Asian Fried Quinoa

Do chocolate biscotti count as a spring vegetable?  How about blueberry muffins?  Or homemade semolina pizza dough?  I suppose the latter could be topped by spring vegetables and thereby qualify as my April Blogger C.L.U.E. Society post.  But, I was determined to find a recipe chock full of veggies.  Little did I imagine that I’d find THIS recipe.  This bowl full of awesomeness!!!

 

Kim's blog is chock full of wonderful recipes so I always have an easy time finding something I want to make.  In this case, I found a recipe that not only met the month's assigned theme of spring vegetables but also met my easy to make during moving requirement.  Yes, you read that right.  We're moving.  Long story short, we looked at renovating our current home and adding on a bit.  But, we still had a master bedroom and laundry on the 2nd floor problem.  We hired an architect, got quotes and about had heart failure over said quotes.  An appraiser concurred with us and said it wasn't a smart move.  So, we called our intrepid friends Joe and Susan and asked them to see what kind of inventory was available.  On house number eight we hit gold.  Three days later after the usual back and forth, we had an accepted purchase offer.  And, six weeks to get our house packed up.  Seven boxes a day is my goal.  We're running a bit behind that but have still made good progress.  Needless to say, complicated cooking is out of the question.  We'll be focusing on grilling for the next month or so.  Actually as I type this, it's five weeks and two days!

 

Here's my confession and funny story about my moving addled brain...  One of the rules with Blogger C.L.U.E. is that we're not supposed to make major changes to the recipe.  Kim had listed what she'd included and what she'd not included.  Here's a link to her post so you can see:  Asian Fried Quinoa.  We'd gotten home late and Connie had immediately headed to the store for a few things.  Then, as I started to assemble the ingredients the doorbell rang.  The guy to do the quote for washing the windows after we move out and before we list this house.  Back to assembling ingredients.  Doorbell again. Quote is ready.  When Mom lived in her condo, Rick did her windows.  Conversation ensued.  As he left, Connie got home.  Update on lots of things.  The quinoa went into a saucepan to toast.  I started chopping veggies.  Connie and I were talking about what we'd need to work on packing next.  I grabbed a can of vegetable broth out of the pantry.  Now, here's where I got REALLY lucky.   I was cutting Kim's recipe in half.  My brain knew to do one-to-one on the liquid even if I didn't have a recipe that said so.  Thank goodness for habits!  Veggies went into a skillet to cook.  Once they were almost done I moved them to the side and cracked in a couple of eggs.  Quinoa was done.  The dish went together.  We sat down at the dining room table and Connie asked me about the quinoa and why it was so much like couscous.  OMG!!!  This IS couscous.  The quinoa is in a different place in the pantry.  So, I made a huge change to Kim's recipe.  Couscous is not nearly as healthy as quinoa.  And, my guess is not as flavorful in this dish.  But, my friends, I have now proven that the dish can be equally well made with couscous!  And, it was still fabulous!

Now, you have the opportunity at the end of this post to go visit my fellow Blogger CLUE members.  Believe me, they're all wonderful cooks and will be sharing some delightful recipes.  Personally , I can't wait to see what they've all made!!

Asian Fried Quinoa (or Couscous if you're a doofus like me...)

Ingredients:

1  1/2 c quinoa
3 c water or vegetable broth
2 T olive oil
1 T sesame oil
1 1/2 chopped medium onion
1/4 c chopped shallot (didn't use)
4 large garlic cloves
2 T grated fresh ginger
1 c finely chopped green onions
1 c diced carrots
2 c shredded baby bok choy or spinach
1 c finely diced celery
2 c shredded napa cabbage or slaw mix
1 c diced sugar snap peas or asparagus
3 T low sodium soy sauce
2 large eggs

Directions:

You can use either a large skillet and a small skillet plus a large saucepan or you can use a large skillet and a large saucepan.   I used the latter.  Get your mis en place ready.  That means having everything cut and ready to go. 

