Quinoa with Black Beans and Corn

Good Morning!

I just made a delicious dish that I wanted to share with you!  I made it yesterday when my sister and my two daughters came over to visit, and we all loved it.  We loved it so much, that I made another batch this morning to drop off at my girl's house today.  Then I'm off to the pottery studio to make more bowls like the yellow and green ones above.  I didn't make the plastic bowls...lol!

I found the recipe on the back of the Quinoa package that I bought at Target.  I adjusted it slightly based on the ingredients I had around my house.  It would be a perfect quick meal to take to lunch or a wonderful side dish to serve with grilled salmon (which I plan to do tomorrow night!).  So, here it is...enjoy!

Quinoa with Black Beans and Corn

Cook 1 cup Quinoa according to package directions
While that is cooking, prepare the following:

1 diced Red Pepper
1 15 oz. can of Corn (or 1 cup frozen corn, cooked)
1 15 oz. can Black Beans, rinsed

3 T Lemon or Lime Juice
2 T Olive Oil
2 tsp Ground Cumin

1/2 c. Sunflower Seeds
1/2 c. Walnuts (or Pecans), chopped

Optional: 
1/4 c. Cilantro, chopped
1 Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce, finely chopped

Toss all the ingredients together and enjoy!

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.
Virginia Woolf

Creating Pumpkin Soup

 

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  This was one of my best Thanksgivings ever!  It was my first Thanksgiving in my new home (that's it above - lol!), and I was joined by my younger daughter and a couple of great friends!  One of the other great parts about it was the pumpkin soup we made. 

 

The recipe started out with just pumpkins, onions, garlic and vegetable broth, but we ended up adding a whole list of other ingredients on the spur of the moment, and it was Mmmmmm good!  The original recipe also called for two shiitake mushrooms, but I "just say no" to mushrooms! 

 

So, step one was cutting two small sugar pumpkins into 2 inch squares along with a chopped onion and a tablespoon of chopped garlic.  Put those ingredients in a bowl with 1/2 cup olive oil and toss well.  The bake at 450 for about 30 minutes or until tender.   As an alternative to baking, you can cook the pumpkins in water and use that water in your recipe in place of vegetable broth.

 

 

When they came out of the oven, we left the peels on and tossed all the ingredients into a food processor along with a couple of cups of vegetable broth.   Puree it all until it's nice and smooth, then transfer it to a pot and start cooking up the yumminess!

 

This is the point where we started getting creative...we added (without measuring, so have fun with this part) cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, crystallized ginger (chopped finely), brown sugar, cream, coconut cream, a touch of milk, and some salt and pepper.  Lucky for me I made yellow curry chicken last week, so I already had a few of the impromptu ingredients on hand!  Keep stirring over low heat until you're ready to eat!  (oh...add a little butter too...yum!)

 

To make your soup look as good as it tastes, serve it up in some pumpkin halves and sprinkle with a few toasted pumpkin seeds!

 

Check out All About Pumpkins for some interesting facts about pumpkins and a collection of which pumpkins are the best to use in your different pumpkin recipes.  For example, they suggest using Red uri, Kabocha or Butternut to make your pumpkin soups.  Better act fast though...pumpkin season at the stores may be ending soon!  And take a look below at how good those pumpkins are for your health...

