Peggy Lampman's Monday dinnerFeed: Quinoa and '3'
Quinoa and "3"
Peggy Lampman | Contributor
From my experience, the protein is generally a thick, fried pork chop and the vegetables, often enough, are fried okra, butter beans and tomatoes. You'd better believe the pork chop and okra are the first items to disappear from my plate! (I've a serious, serious weakness for fried foods.)
Backyard tomatoes
Hubby Richard begged that I return the Crisco to the pantry and come up with something a bit more healthy for tonight's menu. Quinoa is packed with protein and contains all of the amino acids, so he was delighted with my substituting quinoa for the pork.
I picked turnip greens, turnips and tomatoes from the backyard, and simmered the greens with a smoked turkey leg. The corn was purchased at the farmers market. Could summer get much healthier than this? Perhaps with the addition of steamed squash, which could be substituted for the turnip greens.
Time to prepare turnip greens: 4-6 hours (mostly unattended) Active time: 20 minutes Yield: 2-3 servings
Ingredients
1 recipe for turnip greens 1/2 cup dry quinoa 2-4 ears Michigan sweet corn 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, optional 1-2 large Michigan tomatoes Basil leaves
Directions
1. Prepare quinoa in salted water according to package instructions; bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil. 2. Boil corn until just tender, about 3 minutes; drain. Melt butter over corn, if using, and season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. 3. Slice tomatoes and season with kosher salt, freshly ground pepper and torn basil leaves. 4. Arrange 2-4 plates with turnip greens, corn, quinoa and tomatoes.
Comments
montyman
Tue, Aug 24, 2010 : 9:51 a.m.
So you don't rinse the quinoa?
Peggy Lampman
Tue, Aug 24, 2010 : 6:58 a.m.
Montyman-Switch the "r" to a "t" and you have toast, though that may not be the techy food word for what I do either. I learned this from a good cook friend many moons ago. You put dry quinoa in a dry saucepan over medium to medium high heat. Shake it a bit and when it is slightly fragrant and more golden or "toasty" in color(just a couple of minutes) - you add your liquid and olive oil or butter, if using. I don't know if this would translate to a rice cooker, however. When I'm in a hurry (often!) and neglect this step, I do notice a subtle difference in flavor. Peggy
montyman
Mon, Aug 23, 2010 : 3:58 p.m.
Soooo, Peggy. I understand the roasting thing but how do you do it with quinoa? I always have to rinse it and then I throw it directly into my rice cooker. What stage does the roasting happen? Not when it wet I assume.
Peggy Lampman
Mon, Aug 23, 2010 : 11:14 a.m.
Dayof13: Another great tip and thanks. Adding stock does really boost the flavor. I also toast the quinoa in the dry pan before adding stock--gives it a very slight toasty rich flavor. I have a friend who worked for an orphanage in South America. She said the little kids had a diet that was mostly based around quinoa. She said she'd never worked with healthier kids in her life! Thanks for the comment. Peggy
dayo13
Mon, Aug 23, 2010 : 10:37 a.m.
Whenever I make Quinoa, I use either vegetable or chicken stock instead of water. It makes it so much more flavorful. But try and find a stock low in salt or make some from scratch.
Peggy Lampman
Mon, Aug 23, 2010 : 8:40 a.m.
Great tip, Montyman, for saving green backs! Quinoa ("Keen-wa") certainly is a wonderful, wonder food! Thanks. Peggy
montyman
Mon, Aug 23, 2010 : 8:30 a.m.
Quinoa is an excellent source of protein that leaves you full and satisfied. A drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt is all it needs. We buy ours in a four pound bag from Costco. Waaaay less expensive then what you would find at the grocery store.