Put the carrots in one bowl.  the onion, shallot, celery, green onions, cabbage and snap peas can be combined in another.  The spinach in yet another.  Cook your quinoa in the vegetable broth.  The original recipe called for toasting the quinoa first.  Kim said she tried it both ways and both tasted fabulous.  In the large skillet, heat 2 T of olive oil to shimmering.  Add the carrots.  Cook until they're slightly softened. 

Add the sesame oil and the bowl of mixed vegetables.  Stir fry until the veggies are slightly softened.  Add the spinach and soy sauce and stir fry until the spinach is just wilted. 

Now, you've got two choices here.  You can crack a couple of eggs over the veggies or you can fry them sunny-side up separately.  I chose to do them at the side.  Combine the veggies and the quinoa and either top with the egg or enjoy the fact that the eggs are already incorporated...  Inhale!






 

Lisa from Authentic Suburban Gourmet

Ramona from Curry and Comfort

Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva

Alice from A Mama, Baby and Shar-pei in the Kitchen

Azmina from Lawyer Loves Lunch

Kelli from Kelli's Kitchen

Kim from Liv Life

Stacy from Food Lust People Love

Lea Ann from Cooking on the Ranch

Anna from Anna Dishes

Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Jean from Lemons and Anchovies

Heather from girlichef

Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Kate from Kate's Kitchen

Christiane from Taking on Magazines

Debra from Eliot's Eats

Lora from Cake Duchess

Kathy from A Spoonful of Thyme

Rebekah from Making Miracles

Lauren from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Lisa from Authentic Suburban Gourmet

Ramona from Curry and Comfort

Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva

Alice from A Mama, Baby and Shar-pei in the Kitchen

Azmina from Lawyer Loves Lunch

Kelli from Kelli's Kitchen

Kim from Liv Life

Stacy from Food Lust People Love

Lea Ann from Cooking on the Ranch

Anna from Anna Dishes

Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Jean from Lemons and Anchovies

Heather from girlichef

Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Kate from Kate's Kitchen

Christiane from Taking on Magazines

Debra from Eliot's Eats

Lora from Cake Duchess

Kathy from A Spoonful of Thyme

Rebekah from Making Miracles

Lauren from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Blood Orange Mojitos, Wine Poached Pear Salad, Chicken Spiedini and Lemon Couscous

Saturday late afternoon was for shopping.  The fan on the porch broke last year while being cleaned.  Without one of its blades it made a horrid kerchunk, kerchunk sound whenever it was turned on.  The light fixture in the pantry was down to one bulb out of three.  The other two had broken off and we couldn't get our fingers in to clear the debris.  The table between our rocking chairs on the porch lost a leg last winter.  It's almost spring and we're very anxious to be able to use the porch again. In fact, as I type this I've actually got the sliding door to the porch open for the first time since last year.  YAY!   Can't get too excited though as snow is in the forecast for tonight... 

Our first stop was Tuesday Morning.  In theory we went there to look for the replacement table.  In reality, they typically have some bargain cookbooks.  Connie knew the real reason we were going there and was happy to go along with my addiction.  Hey, at least it's cookbooks and not something like shoes!  Three cookbooks later, we were on our way.  As usual I started reading one of the cookbooks as we drove around.  First up was Adventures in Grilling by Willie Cooper.

By the time we got to our last stop I'd identified three recipes to try that evening.  They were all built around a couscous recipe from Michael Symon's 5 in 5 cookbook that I totally adore.  He'd suggested chicken with the couscous so that's the recipe I was looking for.  I really wanted to fix a great dinner because it'd been a couple of weeks since we'd actually been home for a dinner and not had leftovers or been out somewhere or another for dinner. 

