Toasted Quinoa Salad with Roasted Garbanzo Beans

So, until recently I was unaware of an amazing ‘super food’ called quinoa. First I want to spare anyone else the embarrassment of mispronouncing this goodness of nature. When you are at the grocery store and need direction please, please, please don’t asked for “Quinn-oha” say it “Keen-wa”. As someone who had only seen the word in print I made the mistake of uttering the first pronunciation. On a side note most grocery stores keep quinoa in the gluten free or grain section of their natural selections aisle. 

What is the food that I regard so highly? I would describe it as having a nutty flavor and an orzo like texture. Like rice it has such a versatile place in recipes. Sweet, spicy, and salty can be achieved in this miracle food. One thing I really like about it is it can make an endless amount of different one-bowl meals. Who doesn’t love a dinner that doesn’t require an entire load of dishes?

You probably now want to know why it is so good for you. It is a rare food that it a complete amino acid making it a complete protein that is essential to the human diet and rare in a plant based diet. As I mentioned before quinoa is found in the gluten free section of the grocery store because it is and always will be gluten free. Quinoa is also one of the most vitamin rich foods I have ever seen. As a plant food it also lacks cholesterol as long as you don’t add any animal product in the preparation (duh!). People have claimed it helps reduce risks and effects of diabetes, heart disease, migraine headaches, and cancer. 

For more info http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=142&tname=foodspice

I bet you are all waiting for a recipe now so you can cure what ails you. This one is so easy and makes plenty of left overs!

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Toasted Quinoa Salad with Roasted Garbanzo Beans

1-12 oz. Box of Quinoa 

2 cups water

1-15 oz. Can of Garbanzo Beans (aka Chick peas) drained and rinsed

2-3 Roma tomatoes seeded and diced

1-12 oz. Bag of frozen Corn kernels thawed

1 medium red onion diced

Olive Oil as needed

4 Tbs. Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper

Dressing

½ cup lemon juice

4 Tbs. Olive Oil

4 cloves of garlic finely minced

2 Tbs. Italian seasoning

1 Tbs. Fresh cracked Black Pepper

Fresh Basil for garnish (optional)

Heat about 2 tbs. Olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat for the quinoa and preheat the oven to 350° for the Garbanzo beans.

Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer to removed any debris, like you would rice. Shake the strainer to remove excess water. Place the rinsed quinoa in the warm skillet and use a spatula to make an even layer. Stir  occasionally to prevent burning for about 5 to 8 minutes or until a few are brown.

Another great use for my cast iron! See link below to get one for yourself. 

       Add 2 cups of water to the toasted quinoa in the skillet and raise the heat to high. Allow all the water to absorb or evaporate out and remove from heat. Take off stove and allow to cool.

This is what it will look like after cooking. Each grain should be swollen and a few 'squiggles'.

While the water is evaporating drain and rinse the canned Garbanzo beans. Place them on a baking sheet and coat them with 4 Tbs. Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and olive oil. Place in the preheated oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until a nice, rich brown color. Remove for the oven and allow to cool. 

Nice and brown roasted Garbanzo beans. 

After removing the quinoa and beans from the heat dice the vegetables and make the dressing. For the dressing warm 4 Tbs. Olive oil in a shallow pan and add ½ cup lemon juice. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Saute until garlic begins to brown. 

Combine cooled quinoa, beans, and veggies in a large serving, mixing, or storage bowl (my favorite is all three! see link). I recommend using a rubber or silicone spatula to give a gentle touch. Pour the lemon dressing over the top and stir until combined. Fluff with a fork and add a little basil garnish before serving. Great served hot or cold, I actually prefer it cold. 

So easy and fast! My husband and I usually can get two dinner servings and about 3 or 4 lunch servings out of this recipe. It’s a real time and money saver. I usually make some sort of quinoa salad on Sundays to ensure we have something for lunches early in the work week.

Special thanks to Very Culinary for getting me hooked! Here is a link to the recipe that inspired me. http://veryculinary.com/2011/08/09/toasted-quinoa-salad-with-cumin-lime-dressing/

So good even Chief wanted a bite. Served in a roasted poblano pepper.

A few helpful links from Amazon:

Farmers Market Marinara Recipe.

If you read my previous post My Super Labor Intensive Marinara Win you know about my first attempt to satisfy my craving for home made pasta sauce. I spent some time this week studying up on how to make this time consuming idea a little easier. The fact of the matter is a good fresh marinara sauce takes time, there are not really any shortcuts. I have in the past used the recipe Marinara Sauce by Ina Garten on FoodNetwork.com with canned tomatoes. It is really simple, quick, and tasty when good tomatoes are hard to find. If you are pressed for time I highly recommend it.
Now knowing (or thinking I know) how to stream line the process of making sauce I spent Saturday at the farmers market in search of ingredients. For a moment now I must climb up on my soap box and talk about the importance of shopping at your local farmers market. The money you spend there will go directly back into your community, there is no corporate headquarters getting a cut elsewhere. Also, less travel time equals less carbon footprint. While you are purchasing you also have a great opportunity to ask if what you are buying contains any GMOs or pesticides. That is all the preaching I will subject you dear readers to this time.

Check out my last post on Garlic Wheat Bread to add to the plate.

Here is the recipe and don't forget to visit your local farmers market!

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Farmers Market Marinara

6 Large Tomatoes

1 Medium Yellow Onion

1 Regular Head of Garlic (½ Head Jumbo)

6 Fresh Basil Leaves + more for garnish

1 tsp. Kosher Salt or Coarse Sea Salt

1 ½ tsp. Fine Sea Salt

1 and ½ tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper Divided

½ C Red Wine (I recommend Chianti, see if you have a local winery) 

4 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil Divided

2 Tbs. Balsamic Vinegar 

Parchment Paper

Baking Sheet

Stock Pot or Dutch Oven

Large Spoon and Laddle

Mixing Bowl

Spatula

Paring Knife

Chopping Knife

Cutting Board

Fork

Preheat oven to 400º F

Slice and remove seeds from tomatoes. Place in mixing bowl with 2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil and 2 Tbs. vinegar. Sprinkle the kosher salt and 1 tsp. ground black pepper over tomatoes. Gently mix with a spatula until all the tomatoes have a little flavor on them. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and layout all the tomatoes. Try to get as many tomatoes as possible with the flesh down and skin up. Trim away all the excess paper to avoid smoking. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the skin starts to pull away from the flesh. They should look a bit wrinkled. 

Before Cooking

After Cooking

While the tomatoes are in the oven chop the garlic and onions very finely. Place the stock pot over medium heat with 1 Tbs. olive oil and let the garlic, onions, sea salt, and  ½ tsp. ground black pepper ‘sweat out’. Once the garlic and onions become translucent pour in the ½ cup red wine and simmer until the wine becomes syrupy. 

Once the tomatoes come out of the oven use a fork to pull the skin off. Place the remaining flesh in the pot with the wine. Now chop and stir in the 6 basil leaves. Cook on medium until the tomatoes start to fall apart, this should take about 30-45 minutes. Stir about every 10 minutes to avoid burning at the bottom. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer until the desired thickness. For a chunky and runny sauce leave on for about an hour, for a thick smooth sauce about two hours. Continue to stir about every 15 minutes to keep the consistency even. Add a little more basil before serving and add a leaf or two to the finished plate. 

If you make this in advance and plan on reheating it I highly recommend warming it in a sauce pan with a little more seasoning and not a microwave. The microwave tends to zap some flavor. 

This recipe makes about 2 of these jars.