Veggie Quinoa Pilaf

Happy Tuesday! How is your week treating you so far?

Yesterday I told one of my co-workers to have a good weekend as I was leaving for the day ~ yep! That pretty much sums up how my week has started out.

So what do I do when I'm having a bad day? Head straight to the kitchen my friends! Nothing says bliss like some amazing and delish comfort food :-) The old Andrea would have reached straight for the Doritos or KitKat bars, but this new gal cooked up an awesome quinoa pilaf full of delicious fresh veggies. It was HEAVEN....and I didn't have any 'morning-after' regret from over-indulging ;-)

Veggie Quinoa Pilaf
Serves 4 as a side dish

2 tbsp coconut oil (or canola)
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
12 baby carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1/2 c chopped crimini mushrooms
1/2 c broccoli, diced
2 c vegetable broth
1 c uncooked quinoa
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Heat the coconut oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onions. Sprinkle with sea salt and garlic powder.

After about 5 minutes, add the veggies to the onion and cook an additional 5 minutes. Once the veggies are softened, add the quinoa and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for approximately 15 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 a lemon over the entire dish. Remove the skillet from the heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes. Remove lid, fluff and serve.

This is such a tasty dish! I had to resist the temptation to eat it right out of the skillet with a spoon!

I've been craving lemon on everything lately!

It really added a little pizazz to the pilaf! 

I served my quinoa pilaf with a side of roasted sweet potatoes. It was definitely a mood boosting meal!

Have you ever tried quinoa before? What's your fave way to cook it?
What do you do to unwind after a loooonnnggg day at the office?

Have a great day!

Andrea

PS - what do you think of my nail polish colour??

Grillin' Veggies on the Barbie

Happy 4th of July to all of my family & friends in the USA! I hope you're enjoying your holiday Monday and getting to spend lots of quality time with all of the people who are near & dear to you. How cool is it that we Canadians got a long weekend because Friday was Canada Day and now our neighbours get Monday off to celebrate their nation's birthday!! I love when the holidays fall on a Friday or Monday, so our weekends get extended - I guess some things are just meant to be!

After all of our barbecues, beers and indulgences this weekend, last night was the first time we'd eaten a real meal at home since our brunch on Friday morning, so I decided to pull out my all-time favourite barbecue accessory ~ meet the Barbecue Wok.

We bought this wok for under $15 at WalMart last year and it is definitely one of our most used and most favourite things to cook with in the summer. Last night I wanted something light and healthy for dinner and a barbecued stirfry was just what the doctor ordered!

Barbecued Balsamic Stirfry with Roasted Garlic Quinoa
Serves 4

I have to warn you that I can give you a guideline for this stirfry, however I didn't measure a single thing! The carmelized veggies paired with a splash of balsamic is a total party in your mouth. I was so happy with the way this meal turned out.

4 - 6 c. chunky chopped veggies
1 - 2 tbsp olive oil
4 - 6 tbsp balsamic vinegar or balsamic salad dressing
2 tsp minced garlic
1 bulb of garlic
2 tbsp of Earth Balance (butter)
1 c. quinoa cooked according to package directions

Turn on your barbecue and pre-heat to medium-high.

To make the roasted garlic quinoa:
The first thing you need to do is get your garlic roasting for the roasted garlic quinoa.
Chop the top off of your garlic bulb. Drizzle with olive oil (1 tsp at most) and then wrap the bulb in tinfoil. Place the bulb onto your barbecue grill and let it cook for about 30 minutes ~ until cloves are softened.

Remove from heat and squeeze out the roasted garlic. Add it, as well as the Earth Balance, to your quinoa and mix well.

To prepare veggies
Place your chopped veggies into a large mixing bowl. Add the minced garlic, 1- 2 tbsp of olive oil and about 3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar to the veggies and mix until they are just coated. You do not need an over abundance of oil and vinegar because you don't want a bunch of sauce dripping through the wok into your barbecue grill causing a big smoky disaster!

Place the wok on your heated barbecue grill and add the veggies. Cook for approximately 20 - 25 minutes, making sure to stir often, until all of the veggies are softened. I like mine to be nicely browned and carmelized.

Remove the veggies from the barbecue.

To serve, spoon out some quinoa onto a plate and top it with your veggie stirfry. I like to add another drizzle of balsamic to my veggies right at the end to give them a little oomphf! Derek likes to add just the veggies as a side to his dinner. I had a stirfry with quinoa and he had a steak, baked potato and side of stirfried veggies!!! We were both very full & very happy :-)

This entire dinner was great, but those mushrooms were amazing!!

They soaked up all that balsamic-y goodness and were soooooo goooooddd!!

I was super excited when I had a bunch of leftover veggies. I was able to take a stirfry to work for lunch today and I just polished off a veggie wrap for dinner - ah, life is good!
How do you like to use up your leftover stirfry veggies?
What do you do to celebrate your nation's birthday?