What did we think?  Amazing dinner.  We started with blood orange mojitos.  The recipe didn't call for stirring them up.  After Connie gave me my glass and I tasted it, I grabbed an ice cream sundae spoon and gave it a good stir.  Fabulous.  Then, we had poached pear salad.  YUM!  We rarely give fives.  Both of those were.  I'd taken a chicken spiedini recipe and treated it as a marinade.  And, I'd made the couscous.  Both were very good.  But, they were only fours.  Which is still pretty darned good in our book!

Blood Orange Mojito

Ingredients:

Serves four

20 mint leaves plus four mint sprigs
4 fl oz simple syrup (we use 2:1 sugar to water)
3 fl oz white rum
4 fl oz fresh lime juice
750 ml club soda
2 blood oranges

Directions:

Muddle the mint leaves and simply syrup in a cocktail shaker.  Be gentle and don't tear the mint leaves.  Fill highball glasses with ice.  Pour in the mint-infused simple syrup then add the rum and the lime juice.  Squeeze half a blood orange into each glass.  Stir gently and top with a mint sprig.

adapted from Grilling Adventures


Poached Pear Salad

serves 2

Ingredients:

for the poaching liquid:

1 c white wine (I used chardonnay)
1/3 c granulated sugar
1 t lavender
1 T honey
1/2 vanilla bean, halved and vanilla scraped into the mix

for the salad dressing:

1/2 light olive oil
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
2 T champagne vinegar
2 T Dijon mustard
1 shallot, minced
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper


for the salads:

1 Bartlett or D'Anjou pear, peeled, halved and cored
arugula or watercress or spinach
blue cheese
toasted walnuts or pecans, toasted

Directions:

Combine the poaching ingredients in a medium saucepan. 

 the photo above is me scraping a vanilla bean. the background is bacon for a grilled cheese later in the week...

Cook over medium heat for ten minutes or until the sugar has dissolved.  Add the pears and poach for about 15 minutes until the pears are softened but not mushy. 

While the pears are poaching, mix everything for the dressing but the oils in a small bowl.  Whisk constantly while pouring in the oil.  When the dressing is emulsified, it's ready.  Cool the pears in the poaching liquid.  To prepare the salad, brush the pears with oil and grind black pepper over them.  (I skipped this and the grilling.)  Grill them for about two minutes on medium direct heat.  Serve sliced on a bed of greens, drizzled with dressing and topped with crumbled blue cheese and toasted nuts.

adapted from Adventures in Grilling


Chicken Spiedini

Ingredients:

1/4 c olive oil
1 T each fresh rosemary, oregano and marjoram, roughly chopped
1/4 c dry white wine
4 chicken thighs

Directions:
Stir together the olive oil and herbs. 

Make the marinade with half of the olive oil mixture and all of the white wine.  Marinate the chicken for 15-20 minutes at room temperature. 

Grill, turning once and basting with the balance of the olive oil mixture.  Remove from the grill when the internal temperature has reached 160.  Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes prior to serving.  Tent the meat with foil to keep it warm.

adapted from Adventures in Grilling


Lemon Couscous

Ingredients:

1 c couscous
grated zest and juice of one lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
1 c halved cherry tomatoes
1 c boiling water
1/4 c pine nuts, toasted
1/2 c fresh mint leaves
3 T extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Mix the first five ingredients.  Cover and let sit for five minutes. 

Add the other ingredients.  Fluff with a fork and serve. 

adapted from 5 in 5 by Michael Symon

Clean up the Kitchen for Two

Sometimes our menu is dictated by what needs to be finished up.  We'd had leftover pork tenderloin on salads for lunch.  But the other pork tenderloin was sitting in the fridge and needed to be used up.  So, that became the basis for dinner.  Connie loves pears.  I'd bought four and they were ripe.  Another addition to dinner.  Along with the pork and pears I was thinking couscous.  There was a container of chopped green onions.  And, a jar of tahini that needs to be used.  A great addition to couscous. 

