Fruit and Nut Quinoatmeal

I thought I had posted this one a while ago... oops! Anyhow, I'm starting to realize just how versatile quinoa really is. It's like the chameleon of foods, it can disguise itself as almost anything, including oatmeal! If you never thought of quinoa as a breakfast food before, then try a bowl of Fruit and Nut Quinoatmeal, it might just blow your mind.

My version was inspired by this recipe, however you can use almost any combination of fruits and nuts that you heart desires, and I'm sure it would be delicious. My bowl consists of...
- quinoa
- milk
- water
- blackberries
- walnuts
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- honey

How to make it:
1. Put equal parts quinoa, water, and milk into a big pot, and bring it to a boil. Let simmer for about 15 minutes or until liquid is mostly absorbed (for this recipe you want it to be a little moist).
2. Stir in your blackberries, cinnamon, and nutmeg (or whatever you choose to use).
3. Top with a drizzle of honey.

So simple, yet so genius.

Sweet Potato, Pecan and Cranberry Quinoa Salad

I love the versatility of quinoa, and I feel like I have only just started to explore it. One of the many ways it can be used is in a salad, and this is a unique one. It is easy to make and low on ingredients but very filling, very healthy and gluten free! Would make a great lunch or dinner.

The original recipe can be found here. Mine consisted of...
- sweet potato
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- pecans
- quinoa
- parsley
- craisins
- lemon juice
- water

How to make it:
1. Preheat your oven to 390 degrees, peel and dice half of a sweet potato. In a bowl, toss diced sweet potato with 2 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper. Transfer them to a baking tray and cook them in the oven for 30 mins.
2. While sweet potato is baking, prepare your quinoa. Place half a cup quinoa and 1 cup of water in a pot, bring to a boil and let simmer until water is absorbed.
3. For the dressing, combine half a tbsp of olive oil, half a tbsp of water, a splash of lemon juice and some salt and pepper in a small bowl.
4. Once sweet potato is out of the oven and cooled, combine in a bowl with quinoa, craisins, pecans and some chopped parsley. Drizzle with dressing and toss.

Maquinoa & Cheese

Love mac & cheese but hate the guilt that goes with it? Why not try this guilt-free, baked quinoa alternative?! It's full of the cheesy-goodness that you love, without all the carbs and processed junk. And, once again, it's gluten-free! Move over Kraft, there's a new dinner in town!

This clever little dish was also found on my beloved Pinterest, and can be viewed here (under its original name). My own version consisted of...
- quinoa
- chicken broth
- cream cheese
- shredded cheddar cheese (I used double cheddar)
- cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt
- pepper
- ground flax seeds

How to make it:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a pot, combine 1/2 cup of quinoa and 1 cup chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then let simmer until all the liquid is absorbed.
2. Mix in 2 oz/ 1/4 cup of cream cheese, 1/4 cup shredded cheddar, 1/4 grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 tbsp of ground flax seeds and a little salt and pepper.
3. Transfer into a baking dish (or 2 separate smaller baking dishes, I used my ramekins and they were the perfect size!) and top with 1/2 cup of more shredded cheddar cheese.
4. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until cheese starts to bubble.

Suggestions to make it even healthier:
Try adding in some carmelized onions to the mixture!

Spicy Quinoa Stuffed Avocados

Here we have yet another recipe that I have modified from one I found on Pinterest (if you would like to see the original, it can be found here). This one was a great find, it really impressed me- it is one of the easiest, healthiest and tastiest dishes that I have made in quite some time. It's even gluten-free!

Have as a nice and healthy lunch, lighter dinner (I actually just had it for dinner and found it quite filling!) or even serve as an appetizer or side-dish. These consist of...

