Parsnip Quinoa with Enoki

Quinoa is a versatile material for absorbing flavor and the texture is also flexible enough to replace a risotto as a main course. This was a variation that invoked cooking chopped vegetables with the quinoa-- adding more flavor and textural elements at the very end. It went beautifully with a lemon-ume plum treated broccoli and a quick anything goes miso soup! Here's the plan:

Parsnip Enoki Quinoa

1.5 c white quinoa

4 c water 

2 small sweet parsnips chopped small

1 medium onion finely chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

1 poblano pepper finely chopped & set aside

1 package Enoki mushrooms (chopped & set aside)

2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped or 1 tsp dry

.5 tsp white pepper or to taste (black pepper is on too but you will see it...)

.5-1 tsp sea salt

Put quinoa, parsnips, onion, garlic, salt & water in a good sized saucepan. Bring to boil uncovered and then turn way down to simmer with lid on for about 15-20 minutes.

Check on the absorption if water but don't stir. When water is all absorbed add the chopped poblano, white pepper, chopped enoki and stir in until the green flecks of pepper for the whole thing. Cover and let sit while you get everything else organized, and serve!

Lemon-Ume Plum Broccoli

Large bunch broccoli 

Half a lemon

Tsp ume plum vinegar

2 tsp Braggs liquid amino

5 cloves minced garlic 

2 tsp mirin

Steam the broccoli in medium sized branch pieces until just tender.

Put the lemon juice and garlic together and microwave 1-2 minutes or sauté just long enough to heat and soften the garlic.

Add all the other seasonings/sauces to lemon garlic and mix in with broccoli in a large bowl. 

Add seasoned tofu or mushrooms! 

Quick Vegan Dinner: Roots, Grains, Asparagus

This was a meal prepared in advance for a cool supper on a hot day. I steamed the root veggies ahead of time and cooked the quinoa til nearly done, leaving it in the pan with the lid on for the afternoon! The key to this combination was that each dish had a distinct texture, flavor and sauce. I used Bragg's Liquid Aminos in cooking the quinoa with garlic, splashed just a bit of Ume Plum Vinegar on the asparagus, and made a quick peanut sauce for the roots. It was fast, fun, filling, easy and tasty.

ROOT VEGGIES for 2-3 people

a handful of baby carrots, you could use chopped regular ones
two parsnips cut in diagonal slabs
3 golden beets cooked in quarters
a good sized "japanese" sweet potato - or white yam in chunks

Peanut Sauce:
1/4 cup natural peanut butter (ground peanuts with salt or without salt -- not sweetened)
2 Tablespoons Tamari
3 Tablespoons water
2 teaspoons black vinegar or red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
(if you like sweet, you can add tsp mirin)

QUINOA - Red & White!
1 cup EACH red & white quinoa
4 cloves garlic chopped finely
1 medium onion chopped fine
3.5 cups water
3 teaspoons-1 tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Amino (this is salty)

ASPARAGUS with GRAPE TOMATOES

a good handful of fresh asparagus, cut into 2-3 inch pieces
about 12-15 grape tomatoes cut in half lengthwise
1-2 tsp Ume Plum Vinegar (splash on before taking out of pan)

1) Scrub, peel, cut and organize your vegetables. Steam the roots in a pot with a steamer insert and you can use the cooking water to make the quinoa (a nice subtle flavor sharing). The key is to get the chunks about the same relative to the soft or hardness of the root -- so that a hard root that would need longer cooking needs to be a smaller chunk relative to a soft root that cooks faster ... parsnips and carrots cook fast relative to beets and sweet potatoes. You can add other roots!
2) Cook the quinoa with the garlic and onion and the Bragg's until it's nearly done, then turn off and leave covered til you need it. I used it at room temperature.
3) Last thing is to cook the asparagus in a little water, covered. Cut up the tomatoes while the asparagus cooks. Stir it a couple times to be sure it cooks evenly. Add the vinegar (or squirt lemon on it if you don't like vinegar) while still in the pan. Add the tomatoes while the asparagus is still warm, stirring into the cooking juices with vinegar.

Serve and eat!

Chick Pea Burgers (with secrets)

I haven't eaten hamburgers in years, accompanying my husband's occasional grilled beef burger with a companionable portobello mushroom on a roll. In times past I ate turkey burgers as well. So I know how easy and satisfying it is to pile up the pickles and relish, onion and sliced tomato on something filling, chewy and tasty between the bread slices. The black bean & beet patty was better on the plate, so today I wanted something to eat on bread that was crisp on the outside, dense and flavorful on the inside and could stand up to my husband's relish and chili sauce. I started with a can of chick peas and a handful of ... are you ready? peanuts! It ends with a coating of crushed Ryvita sesame rye cracker and all's well!  I broiled them on both sides before baking them for 20 minutes.

Chick Pea Burger (no oil)

1 can chick peas (about 1.75 cups, drained)
2 Tblsp peanuts (dry roasted low salt)
1 medium carrot, grated
1 medium parsnip, grated
1/2 cup raw spinach, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp parsley
2 Ryvita Sesame Rye crackers

1. Smash the chick peas with the peanuts in a bowl. Chop the spinach, grate the carrot and parsnip and mix in with the chick pea mixture.
2. Combine all the spices and herbs in the bowl, mashing and stirring. If this feels too wet, add just a little flour of your choice (brown rice or chick pea flour) perhaps up to a tablespoon. You don't want this to feel dry though. Moist is good but not wet.

3. Crush the two crackers on a plate. Form 4 burgers, rolling their surfaces in the crumbs (this should just cover all four).
4. Place on a piece of tin foil on a baking sheet or pan and put under the broiler for about 5 minutes on each side, turning carefully with a spatula.  Turn down the stove to bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.
Serve as you wish! One was plenty for me on a piece of Ezekial sprouted whole grain bread with pickle slices, onion and lettuce and our fresh cole slaw. My husband had two, one with double bread and the works, the other more simply.  As always, put more spice or heat into these if you want them that way. Good nutritional content from the combination of legumes and vegetables for 170 calories!

Chickpea burgers Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 Serving (112g) 1 burger Amount Per Serving % Daily Value* Calories 169 8% Total Fat 5g 8% Saturated Fat 1g 3% Trans Fat Cholesterol 0% Sodium 400mg 17% Total Carbohydrate 25g 8% Dietary Fiber 3g 10% Sugars 2g 0% Protein 7g 14% Vitamin A 11% • Vitamin C 7% Calcium 5% • Iron 8% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs. courtesy of cronometer.com using my data.

If you want to make up your own slaw, I recommend that you use what you have. Here's what I used.

Cleaning the Fridge Again Cole Slaw
leftover nub of cabbage
leftover nub of radicchio
one remaining stalk celery
1/4 of a red pepper, finely chopped
two slices dill pickle finely chopped
dash- 1/8 tsp celery seed
splash of pickle juice
squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Made about 3.5 cups - which disappeared between 2 of us. Very satisfying crisp, crunch, tart and sweet flavors, contrasting well with the warm, chewy textures of the chickpea burgers.