Here's what I was thinking...  We have a fantastic recipe for pork tenderloin.  It's marinated in a mixture of whiskey, brown sugar and soy sauce.  It's beyond fantastic.  What if I switched a couple of the ingredients just a little bit and used Hangar One Spiced Pear and Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce with the brown sugar?  We did a taste test beforehand.  I mixed about a tablespoon of the proposed marinade and took a little sip.  Wow.  Lot's of alcohol.  Connie took a swig.  Sputter, cough.  "Oh, that'll do."  Really?  You about choked on that?  Yeah, I know but it'll be fine.  So, I mixed the marinade and in went the pork tenderloin.

Down to the basement to the Kinect.  I have once agained realized why I HATE the game of golf.  It is boring.  No, it is BORING.  After playing RallyBall we switched to the Sports disk.  And, I said let's play golf since we've not played that yet.  Last time for me.  UGH!  No wonder I quit playing the stooooopid game about 1977!!!!  We started with the three hole game and I left at the end of two.  Mind you, we were tied but I had had more than enough.  Ok, fine.  You get the message.  I don't like golf.  Fortunately, I do like cooking.

Next up was brown rice to mix with a chopped red onion and some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and Trader Joe's Cuban Style Black Beans.  That's for lunch tomorrow.  Then, I started assembling the couscous ingredients.  Finally, the pork and the pears went on the grill.  

What did we think?  Grand Slam.  We rarely give out five's.  And I only remember one other time we've given every dish a five.  This was truly a grand slam.  Not only was it super easy and pretty darned low cal, but it was also VERY good.

Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Pears and Mediterranean Couscous

for the pork:

1 pork tenderloin (actually two will fit in the marinade if you so desire)
1/4 c Hangar One
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce
1 Bosc pear (Connie's favorite - use whatever you like best)

for the couscous:
1 c water
1 c uncooked couscous
1 T tahini sauce
1/2 can chickpeas
feta cheese
1 c diced carrots, cooked
1/2 c diced green onions

Directions:

Mix the marinade ingredients and pour the mixture into a gallon storage bag.  Add the pork tenderloin, seal the bag and leave it on the counter for at least 30 minutes while you assemble the couscous ingredients.  Put a cup of water in a large saucepan and put it on a burner.  Don't turn the burner on yet, just get this ready to go.  Then, measure out a cup of dried couscous and set it aside.  Dice the carrots and cook them until very tender.  Crumble the feta cheese and set it aside with the green onions.  Open and rinse the can of chickpeas.  Set out the jar of tahini and a tablespoon measure.  Ok, you are now ready to assemble the couscous once the pork is cooked.  It'll cook in five minutes and you can assemble the dish in about three so it's perfect to do while the pork rests after coming off the grill.  Last but not least, you need to wash and halve and core your pear. 

Once your pork is up to room temp and marinated, it's time to grill it.  We like ours pretty pink in the center so rarely grill it past 130 since I know the temp usually goes up about 10 degrees after it comes off the heat.  I'd actually prefer to take it off the grill at 125 but on occasion the grillmeister gets preoccupied and doesn't pay enough attention.  cough, cough, cough.  While the pork is grilling, put the pears on the grill cut side down.  You'll either get lovely grill marks or slightly blackened pears.  That depends on whether you remember to remove the pears from direct heat and move them to indirect or not.  Your choice.

Turn the heat under the pan with a cup of water to high.  Now, take your pork and pears off the grill and put them on a nice carving board and tent it and set it aside while you cook the couscous.  The water should be boiling right about now.  Remove the pan from the heat, dump the couscous in, stir it well, cover it and set it aside for five minutes.   Tick tock, tick tock.  Take a sip of wine.  Make sure the candles are lit and the table is set.  Ok, it should be ready to be assembled.  Stir the couscous again.  Add the tahini and stir it well.  Then add the other ingredients and stir them in gently.  Slice the pork and serve the pear and couscous.  We loved a bottle of Due Uve with this.  It's a mix of pinot gris and sauvignon blanc. 