Health benefits of Pumpkin

• It is one of the very low calorie vegetables. 100 g fruit provides just 26 calories and contains no saturated fats or cholesterol; however, it is rich in dietary fiber, anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins. The vegetable is one of the food items recommended by dieticians in cholesterol controlling and weight reduction programs.
• Pumpkin is a storehouse of many anti-oxidant vitamins such as vitamin-A, vitamin-C and vitamin-E.
• With 7384 mg per 100 g, it is one of the vegetables in the Cucurbitaceae family featuring highest levels of vitamin-A, providing about 246% of RDA. Vitamin A is a powerful natural anti-oxidant and is required by the body for maintaining the integrity of skin and mucus membranes. It is also an essential vitamin for good visual sight. Research studies suggest that natural foods rich in vitamin A help a body protects against lung and oral cavity cancers.
• It is also an excellent source of many natural poly-phenolic flavonoid compounds such as α, ß carotenes, cryptoxanthin, lutein and zea-xanthin. Carotenes convert into vitamin A inside the body.
• Zea-xanthinis a natural anti-oxidant which has UV (ultra-violet) rays filtering actions in the macula lutea in retina of the eyes. Thus, it helps protect from "age-related macular disease" (ARMD) in the elderly.
• The fruit is a good source of B-complex group of vitamins like folates, niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin and pantothenic acid.
• It is also rich source of minerals like copper, calcium, potassium and phosphorus.
• Pumpkin seedsindeed are an excellent source of dietary fiber and mono-unsaturated fatty acids, which are good for heart health. In addition, the seeds are concentrated sources of protein, minerals and health-benefiting vitamins. For instance, 100 g of pumpkin seeds provide 559 calories, 30 g of protein, 110% RDA of iron, 4987 mg of niacin (31% RDA), selenium (17% of RDA), zinc (71%)etc., but no cholesterol. Further, the seeds are an excellent source of health promoting amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan is converted to GABA in the brain.

Happy Cooking Everyone!

Jean :)

 

"I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion."

Henry David Thoreau 

Yum!

I'm going through some pretty big transitions in my life right now, one of which includes living with some wonderful friends while I'm waiting for a more permanent place to call home. My friends have opened up their home to me, letting me stay in their beautifully finished basement where I always have my "art table" filled to capacity with my current art projects.

At times, it can be a bit unsettling not having a place to call my own, but my temporary home offers such warm hospitality and kindness, and I know that it is a place where I am joyfully welcomed. It makes the waiting a whole lot easier!

One of the gifts of staying here are the amazing meals that are prepared. I know that when I make that move to my new home that I'll not only be missing my friends, but I'll also be missing the delcicious meals that I've been served. What better way to remember them, than to document them here! And even wiser, keep a record of HOW these meals are made! Then in a few months time, I'll be able to invite my friends over to dine with me for a change!!



So in the spirit of creativity, here's how you, too, can make this delicious Beef Stir Fry.....

Ingredients:
Beef Tenderloin (about 1/4 pound per serving)
Any or ALL of these sauces...
From House of Tsang: Hunan Smokehut Grill Sauce, Tokyo Teriyaki Grill Sauce, and/or Kobe Steak Grill Sauce
Koon Chun brand Hoisin Sauce
(use about 2 or 3 T per sauce)
Any or ALL of these veggies:
Baby carrots
Baby corn
Orange, yellow or green peppers
Sugar snap peas
Green Onions
Sweet potatoes!

Cut the beef tenderloin in cubes and marinate in the sauces. Ideally, overnight, but at least 30 minutes. Add some crushed red pepper, garlic and ginger to the meat/marinade mixture. Dice the sweet potatoes in cubes and pop them in the microwave for a few minutes. Chop your carrots, peppers and green onions any which way you please. I always volunteer to help with the veggie chopping - it helps the time go faster while I'm anticipating the meal!)

Start up a pot of rice if you haven't already. We had jasmine rice this time, but brown rice goes great with it as well!

Toss a couple of Tablespoons (known as "tibbles" in this household!) oil in a frying pan. Toss in the sweet potatoes, carrots and baby corn and saute for about 5 minutes. Then add the remaining veggies for another 5 minutes or so cooking at medium low heat.

Add your beef tenderloin and continue cooking all the ingredients together till the beef is cooked to your liking. This gives you an excuse to take some from the pan to sample!

This particular meal was served with Algodon Premiere Cru (a Bordeaux blend). I'm told that any other good hearty red wine would be a good match (e.g. Cabarnet, Bordeaux, Merlot, Zinfandel or Shiraz.

Last but not least, sit down with some good friends, and enjoy!
(don't forget to pack some for your lunch this week, too!)

With thanks for fine friends and fine meals!
May your week before Christmas be filled with joyful moments while you wait!