Quinoa And Beet Pilaf Recipes

QUINOA AND BEET PILAF

Steps:

• Scrub and roast the beets. Once they are cooled, remove the skins and cut into 1/4-inch dice. Set aside.
• Blanch the greens in a large pot of generously salted water or steam them above an inch of boiling water until wilted, one to two minutes. Refresh with cold water, squeeze dry and chop.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet. Add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the caraway, beet greens, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir over medium heat for 30 seconds to a minute until the greens are nicely infused with the garlic and oil. Add the beets and quinoa. Toss together until the ingredients are well combined and the quinoa is heated through and colored with beet juice. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Transfer to a wide serving bowl or platter, and sprinkle the goat cheese over the top. Serve hot.

QUINOA AND BEAN PILAF

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers, scallion whites and celery and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the tomato paste turns brick red, about 2 minutes. Stir in the quinoa, then add 2 cups water and the beans. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until most of the water is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Add up to 1/4 cup more water if necessary.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the spinach until just wilted. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and half each of the scallion greens and cheese. Divide among bowls and sprinkle with the remaining scallion greens and cheese. Serve with hot sauce.

QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• Cook's Note: To toast the almonds, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven until lightly toasted, 6 to 8 minutes. Cool completely before using.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saucepan or a high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper, salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 5 minutes. Make a space in the center of the vegetables and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring constantly, until coated with oil, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until all of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer until all of the broth has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Keep covered and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the arugula, almonds, mint, cucumber and lemon zest and toss well. Season with salt and pepper.

VEGETABLE QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• Pour oil into a medium saucepan, and place over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots; cook and stir for 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
• Using a strainer, rinse quinoa under cold water. Drain well. Stir into the vegetables; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add water, bay leaf and lemon rind and juice; bring to boil. Cover, and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender.
• Discard bay leaf. Stir in peas, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

QUINOA PILAF WITH SWEET PEAS AND GREEN GARLIC

Steps:

• Bring a medium pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add the peas. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer until tender, 4 to 10 minutes, depending on the size and freshness. Place a strainer over a bowl and drain the peas. Measure out 2 cups of the cooking water (add fresh water if necessary), return to the pot, add salt to taste, bring to a boil and add the quinoa. When the water comes back to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender and, in the case of white quinoa, displays a thread. Remove from the heat, drain through a strainer and return to the pot. Cover the pot with a clean dish towel and return the lid. Let sit 15 minutes.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-low heat in a wide, heavy skillet and add the leek and sliced green garlic. Add a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until tender, fragrant and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the quinoa and peas to the pan and toss together with the remaining olive oil for about 2 minutes, taking care not to mash the peas. Add the fresh herbs, grind in some pepper, taste and adjust seasoning, and serve.

QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook onion in oil for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add carrot, and cook 3 minutes more. Stir in quinoa and vegetable broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender and fluffy.
• In a bowl, toss quinoa together with walnuts and parsley. Serve hot or at room temperature.

QUINOA VEGETABLE PILAF

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, saute onion and carrot in oil until tender. Add rice and quinoa; stir to coat. Stir in broth and pepper., Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, adding the broccoli during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

TOASTED ALMOND AND QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• In a medium sauce pan, bring broth to boil over medium-high heat. Add drained quinoa. Cover and reduce heat, simmering until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes (20 for millet). Remove from heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes (15 for millet). Fluff with fork and set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook just until tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, salt, and pepper and cook until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Add carrots, beets, and green onions, tossing to coat and cook 2 minutes. Stir in almonds and quinoa and toss gently until well combined. Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm or at room temperature. (Crumbled blue cheese optional topping).

QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the shallot, fennel, carrot, and a pinch of salt and sauté for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables start to sweat. Stir in the quinoa, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, and cardamom, then stir in the broth and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender.
• Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork, then add the parsley and fluff again. Do a FASS check and add a spritz of lemon juice to amp up the flavor if needed.
• rebecca's notes
• Rinse, rinse, and rinse again! Quinoa is naturally coated with a bitter-tasting resin. To get rid of the resin, put the grain in a bowl of cool water, swish it around with your hand, then drain it in a fine-mesh sieve.
• Quinoa is gluten free, which makes sense when you consider that botanically, it isn't a grain at all; it's more closely related to beets. It makes a great replacement for couscous in Orange Pistachio Couscous (page 145). It's also a great hot cereal; try it in place of oats in Best Oatmeal Ever (page 128).
• storage
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days.
• nutrition information
• (per serving)
• Calories: 270
• Total Fat: 9.9g (1.3g saturated, 5.7g monounsaturated)
• Carbohydrates: 39g
• Protein: 8g
• Fiber: 6g
• Sodium: 180mg
• WHO KNEW? Chemo and Carbs and Diabetes Risk
• By now, most of us know that chemo can cause muscle loss. But it can also lead to diabetes if you're not careful. Less muscle mass is a double whammy: You burn less sugar than with normal muscle levels, and you also store less sugar, in the form of glycogen, in those muscles, meaning all that unused consumed sugar stays in your body (usually in the liver, blood, and kidneys), elevating overall blood sugar levels and forcing you to use more insulin.
• Dr. Jeanne Wallace says that on top of that, "when you're given chemo, you're often given a steroid that really increases the glycemic response," creating the type of blood sugar spikes and insulin surges that can predispose people to diabetes. Wallace's suggestion? While you're in treatment, forget the USDA food pyramid. It suggests 6 to 11 servings of carbs per day. You want to eat fewer carbs, so shoot for half of that if not less. When you do eat carbs, avoid refined white flour and sugar and stick with whole grains, as their higher fiber content slows the release of their sugars into the body. This may have direct anticancer benefits too, as some studies have shown that lowering blood sugar levels in animals suppressed tumor growth.

TOASTED QUINOA (OR BARLEY) PILAF

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook shallots and garlic in hot oil over medium heat until tender.
• Carefully stir in quinoa or barley.
• Cook and stir about 5 minutes or until quinoa or barley is golden brown.
• Carefully stir in broth, thyme, and bay leaf and bring to boiling; reduce heat.
• Cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until quinoa is tender and fluffy (cook barley about 10 minutes or until tender and liquid is absorbed).
• Discard bay leaf.
• Gently stir in roasted peppers.
• Season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper.

SPRING VEGETABLE AND QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• Bring broth and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt to boil in medium saucepan; add quinoa. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until quinoa is tender and broth is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat; fluff with fork. Cover and reserve.
• Meanwhile, bring 1 1/4 cups water to boil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add beets. Cover and cook until beets are tender, about 8 minutes. Uncover; cook until any water in skillet evaporates. Increase heat to medium-high. Add olive oil and garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add all bell peppers, asparagus, and zucchini. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Sauté until just tender, about 8 minutes. Add cooked quinoa, green onions, and parsley to vegetables in skillet; toss to combine. Season with sea salt and pepper.