Quinoa

Super Healthy Supper

Quinoa with Mushrooms, Kale and Sweet Potatoes

The roomie and I have been on the hunt for super-healthy meals, and this one seems to meet that criteria!  Protein-filled quinoa, anti-oxidant rich kale and vitamin-packed sweet potatoes fit the bill nicely.

Ingredients:
1 c quinoa
2 tbsp olive oil
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 in pieces
10 oz button mushrooms, quartered
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 bunch kale, stems discarded and leaves torn into 2-inch pieces
3/4 cup dry white wine
kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 c grated Parmesan (1 oz) (We were out of Parmesan, so I used Romano we had in the fridge and it was fine!)

Directions:

1. Place the quinoa and 2 c water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until water is absorbed, 12-15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a lare pot over medium heat.
3. Add the sweet potatoes and mushrooms and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden and beginning to soften, 5-6 minutes.
4. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the kale, wine, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Cook, tossing often, until the vegetables are tender, 10-12 minutes.
6. Serve the vegetables over the quinoa ans sprinkle with the Parmesan.

Cost:

I used a white wine we had in the fridge that I didn't particularly enjoy, so that was nice!  Quinoa was the most expensive item at ~$5.  Kale was $2.39, mushrooms were $2.49 and sweet potatoes were $2.19.  We got 4 servings for about $3 each!

Pizza in progress...

Pizza!!

I absolutely <3 LOVE <3 this pizza dough recipe.  Easy to make and it tastes delicious ;)

Ingredients:

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (I buy a jar of dry yeast and use it to make pizza dough all the time!)
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 cups bread flour (I use regular All-Purpose Flour and it seems to work fine)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 vine-ripened tomato, sliced
• mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• olive oil or spray
• a handful of basil, torn
• salt and pepper to taste
• 
  
• Directions:

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water.  Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, sugar and yeast mixture.  Stir well to combine.  Beat until a stiff dough has formed.  Cover and rise until double in volume, about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  (If dough is not rising, your kitchen might be too cool.  Try putting the bowl with the dough on top of your stove; the heat from the warming oven will help the yeast do it's job!)
3. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface.  Form dough into a round and then roll out into a pizza crust shape.  (No rolling pin?  I used a plastic cup to roll out dough until my mom got me a rolling pin for Christmas!)
4. Transfer to a cookie sheet (or one of those fancy pizza stones for those who are lucky) and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
5. Cover crust with olive oil (brush or spray on).  Sprinkle minced garlic over the pizza, place sliced tomatoes and mozzarella around the crust, then sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper to taste.
6. Bake for another 10 minutes in the oven.  Allow to cool 5 minutes before cutting!   

• Cost:
• I already had many of the ingredients; I picked up a tomato at Eastern Market for $1.25 and fancy mozzarella cheese for $4.99, but you could make due with some shredded mozzarella for $1.99.  I also bought an entire jar of yeast for $6.49, which can be used to make pizza all summer long!  Assuming you have some basic supplies on hand, you can make this pizza for about $5.

Black Bean Hummus

One of my favorite recipes for black bean enchiladas calls for simmered black beans.  Since I was making a big pot of black beans, I decided to go ahead and make some yummy hummus as well!

Ingredients:
2 c cooked black beans, drained well
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 c tahini
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp reduced sodium tamari (that's just soy sauce - and I used the full sodium version and it was fine!)
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro (I left this out because I used cilantro when I cooked the beans and I don't care for raw cilantro)


Directions:
Combine black beans, garlic, tahini, cumin, tamari and lemon juice in food processor.  (I did this in two parts because I have a mini food processor - worked fine!)
Pulse until smooth and all ingredients are combined.
Transfer to a serving bowl and fold in cilantro (or don't if you're like me and don't care for it).
Enjoy!

Costs:
Black Beans - $1.50 (I bought a bag of 'em, so most of this bag will be used in my black bean enchiladas)
Tahini - $1.25 (Actually, I already had this because I used it to make regular hummus.  I estimate I used about 1/6 of it and a can is about $7.50)


I already had the garlic, cumin, soy sauce and lemon juice, so for $2.75 I have delicious hummus for this week.

Tasty Fish!

I'm Back!

So, I've learned that class on the other side of town four days a week is not conducive to blogging... but now that it's over (!) I can start blogging again.

Tonight's fare:

Grilled Tilapia with Smoked Paprika and Parmesan Polenta
from Cooking Light: the essential dinner tonight cookbook

Ingredients:
Polenta
4 cups fat-free milk
1 cup quick cooking polenta (I used corn meal and let it simmer ~12 minutes)
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Fish
cooking spray
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 (6oz) tilapia fillets
Sauteed broccoli rabe (I accidentally purchased broccolini, but it was yummy as well)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 lb broccoli rabe
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Directions:
Polenta
1) Bring milk to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually add polenta, stirring constantly with a whisk.
2) Reduce heat, and cook 5 min (or longer if using corn meal) or until thick, stirring constantly;
3) Stir in 1/4 tsp salt.
4) Remove from heat.
5) Stir in cheese; cover and keep warm.
Fish
1) Heat a large nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray.  (I didn't have a grill pan, so I just used a regular frying pan... probably not quite as healthy, but it works)
2) Combine oil and next 4 ingredients in a bowl, stirring well.
3) Rub fish evenly with oil mixture.
4) Add fish to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.
Broccoli rabe
1) Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
2) Add 2 minced garlic cloves; saute 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
3) Add 1 lb trimmed broccoli rabe, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
4) Saute 3 minutes or until broccoli rabe is crisp-tender, tossing frequently.

Other tips from cookbook:
1) While milk comes to a boil, season fish.
2) Prepare polenta.
3) While fish cooks: prepare broccoli rabe.