"Easy Breezy, But Far From Beautiful" Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Quinoa Salad

I love chickpeas. Full of protein, hardy goodness and so versatile; they truly make any salad better. I couldn’t have this blog without a recipe that incorporated them in some way. So after I did my grocery shopping for the week and browsed recipes, I figured I needed to find something that incorporated chickpeas and cauliflower. Why? Because I had a giant floret of cauliflower sitting on my shelf of the refrigerator, and what’s one to do with a giant floret of cauliflower and a can of chickpeas? Jessica’s Dinners, Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Quinoa Salad of course.

Cauliflower waiting to be boiled and blanched

The only thing that would’ve made this recipe better would be red quinoa. Red quinoa would’ve broken up the colour and make the dish look a little more exciting, but just because it isn’t colourful, doesn’t mean it wasn’t flavourful, because oh boy, it was!!

Strained Chickpeas

At the grocery store you can buy rainbow quinoa, which is a mix of red and white quinoa. It looks great and it would be beautiful in this dish.  

I really hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. It’ll be perfect for your vegetation and vegan friends. Eat up!

Finished Product

Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:
½ head of cauliflower, broken into florets
1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and dried well
1 cup of quinoa, cooked
¼ cup chopped mint
¼ cup chopped parsley (I didn’t have parsley but if I did I would’ve loved to use it)
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. cumin
1 chopped garlic clove
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While you prep the cauliflower and chickpeas, bring 2 cups of water and the quinoa to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cover for 15 minutes, or until the quinoa absorbs all the water.  Set aside to cool slightly. Blanch then toss the florets in a small amount of olive oil and put them in the oven.  Spread out evenly on a baking pan and roast in the oven until crispness desired, tossing halfway through. Combine the mint, garlic, pepper, salt, paprika, lemon juice, oil and cumin and pour over the quinoa and chickpeas. Toss the cauliflower in with the rest of your ingredients. Plate and sprinkle with parsley. Add any additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice to taste.

"Nothing Fancy" Quinoa Omelette Bites

This week was pancake Tuesday. Now, I don’t know about everyone else but when I was a kid I LOVED pancake Tuesday. My mom made amazing pancakes and I would smother them in butter and maple syrup and call it a day. So, I bet you’re thinking I made quinoa pancakes or something, right? Wrong. I didn’t make pancakes, though those would probably be delicious, I did make breakfast for dinner. This week I made Quinoa Omelette Bites. They were super quick, super easy and most importantly, super delicious. 

The recipe came to me from an Instagram account I was told to follow (due to her vast amount of quinoa recipes) called - @healthyfitnessmeals. Scrolling through the photos I saw this one and noticed how simple it was. I don’t know if you can tell by now, but I am a huge fan of the quick and easy. I’m a student who’s got things to do and a limited budget to work with so this recipe was perfect for me. 

You can totally personalize this recipe as well by adding anything you enjoy putting in your omelettes. I love western omelettes, so next time I make these (which won’t be long) I’ll probably make them with those ingredients. But today I made these quinoa bites with green onion, spinach and chedder cheese. Nothing fancy, but hey, all the good things in life aren’t.

Whisking the ingredients 

   

Just about to go in the oven

   

Quinoa Omelette Bites

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
½ cup shredded chedder cheese
3 eggs (you can use plain egg whites if you are into that kind of thing)
1 clove minced garlic
1/3 cup chopped fresh spinach
2 chopped green onions
salt and pepper for seasoning

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray or line with muffin tins (I used muffin tins – it made for an easier clean up and I’m all about that). Cook your quinoa and then add it to a medium sized bowl and let stand for 10-15 minutes. Whisk eggs and add it to quinoa along with the rest of your ingredients. Mix thoroughly and place into muffin tins. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Take out and let them cool for 10 minutes, or if you’re like me until their cool enough so you don’t scorch your mouth. Enjoy! 

