or walnuts) and orange wedges for a final squeeze of juice.