- avocado
- quinoa
- corn
- red pepper
- red onion
- chopped fresh cilantro
- seasoning salt
- chili flakes
- Tabasco sauce
- lime juice
- sour cream

How to make this:
1. Cook your quinoa- in a small pot combine 1/4 cup of quinoa with 1/2 cup of water, bring to a boil then cover and let simmer until all the water is absorbed.
2. While your quinoa is cooking, chop up your red pepper, red onion, and cilantro. Combine in a bowl with corn, and add seasoning salt, chili flakes, and a dash of Tabasco sauce until you are satisfied with the flavour of your mixture. Add your quinoa to the mixture when it is ready.
3. In a smaller bowl, combine sour cream, lime juice and cilantro.
4. Cut your avocado in half lengthwise, remove the skin and pit, and scoop out some of the center to turn your avocado-halves into small bowls. Add what you've scooped out of the avocados to your quinoa mixture.
5. Spoon your quinoa mixture into the avocado-halves, top with cilantro-lime sour cream and garnish with cilantro leaves.

Quinoa Portobello Burgers

How lucky I am to have a friend like Ellie who can not only help me bring my crazy food ideas to life, but make them taste (and look) as good as they sound! This one may have been a big experimental risk- but the higher the risk, the bigger the reward! This may also have been one of my healthiest endeavours yet, which makes it all the more impressive that it was also one of the tastiest. So without further adue, may I present to the interweb, Quinoa Portobello Burgers!

They're a little heavy on the ingredients and the prep, but trust me it is well worth it! Our version contains...

- chick peas

- sweet potato

- quinoa (we used a mix of red and white)

- portobello mushroom caps 

- onion

- garlic

- celery

- carrots

- cumin

- chili powder

- salt

- pepper

- parsley

- mixed greens 

- cucumber

- alfalfa sprouts

- panko bread crumbs

- spicy mayo (we used a homemade version)

- cooking spray

- goat cheese

How to make it: 

1. Cook your quinoa by putting it in a pot with twice the amount of water, bringing it to a boil and letting it simmer until all the water is absorbed.

2. Dice and puree sweet potato, chick peas, onion, celery and carrots, then mix in the cooked quinoa, spices and some chopped parsley. 

3. Before pan frying your quinoa patties, coat in panko bread crumbs for some added crunch.

4. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, spray your portobello caps with cooking spray, sprinkle on some salt and pepper and cook for about 7 minutes.

5. Remove portobello cap buns from the oven, spread on some spicy mayo, and top your quinoa patties with mixed greens, slices of cucumber, onion slivers, alfalfa sprouts, and, of course, goat cheese (my favourite guilty pleasure)!

Suggestions to make it even healthier: Remove spicy mayo and goat cheese to make this recipe 100% vegan (although in my opinion it's much tastier with)!

Greek Quinoa

This was the first of what I hope will be many collaborative efforts with my dear friend Ellie, and also my first time cooking and eating quinoa! Quinoa has quickly become the hottest trend in food and cooking, so I'm sure this will be my first of many quinoa recipes.

Quinoa is kind of like the love-child of rice and oats. It's a great source of vitamins, minerals, iron and protein, so it's perfect for vegan or vegetarian diets, or someone like me who just doesn't eat red meat. Not only is it super nutritious, but it's easy to prepare and can be easily integrated into almost any dish! Our Greek version consists of...
- quinoa
- green pepper
- cucumber
- red onion
- feta
- kalamata  olives
- homemade Greek dressing

How to make it:
1. Add twice as much water than quinoa to a pot, bring to a boil, cover, and let simmer until all the water is absorbed (roughly 10 minutes).
2. While your quinoa is cooking, cut up green pepper, cucumber, red onion and feta into chunks (as it is a Greek quinoa, you may also want to add tomatoes- I just don't because I don't like them).
3. Chop up your olives and remove the pits.
4. Put everything into a bowl, add dressing and mix. Done!

Suggestions to make this even healthier: Not only is this healthier, but it's easier too- try skipping the dressing and just adding a splash of lemon juice!

Have a little as a side dish and save some for later, or a have a bowl-full to make it a meal! Super simple! A dish well worth the minimal effort.