Lemony Shrimp Skewers

I'm really good about making out a menu almost every week.  What I'm not always so good about is following it.  Life tends to interfere.  Either I get stuck at the office or it's too hot or something else happens.  I'm sure you all are the same way.  Flexibility is the key.  That and a bag of shrimp in the freezer and a box of couscous in the pantry means I'm pretty much always prepared for a quick meal. 

We typically buy the 20-25 count shrimp - peeled and deveined  at Sam's.  This time we cheaped out and bought the bag that's out in the meat area.  Never again.  They weren't peeled.  They were not great shrimp.  The rest of the bag will have to go into gumbo or jambalaya or something where pieces and parts don't matter.  You live and learn.  But, that's what we had so that's what we ate.

What did we think?  Amazing flavor.  This marinade would be great with just about any seafood or fish.  It might overwhelm scallops but I can taste it on swordfish or tuna or cod or crab.  This was our third recipe from 3 Step Cooking with Flavor from McCormick.  Given that all three have been home runs, I'm going to keep this cookbook handy!  The couscous was my creation and if I may pat myself on the back here, was pretty darned good. 

Lemony Shrimp Skewers with Couscous

Ingredients:
for the marinade:
1/2 c olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1 T Old Bay seasoning
1 t onion powder

for the skewers:
jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, 4-5 per person
red bell peppers, cut in 1" squares, 1/2 pepper per person
small zucchini, sliced into rounds, 1/4" thick, 1/2 zucchini per person
lemon, cut into 1/4" slices, 1 slice per skewer

for the couscous:
serves 2 generously
1 c water, boiling
1 c couscous
1/4 c crumbled feta cheese
6 peppadew peppers, finely chopped
1 T lemon olive oil or extra virgin olive oil
1 T lemon balsamic or lemon juice

Directions:

Mix the marinade.  The recipe called for the quantity of marinade shown above for two pounds of shrimp.  I used that amount to marinate 1/2 pound of shrimp and to mop the skewers while they were grilling.  Marinate the shrimp in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

While the shrimp is marinating, chop your vegetables.

Put together your skewers.  Grill for a couple of minutes per side, mopping with the marinade.  Remember that if you've used uncooked shrimp, you want that side of the skewer to be grilled after mopping.  If you've used cooked shrimp like I did, mop any old way you want!

For the couscous:  Bring a cup of water to boiling.  Remove the pan from the heat.  Add the couscous.  Cover the pan and leave it to the side for five minutes.  Remove the cover and add the feta, peppadews and oil and vinegar.  Serve topped with shrimp skewers.

Couscous Salad

Many years ago we did a mother/daughter evening at Symphony on the Prairie.  We rented one of the tables up front so we'd have ringside seats - and so the mom's wouldn't have to schlep a folding chair in or sit on the ground.  Everyone pitched in.  I made pork tenderloin with scallion mustard sauce and a couscous salad.  Everyone raved about the salad and wanted to know where the recipe came from.  It came from my imagination.  What is really easy, can be served cold, is refreshing and is a starch?  Potato salad and macaroni salad sounded so pedestrian.  I'd just discovered couscous and wanted to experiment.  Over the years I've changed the recipe a bit.  Back then I just used a box of garlic couscous, a cucumber and some  feta cheese.  Now, I'm known to throw lots of different things in.  This particular version is one I made last week with some of the leftover greek vegetable salad I'd made with the golden cherry tomatoes from the CSA.  We liked it so well that I decided to take it to this evening's Symphony on the Prairie. 


Now, I realize I keep chatting about Symphony on the Prairie and I've not begun to describe it.  Conner Prairie is a living history museum with several ages represented.  It's original focus was 1816. 

