What's cookin'?

I love to cook. I have always loved being in the kitchen, first as a child where it was the center of the family; later, I enjoyed creating my own recipes and recreating meals I had enjoyed in restaurants. Growing up in the '60s and '70s in an Italian family, macaroni was dinner at least twice a week. We also learned to love Jiffy-Pop, Cheez-Whiz and other assorted "healthy" fare. Vegetables were never center stage, and salad was often just iceberg, cukes and tomatoes. Weight was never a problem for me either, but as the years go by,I find that the old metabolism isn't what it used to be. In my twenties, I could skip a few Twinkies and lose 5 pounds to get into that cute outfit for a weekend date. Now, in my very, very, VERY late 20's, losing 5 pounds takes nothing short of a miracle! I used my love of cooking and interest in healthy eating to cultivate a repertoire of healthy and delicious new recipes, as well as healthier dishes inspired by old favorites. My project last summer was to research and develop ways to increase my collection of vegetable recipes. Not vegetarian, but vegetable-centered, I have tried to use spices, herbs, and various cultural styles to keep dinner interesting, exciting and worth going back for seconds. I am not a nutritionist, but I have done a good amount of reading, and think I have a handle on what's good for me and what should be avoided. Welcome to my first blog. Feel free to try any recipes that interest you, and share your own! Together we can answer the question....What's healthy for dinner?!!

Monday, April 4, 2011

Quinoa (Keen-What?)

It is pronounced "keen-wah" and I didn't go near it until recently.  I think I was intimidated by the name.  I don't like to eat stuff I can't pronounce, which is probably one reason I don't eat much French food. (There are other reasons for that, but that is for another blog!)  Once I tried it, I discovered it was surprisingly easy to prepare, extremely versatile, and actually quite tasty.

I did a little research and found that quinoa was cultivated by the Incas some 5,000 years ago as one of their staple foods.  Although it looks like, prepares like and even tastes like a grain it is actually the seed of a leafy green plant related to spinach and kale.  It is a complete protein, contains abundant amounts of fiber, magnesium and iron and is considered one of the most complete foods in nature.  Now I don't exactly know what that means, but it sounds pretty impressive. Every article I read about it lists more health benefits about this vegetable.

There are only two things to remember when preparing quinoa:  rinse it well to remove the soapy coating that makes it unappealing to birds (now who sounds impressive?), and use two parts liquid to one part quinoa.  I usually put a cup of dry quinoa in my rice cooker with two cups of water or broth, season with salt, and it is done in about 20 minutes.  You can also cook it on the stove top the same way.

Once it is done it is fluffy and has a consistency which I would best describe as a cross between couscous and pastina.  Pastina is a comfort food from my childhood so I do like to prepare it the same way, in broth with an egg broken into it and sprinkled with grated cheese.  Of course, a handful of spinach can only make it better!  It has more of a vegetable taste than pastina, of course, but it does fill the void nicely while I am avoiding pasta!

I am still exploring quinoa recipes, but I have made it as a side dish with various diced and sauteed vegetables mixed in. I have added it to soup as a replacement for smaller varieties of pasta or rice.  One night towards the end of the week I had mixed in whatever vegetables I had in the fridge: red peppers, zucchini, scallions and arugula, if I remember correctly.  I had a good amount left over, and for breakfast on the weekend I added an egg and some grated cheese to the mixture, formed a patty and browned it in a skillet.  I then fried an egg over easy and served it over the quinoa cake, which soaked up the yolk nicely.  I didn't miss the toast at all!

I have seen recipes for quinoa as a hot breakfast cereal, for desserts and used in baking.  I haven't explored these avenues yet, but I will keep you posted when I do!
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