The Omelette Bites on top of a spinach salad with a roasted tomato and basil vinaigrette 

"As Comforting as it Gets" Quinoa Mac 'n' Cheese

Being a student there is one thing that I have come accustom to and that’s Kraft Dinner. There’s nothing better and nothing cheaper than a huge pot of creamy, cheesy, pasta goodness. Expect maybe one thing – creamy, cheesy, quinoa goodness. 

This year I tried out quinoa mac 'n' cheese for the first time and I not only impressed myself but I impressed a few of my friends as well. When I explained how easy it was, everyone was on board. I made it from memory by watching my mom make homemade mac 'n' cheese when we were kids. She’d start with a roux (pronounced "roo") and then would add the cheese. So when I first made this recipe I basically eyed everything on my own. This made things quite difficult when I tried to explain to roommates and friends how to make it. “What’s a roux?”, “How much flour?”, “How much butter?”, “How do I know when it’s done and I can add the cheese” and my all time favourite “How much milk?”. All I could say was, “add everything so it’s all a thick consistency” or the straight up answer “I have no idea, Google, how to make a good cheese sauce.” I’m brutal, I know. I'm sorry...

This recipe is so good and to be honest I love it even more than classic mac 'n' cheese. The texture is fun and when it’s fresh out of the oven, it’s gooey and cheesy and the best reason of all – it’s a lot better for you. I figured something so good could be made even better if I added some fun ingredients to it. I decided I’d add canned tomatoes and green onion –  who doesn’t love those things? 

Pack down tight before you top with parmesan and breadcrumbs 

                                                 
Quinoa Mac 'n' Cheese

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups  quinoa
3 cups water
1 cup milk
1 tbsp butter
1 ½ cups of cheese
1 can diced tomatoes
2 chopped green onions
¼ cup parmesan cheese *
¼ breadcrumbs *
a couple dashes of hot sauce*
salt and pepper to taste 

* - OPTIONAL

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Add quinoa and water to a pot and boil until the quinoa has doubled in size and water is gone. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add butter and flour. Keep whisking until a thick paste forms. Add the milk and continue whisking. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring it to a boil. Keep whisking the whole time. Once it reaches a boil add salt, pepper, hot sauce and cheddar cheese. Strain tomatoes from the can. Add cooked quinoa, tomatoes and green onion to the cheese sauce. Pour mixture into a baking dish and top with bread crumbs and/or breadcrumbs if desired. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy!                                     

There was only three of us and this is how much was left. SORRY, we like to eat! 

             ***I apologize for the lack of photos this week. We were a hungry bunch of girls.***
                                                   

"Everything but the Kitchen Sink" Quinoa Granola Bars

I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but TOOT TOOT! These are amazing my friends, AMAZING!

Who doesn’t love a sweet chewy granola bar? I literally don’t know a single soul who doesn’t. Biting into a sweet, yet salty, chocolate chip granola bar that fills the soul with joy, there’s nothing better. Okay… maybe granola bars aren’t that great but they make life a whole lot easier when you’re someone who’s constantly on the go. Finding a granola bar that was jam packed with Quinoa was my quest and I totally succeeded when I stumbled upon a Quinoa granola bar recipe from Mouth Watering Eats . It’s simply divine.

                                       

To find my ingredients for these bars I decided I’d take a trip to Bulk Barn. When I got there I went completely buck wild and bought a ton of ingredients that would make a personalized granola bar that I, myself would love. So I hope that when you make these, you do the exact same. Add any ingredients you want. Personalize it and make it yours. Dried fruit, chocolate chips, nuts and/or coconut – whatever you think would be perfect for you. Do it and don’t look back because it’s going to rock!

Make sure to pack the mixture tightly

Here are the Quinoa Granola Bars with, you guessed it, my suggestions/changes in the brackets. Enjoy!!

