Quinoa, quinoa!
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
Quinoa met me in a bowl at breakfast last summer. My mother-in-law had prepared it as a hot cereal for all takers at the family reunion. I took. The texture was really different so I lamely decided not to take again.
Quinoa’s bio, however, kept accosting me around every turn of our gf lifestyle. Unlike many gf flours/grains, which are devoid of nutritional value, the little quinoa seed is a complete protein and a rich source of magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus. No wonder it was known by ancients as “the gold of the Incas.”
So I gave this edible treasure another try and its not half bad.
Quinoa Tabbouleh (from Gluten-Free, Wheat-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes) A chilled tub of this stuff and an apple comprise a staple “brown bag” lunch for Keith.
3/4 c. quinoa
2 bunches flat-leaf parsley, finely-chopped
2 bunches mint, finely chopped
6 scallions
Dressing:
6 TB extra virgin olive oil
juice of a lemon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Place quinoa in a strainer and rinse well under cold running water, then transfer to a saucepan and pour 1 cup cold water over. Bring to boil, then turn the heat down, cover with a lid, and leave to simmer 15-20 minutes until quinoa is tender and the water is absorbed; transfer to a serving bowl and leave to cool.
2. Meanwhile, make a cross in the skin of each tomato. Then, place in a large, heatproof bowl, and cover with boiling water; leave to stand 2-3 minutes. Drain, then peal off and discard skins. Halve each tomato, scoop out and discard the seeds, then dice the flesh and add to the quinoa. Stir in the parsley, mint, and scallions.
3. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a measuring jug or bowl and season lightly, then pour over the top of the tabbouleh, stirring thoroughly so the ingredients are well combined. Serve or store in the refrigerator.
GF Morning Glory Muffins (original recipes from Whole Foods) E loves bread and I wanted a healthy snack for her that I could freeze and then pop in a ziplock bag for eating when we’re out-and-about. I added ground flaxseed and changed up the sweetener. The muffins were quite sweet so I may try cutting the brown sugar down to 1/4 c. next time, or elminating it in favor of apple sauce.
2/3 c. canola oil
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. honey
1 tsp gluten-free vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 c. quinoa flour (I ground seeds in my coffee grinder to get flour)
1/2 c. potato starch
1/2 c. tapioca starch
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 TB ground flaxseed
1 c. grated carrots
1 c. grated zucchini (I used zucchini puree)
1/2 c. chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 c. seedless raisins
1/4 c. toasted coconut flakes
1 tsp orange zest
1 sweet apple, cored and finely chopped
Preheat oven to 350°F. Put oil, cane sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs into a large bowl and whisk by hand for about 1 minute to incorporate air into the mixture. Set aside.
Put flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, baking soda, cinnamon, xanthan gum, salt and flaxseed into a second large bowl and stir well to combine. Add flour mixture, carrots, zucchini, walnuts, raisins, coconut, orange zest and apples to the reserved sugar mixture and stir well to form a batter. Scoop batter into 12 paper-lined muffin tins and bake until cooked through, about 25 minutes.