Since then, they've added a Lenapi Indian (aka: Delaware Indians) camp, a farm and a tethered hot air balloon. Just as a side note - some day I"m going to make the grape noodles I had once in the Lenapi camp.  We happened to be there a day when they were showcasing cooking as it would have been done way back when.  I actually found the recipe in one of the Bear Wallow cookbooks.  You know the cookbooks that they sell in most of the living history museums?  The little paper ones that are pretty topic specific?  Well, some friends own that company so I was able to call Linda and figure out where the recipe was...  Ok, back to Conner Prairie.  Every summer they have what they call Symphony on the Prairie.  It's put on in a band shell that's erected on the shores of the river. 

There are some tables for rent down in front but most of us bring coolers, folding chairs, blankets, candles, bottles of wine, folding tables...  Folks look like they're moving in when they start hauling their stuff in!!  The Boy Scouts have a great gig taking folks to the prairie using their wagons.  There's a great variety in the entertainment.  A few weeks ago they had three fellows who performed country and bluegrass and who really needed lessons in our opinion.  We left at intermission muttering about the "boiling cat" music.  That was the worst.  Most, though are very good and we don't want the music to end.  Saturday night was like that.  It was Beatles night and it was PACKED.  Conner Prairie is located about 134th and Allisonville just north of Indy.  We normally have a 20 minute trip to get there.  Saturday was a different story.  We were calling back and forth to the friends we were meeting.  Some were in traffic on Allisonville for 90 minutes.  Needless to say, we took an alternate route as soon as possible and approached Conner Prairie from the north.  Traffic was still bad but we figured we cut off 30-45 minutes.  Leaving was just as entertaining.  45 minutes from our parking space to the gate of the museum.  But, it was totally worth it!

Bill danced and danced and danced - and in between took care of opening a bottle or two of wine. 

We all sang along. 

And, since we were on one of the walkways, we enjoyed watching all the folks walking to and fro and singing as they went.  Dinner was wonderful.  I brought some mushroom pesto,

another one that won't load the right way...

the spinach blueberry salad and the couscous salad.  Doris brought ratatouille

and pork tenderloin stuffed with garlic. 

Bill brought wine.  Jeffrey coveted our wine glass stakes.  A great time was had by all!

Couscous Salad

Ingredients:
1 c dry couscous
1 cucumber, diced (peel if the peeling is bitter)
1-2 c cherry tomatoes, halved or whole
2-3 oz feta cheese, crumbled
handful fresh basil, coarsely chopped
olive oil
red wine vinegar

Directions:
Cook the couscous.  Allow it to cool.  Put the cucumber, cherry tomatoes and feta in a large bowl. 

Add the couscous, making sure to break up any clumps.  Toss to combine.  I've found here that hands work better than spoons.  Add the basil.  Then, add olive oil and red wine vinegar to taste.  You can also add a small zucchini (diced) if you'd like. 

Summer Couscous

Like I've said before, couscous is a blank slate.  You can put just about any vegetable or fruit or herb or spice in it to make it go with your meal.  You can serve it hot or cold.  And, best of all, it's REALLY quick to make. 

Many years ago, I created a recipe for a mother-daughter pitch-in at Symphony on the Prairie.  It was very simple. 

Cucumber Feta Couscous

1 box olive oil and garlic couscous, prepared according to package directions
1 medium cucumber, diced (leave the skin on depending on it's taste)
4 oz feta cheese crumbled

Mix it all together, chill for at least two hours and serve.


So, when it came time to figure out how to use up some of the vegetables in the refrigerator, I thought of adding to the above recipe.  Summer couscous was born:

Summer Couscous

2 c boiling water
2 c couscous
1 cucumber
1 yellow squash
10 arugula leaves
1 sprig mint
1 sprig oregano
1/4 c lemon juice
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
4 oz feta cheese

Pour the couscous into the boiling water, stir, remove from the heat and cover for five minutes.  Pour the cooked couscous into a bowl.  Stir in the other ingredients.  Allow to chill for at least two hours prior to serving.