Brussel Sprouts and Quinoa goodness

Mmm ... I really must like brussel sprouts - seems like I buy some every second time I hit the store! No complaints though - it is a quintessential seasonal vegetable and looks so damn inviting, especially on that little sprouts tree! I've probably mentioned this a zillion times already - I love chopping sprouts, the way I love cutting cabbage and cauliflower and broccoli. *so* much of fun!

P.S.: It snowed here! Care for some fresh powder? :D

I felt like a quick meal - something simple, loaded with natural flavor, that didn't take too long to make. Something warm and comforting sounded good, what with all that crazy snow out there! After a long day of romping around in the snow, Vodka decided to settle for some warm oats and yogurt, and I went for brussel sprouts and quinoa.

Brussel Sprouts and Quinoa Pilaf
Got to love that grain from Peru :)

Servings: 4

2 cups of quinoa
20+ brussel sprouts - quartered
1 red onion
1 T sambar powder (I freshly grind mine as needed, but any store-bought powder should probably do)
1 T cumin seeds
1 T sesame oil
salt

Soak the quinoa in cold water for about 15 minutes and rinse it.
Rinse it again.
Hmm ... did I say "Rinse the quinoa."?
Guess I've said it before here ... and here ... :)

In the meantime, heat the oil in a work and roast the cumin seeds till browned.
Add the onions and saute till they get translucent.
Now add the brussel sprouts and saute them for 3-4 minutes.
Add the sambar powder+salt along with a couple of splashes of water and stir.
Continue to cook partially covered on low for about 6-7 minutes - You want the sprouts to retain a bit of a crunch.

Cook the quinoa in 4 cups of water with a dash of hot oil and salt - this takes about 20 minutes. Once cooked, toss the sprouts with the quinoa and add salt if needed.

Good?
Simple and flavorful. The very subtle bitter taste of the brussel sprouts was a perfect compliment to the chewy spiced quinoa. This pilaf is a definite winner!

Another round of comfort food

After several super hectic days including a trip to DC and crazy work reorgs, a simple meal exuding comfort flavors was what I was craving. I've noticed this often - every time I come back from a trip someplace, I truly crave home food, especially something yogurt-based! Guess the most familiar flavors of childhood are what I want to return to - the stuff I often ate while drowned in a book, especially during summers! *sigh*

Well, of course, a slight twist was necessary :) So, instead of brown or white rice, I went with quinoa - usually I use quinoa in a salad or a pilaf - both of which bring out the intense nutty flavor and chewy texture that I grew to love when in Peru. But this time, I did not want any fancy flavor, just something light and nutritious that I could eat with dollops of home-made yogurt and maybe some veggies. I finally went with a chayote squash curry to complement the quinoa+yogurt - perfect!

Chayote Squash Curry

Servings: 2

1 chayote squash - diced into small cubes
1 t mustard
1 t urad dal
6-7 curry leaves
1/2 t sesame oil
1 t ground spices (fenugreek + red chillies + turmeric + coriander)
salt

Heat the oil in a wok and toss in the mustard seeds.
Once they sputter, add the urad dal, curry leaves and spices and stir for 1-2 minutes.
Toss in the squash cubes and salt and cook covered for 3-4 minutes till slightly charred.
Sprinkle some water (2 T) on the squash and stir some more.
Again, simmer covered for 6-7 minutes or till squash seems cooked.

Quinoa

Servings: 2

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 t salt

Soak the quinoa in cold water for about 15 minutes. This is essential to remove the bitter outer coating of the grains which contains saponin - an ingredient that can often upset the stomach lining!
Drain the quinoa and add 2 cups of water and the salt.
Simmer covered till cooked - about 15 minutes, I think - once cooked, the grains kind of expand and unfurl - it is pretty visible that they're done :)

All I did was eat the quinoa with the squash, a wonk of homemade yogurt (*so* good!!!) and some lime pickle that my mum made when she was here - the ultimate comfort food! :)

Quinoa and other great flavors

Peru is chockful of good things - Macchu Picchu, Cuzco, Nazca, pisco ... and quinoa! And tonight was time for a quinoa pilaf - simple, yet delectable.

After the usual ritual of rinsing the quinoa several times in cold water (the grains have a bitter coating called saponin that can often irritate the stomach lining and needs to be washed off), I cooked it in a pot of water with some salt and a few drops of olive oil. As I poked around trying to find some veggies to go with it, I found this jar of pickled asparagus. Hmm ... and a bag of frozen shelled edamame - sounds weird, but it tastes pretty good. Seems like I had the makings for a green pilaf!


The base was a bunch of chopped scallions and yellow wax beans sauteed with a spoon of olive oil and some garlic. I then threw in the asparagus spears bits and a couple of cups of boiled edamame. Once the quinoa was cooked, I tossed it with the veggies and threw in some of that fabulous Melinda's habanero sauce and a spoon of lemon-ginger juice. And garnished it with some toasted cashews.


Simple, yet delectable. Did I already say that? :)