Have a fabulous Monday evening,

Andrea

Pesto-tastic Veggie & Quinoa Bowl

I learned a valuable lesson today. DO NOT tease about an upcoming recipe post until you have the recipe nailed and some flattering pictures to go with it.

Tonight I experienced flop after flop. I had an amazing avocado pasta planned, but it did not turn out (sorry Judy ~ I'll make it up to you by posting the best avocado recipe ever very soon!). I have made it before but something strange occurred that I cannot explain. I also tried to make the best banana muffins ever...a tried and true recipe that I have made time and time again....flop!! What the heck. Something crazy is going on ~ is it a full moon out there tonight?

So, I have decided to post a great meal I made a few days ago when I was in a funky mood and in need of a pick-me up.

Check out my Pesto-tastic Veggie & Quinoa Bowl.

For those of you who have never heard of quinoa, let me give you the quick and dirty lowdown ~ Quinoa: (pronounced: Keen-Wah) is a seed that can be cooked in a similar manner as rice or barley. It has been called a superfood because it contains all 8 essential amino acids. It is gluten free and is a great source of protein. My favourite brand is Bob's Red Mill Organic Quinoa. You can find it at most well-stocked grocery store.  

Team it up with a super fantastic, super delicious pesto and you have an amazing, delicious and nutritious meal. Pesto always seems so sinful because the store-bought varieties are laden with calories and fat, but I used a recipe for a nut-free pesto from i heart wellness that was easy to make, healthy and absolutely delicious!!

Pesto-tastic Veggie & Quinoa Bowl
1 c. quinoa
2 c. water
1/2 tsp tumeric (optional)
2 - 3 c. veggies, chopped (use veggies that you love)
lemon wedges (1/4 of a lemon)

Bring water to boil in medium-sized sauce pan. Reduce heat to medium, add tumeric and quinoa. Cook quinoa according to package. The tumeric gives a hint of flavour and gives the quinoa a beautiful golden hue.

Meanwhile, chop your vegetables. Place them in a steamer and steam for just a few minutes until veggies are tender crisp.

I don't know what happened, I just kept chopping until I had lots of veggies (I went a little overboard)

I had 4 - 5 cups of veggies and it took me approximately 5 minutes to steam the veggies in a microwave steamer. At the end, I felt I had way too many veggies, so that's why I suggest you use 2 to 3 cups of veggies.

You can use your favourite pesto for this recipe. Like I mentioned above, I used Kris's Nut-Free Spinach Pesto. I made and used  an entire batch because I like lots of pesto ~ you can smother your quinoa and veggies to your tastes. If you have any leftover pesto, simply put it into a well-sealed container and save for another day!! If you're like me, you won't have a hard time finding another use for it. I'd even eat radishes if they were smothered in pesto (& I hate radishes!!).

Once the quinoa is cooked, the veggies steamed and the pesto made, add everything together and mix well.

I put one lemon wedge with each bowl once served because I enjoy a bit of fresh lemon with my pesto. I also added a dash of salt and pepper. You can add these things according to your tastes.

Isn't that a pretty looking dish?It would be a lovely side at a dinner with friends or family.

Serve & enjoy!!

What type of pesto is your all-time favourite? I always go with the usual spinach & basil (usually with pine nuts), but I have seen so many different varieties.

Have you ever used quinoa before? Do you think you will??

Have a wonderful evening,
Andrea

Greek Style Quinoa Salad

Have you had a good weekend?? I certainly have! Who knew I could enjoy so many wonderful meals while doing a cleanse. I think I have a new found respect for delicious salads!

For dinner tonight, I made a fantastic Greek Style Quinoa Salad. I absolutely love greek salad (and all greek food for that matter), so I thought I would experiment and make something wonderful, sans the feta of course!!

Greek Style Quinoa Salad
1 c. quinoa
2 c. water
1 c. baby spinach
1 diced scallion
1 roma tomato, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 c. zucchini, chopped
1/4 c. oil-cured black olives

Dressing
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp water
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp agave nectar (or your favourite sweetener)
pinch of sea salt

Bring water to boil. Add quinoa and cook according to the package directions.

As soon as the quinoa has finished cooking, add the spinach and onions and mix well. Cover and let stand for 5 - 10 minutes.

By doing this, you allow the spinach & onions to soften without losing all of their precious nutrients.

Tranfer the quinoa mixture to a mixing bowl. Add the remaining veggies and olives and mix well.



Now you need to whip up your dressing. Place all of the ingredients into a blender (or Magic Bullet works great for this) and blend everything up until smooth.

Add the dressing to the quinoa salad and mix well.



Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and then serve!

The subtle flavours of the dressing and raw veggies make this salad so refreshing!

Enjoy!!

Now I'm off to drink some decaffeinated green tea while I catch The Amazing Race.

Andrea