Quinoa Granola Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup quick oats 

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/4 cup oat flour (I used regular flour)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup nut butter of choice (I used peanut butter because peanut butter is simply the best)

1/2 tsp vanilla

*optional: add-ins like chocolate chips, nuts, or dried fruit (DO IT! DO IT NOW! I used pecans, dark chocolate chips, unsweetened coconut and dried cranberries)*

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.  Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, mix together oats, quinoa, oat flour, and cinnamon.  Add honey, applesauce, nut butter, and vanilla.  Mix until a sticky mixture forms.  If you want to use any add-ins, throw in a handful now, and mix them in.  Press mixture into prepared pan.  Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Once cooled, cut into 8 bars.  Store in an airtight container.  For traveling, put bars in a blastic bag or wrap in aluminum foil.

Finished product tastes amazing

"More Buffalo, Less Chicken" Buffalo Chicken Quinoa

I make a buffalo chicken dip that my family literally goes crazy for. It’s probably the healthiest dip out there. It’s made with cream cheese, blue cheese dressing, chicken and lots of wing sauce. I'm hoping you can see that when I say it’s healthy, I’m being extremely sarcastic, but eating it with cut up celery makes everything better. I based my version of Buffalo Chicken Quinoa off of that recipe but a touch healthier.

You could probably find thousands of Buffalo Chicken Quinoa recipes on the web but the one I made was a bit different. I put my own little twist on it by using plain yogurt as the base of my wet ingredients and Frank’s Red Hot Wing Sauce. Looking back now, I wish I had used a lot more wing sauce to kick up the heat, but it all depends what your taste buds can handle. Usually I don’t like a lot of spice but the blue cheese helped my mouth cool off.  

I really enjoyed this for a meal and to prove how good it was, my boyfriend who would never consider trying Quinoa finally ate some (I think the Frank’s is what got him) and he said he “actually enjoyed it”….SUCCESS!!

Buffalo Chicken Ingredients 

                                               

Buffalo Chicken Quiona 

Ingredients:
2 Cups Quinoa (I was planning my lunches for the week so that’s why it’s a large portion)
2 Chicken Breasts
4 Cups Water 
1 container of plain yogurt (the photos show two containers but I only used one)
¾  Cup of Frank’s Red Hot Wing Sauce (Make sure it’s the wing sauce, Frank’s Red Hot Original would not give you the right flavour and add has little or as much sauce as you want depending on your spice tolerance)
¾ Cup crumbled blue cheese 
3 Green Onions 

Directions:
Add Quinoa to the four cups of boiling water. Let the Quinoa cook until water is completely gone and Quinoa has expanded twice in size and a fluffy consistency. While the Quinoa is cooking put the chicken in the oven at 350C for 30 minutes. Pour Quinoa into a large mixing bowl and add chopped green onions. Pour yogurt and Frank’s Red Hot Wing Sauce into the mixing bowl and mix until the Quinoa is covered. Once the chicken is cooked chop it up and toss it with the coated Quinoa. Plate and sprinkle with blue cheese. Add more hot sauce if desired.

  

Plated and Ready to Eat

The "Blonde Moment" Apple Quinoa Bake

While I was at school this week, one of my classmates approached me with a recipe for an Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast Bake. I was instantly intrigued and couldn't wait to make it, so of course I made it that weekend as a lovely breakfast for my roommates and myself.
The bake didn't take long to prepare but being a relatively new cook, and one who is far from bad but far from amazing, I (of course) did not read the instructions through carefully... What!? I was excited! Apparently I was supposed to cook the bake the night before I served it. Oopsie...I realized this about halfway through the preparation process so I made the conscious decision to only add about half the milk the recipe called for, otherwise I would've had a lake…not a bake (cue “joke” drums).
Luckily the bake came out the perfect consistency, and I saved breakfast. I really enjoyed this bake but I think with the lack of milk compared to that which was called for, the spices were very overpowering. 
I really want to make this recipe again, but make sure I make it the proper way. So I thank my classmate for handing over this recipe and I apologize for having a HUGE blonde moment.
So with that said, what did we learn this week folks? Always read the ENTIRE recipe beforehand. I don't think I can stress that enough, can I?
Here is the Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast Bake with a couple of my personal changes, as usual, in the brackets.

The Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast Bake 

Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast Bake

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked Quinoa

1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

2 apples, peeled and diced

¼ cup raisins ( I didn’t use raisins because I didn’t have any but I’m sure they’d be great)

2 eggs

2 cups vanilla soy milk (since I didn’t make it the night before I only used one cup – the liquid from the apples, eggs and maple syrup would make up for the rest of the milk)

¼ cup maple syrup

1/3 cup almonds, chopped

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 7 by 11 inch baking dish (an 8 by 8 works too). In a small bowl, mix the uncooked Quinoa with the spices. Pour into a greased dish. Sprinkle the apple and raisins (if you use them) on top of the Quinoa. In the same small bowl, beat the eggs. Whisk in the soy milk and maple syrup. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the top of the fruit and Quinoa. Lightly stir to partially submerge the fruit. Sprinkle the chopped almonds on top. Bake for one hour or until the casserole is mostly set with only a small amount of liquid left. Allow to cool, then cover and refrigerate. In the morning, cut a square, microwave it on a plate, and enjoy alone or withhh a few dollops of Greek yogurt.  

"They Aren't Pretty But They're Delicious" Quinoa Burgers

I am finally writing my first official post and what better thing to make, than BURGERS - Quinoa burgers that is. Now if you’re sitting there and you’re reading this going, is this girl serious? Than look no further because I am more serious than you’ll ever know. These little patties were MARVELLOUS, so I really think you should try them.
Now don't get me wrong I am a girl who loves a good ol' juicy burger, smothered in cheese and bacon, but changing it up sometimes is fun! These aren't patties that you just throw on a bun but you can totally spread on any topping you see fit. I personally just ate mine plain and they were terrific on their own, but that’s totally a personal opinion. I paired them with a spinach salad and my meal was complete.
I found this recipe online from a blog titled, Creative, Crafty and Canadian. You must know that for the most part I followed her recipe but I made some small tweaks of my own. 
Below is the recipe and in brackets you can find my changes. I hope this recipe goes as well for you as it did for me.

Quinoa Burger Selfie

Quinoa Burger Patties (Makes approx. 8 patties)

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cup water

10 large broccoli florets, steamed and chopped

1 onion, diced, sautéed (2 raw green onion)

1 garlic clove, finely chopped (minced garlic from a jar, about a teaspoon)

Seasoning (I used Club House Roasted Garlic and Peppers)

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used about 3/4 cup. What? I like cheese!)

1 large egg, slightly beaten

Salt and Pepper for seasoning

Olive oil for cooking

Directions: Cook your Quinoa according to the directions on the packaging.  It’s the same ratio as cooking rice,  1 part Quinoa to 2 parts water.  After rinsing the Quinoa, combining 1 cup of Quinoa with 2 cups of boiling water, bring to a boil, then simmer covered for about 15-20 minutes. Let it cool. Steam broccoli in microwave steamer, cool, then chop into small pieces. Chop green onion and in a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together, leaving the egg until the end. Mix well. Form balls with wet hands, pat down the centre to make thick patties. In a skillet, add olive oil and cook each patty for about 7 – 8 minutes on each side on medium heat or till golden brown.

The Final Result 

Welcome!

I first want to thank you for taking the time to read through this blog. My name is Devon and I am currently a Public Relations student studying in Ontario. I have a passion for cupcakes, wine, specialty coffees, my friends and family and of course QUINOA! This is my first blog, so please bare with me. Now enough about me, let’s get to the main reason this all began.

Like a lot of young men and women these days, I am a HUGE fan of Quinoa. I’m sure if you asked my friends and family they would all agree that it is my go to meal. I don’t just eat it because it is an amazingly healthy substitute for pasta, or that it’s jammed packed with protein but it is also oh so delicious.    

I plan on making a recipe every week, for the next seven weeks. Whether it’s brand new to me or just one that I would love to share, I will cook these recipes, share them and tell you what I liked and disliked (if there is even such a thing) of the recipe, plus some wonderful photos of my creations.  Some recipes will be coming from Quinoa: The Everyday Super Food, written by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming, along with others I have found on Pinterest (another addiction).

Next week it all begins and I cannot wait. See you then!