Because the response to my quinoa salad was so fist-pumpy, (so glad you guys liked it!) I thought this week I'd share another super quinoa-quickie (gosh, I love alliteration) that fits in well with last week's "let's talk about eggs..." post. It's sort of a GGC + WWW joint.
Once a week I make a little something I like to call, "Quineuvos Rancheros" for dinner. It happened as recipes often do, when I forgot to pick up corn tortillas at the market but had heaps of ripe avocados and a large satchel of cilantro, eggs, cheese and obviously fucktons of quinoa.
I thought quick on my feet and decided to substitute the corn tortillas for quinoa which turned out to be genius.
For Quinuevos Rancheros (which, so long as you have quinoa pre-made, will take you no more than five-ish minutes to prepare) you will need:
1. Quinoa
2. Eggs (two per adult, one per child. For a family of four, I cook six eggs.)
3. A spoonful of butter or olive oil (for cooking up ye fresh eggs.)
4. An avocado
5. Shredded cheese of your liking
6. Cilantro (some people hate cilantro, which blows my mind BUT! if you hate cilantro, go ahead and substitute with something similarly green. Chives may just be equally delicious.)
7. Salsa (I use verde! Exclamation points!!)
8. Seasoning of your preference (mine is listed below.)
Start with quinoa. In my last post, several (including my mom) mentioned that quinoa should be rinsed before it's cooked. I have never personally done this because, well, I don't really know. I'll admit, I don't taste the difference between rinsed and non-rinsed quinoa nor, it seems, does my family, friends, etc... BUT! My mom insists one MUST wash their quinoa before cooking so you're best bet is to listen to her. Because she knows.
this week I'm living all kinda dangerous = white quinoa!
Cook your eggs as you usually do. I cook mine in a weird-wackadoo way which consists of cracking the eggs over the pan and letting them sit for a few seconds before kind of mixing the yolks and sort of pushing it around for three minutes before it's cooked through. It's the only way my kids like eggs now and I cannot even explain it really but this is basically what they look like when they're cooked and placed on bed of quinoa:
Sprinkle atop the eggs a few pinches of shredded cheese, ASAP so it melts from the heat:
Then top with chopped cilantro, avocado, salsa (!!!) and seasoning for taste if you so desire and:
VOILA!!!
This particular dish seasoned with "Everyday Seasoning" (aka a concoction of sea salt, mustard seeds, paprika, black peppercorns, coriander, onion, garlic and chilli pepper) found at Trader Joes. It is the greatest seasoning I have ever used and highly recommend it:
(Salt and pepper works, too.)
My mom will be back next week with a stellar post involving garbonzo beans and I'll likely be back the week after with yet another quinoa-quickie. That is, if you guys aren't sick to death of quinoa by then.
Hope you enjoy!
GGC
54 comments:
after your post about quinoa, I realized I had a lot in the pantry and I did not have a lot of money for groceries. I cooked up a lot of quinoa and ate it every day for like a week straight! Yummy. I like to just put different salad dressings on it and add craisins. When I ran out of quinoa (plan to get more soon) I have been cooking my lentil stash and using it the same way.
The same day you posted your quinoa receipe my favorite deli had a delish couscous special that I was determined to recreate.
Made a quick trip to Trader Joes for ingredients and ended up using quinoa instead - totally inspired by you!!
Two servings of white quinoa
dried cranberries
raisins
chopped dried apricots
diced shallots
salt and pepper
quantities are all to taste, serve chilled
It's awesome! And my kids, who usually don't like couscous because of the texture ate this like crazy. The larger grain of the quinoa seemed to agree with them!!
"The saponins in quinoa can be mildly toxic, as can be the oxalic acid in the leaves of all the Chenopodium family. Reports of numbness of the lips and tongue have been reported after eating cooked but unwashed quinoa. The risks associated with quinoa are minimal, provided it is properly prepared and leaves are not eaten to excess."
Courstesy of Wikipedia - this may be why your mother insists you wash the Quinoa. However the same article states that Quinoa is usually processed in a way to remove all saponins before it is sold for consumption.
Whatever the reason I think it is yummy and I have never had any issues either.
I love, love the first quinoa dish and have had it for lunch the last two weeks (a couple days a week). My husband loves it and the yogurt version for my 17 month-old was also a hit. So summery fresh! Keep 'em coming!
OK, this may be a stupid question, but when you pre-make the quinoa, do you warm it up or anything before you eat it, or do you just eat it cold from the fridge?
Yum! That seriously looks AWESOME. I love anything that involves eggs, cheese, and avocado. So excited about this!
In reference to the cilantro, I HATE it. Hate with a capital H, Hate. I can't explain why. But then a couple of months ago, I read this article in the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html
Who knew there was such a huge group of cilantro-haters?!? But you see, it's not my fault...as the article points out:) Thanks again for the recipe!
Yum! That seriously looks AWESOME. I love anything that involves eggs, cheese, and avocado. So excited about this!
In reference to the cilantro, I HATE it. Hate with a capital H, Hate. I can't explain why. But then a couple of months ago, I read this article in the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html
Who knew there was such a huge group of cilantro-haters?!? But you see, it's not my fault...as the article points out:) Thanks again for the recipe!
Sorry but it looks like someone puked out that dish :(
Damn, this looks awesome! Can't wait to make it.
I'm loving this new cooking side of you that you're sharing!
A. This looks delicious! I'm making it tonight.
B. Did you know when it comes to cilantro and taste buds, some people's brains/buds actually translate is as a soapy taste rather than the deliciousness it really is? This blew my mind. I still can't get over it and felt the need to share.
C. Also, salsa verde! Mexcellent!
I started reading this a bit too fast and thought your mom was writing this one. Couldn't believe she used the word "fucktons" - and I thought "wow, like mother, like daughter" but then realized it was you and it all just made sense. :)
fyi- washing quinoa. if you buy from a bulk bin then you def want to wash it. when it comes from a neat little orange box from trader joe's, there is absolutely no need for washing!
I can't wait to try this!! I made that quinoa salad last night for my husband and myself (first time we've ever tried it) and it was AWESOME. Thanks for the ideas!
Thank you for the recipes, I can't wait to try.
I've been checking your site for the next 'eat well' update like an obsessive fool. I love me some quinoa and will happily eat up any suggestions you may have as to prepare it. Keep the recipes coming please and thankyouverymuch.
PS-I have never washed my quinoa before making it. Ever. Donno why, just haven't. Nobody's ever noticed before. Surely a numb tongue would be brought up in the dinner convo, no?
Love quinoa, and I love all the new ideas you give for quinoa!!
Awesome!!! So glad you guys dig the quinoa and good call, Jenifer on when to wash. That makes sense. I only ever buy it boxed which would explain not having issues with unwashed quinoa. :)
xo!
Oh! And Ashley! Sometimes I warm it and sometimes I do not depending on the dish. For this particular dish you can go either way because it's kind of a hot and cold situation (hot eggs and cheese, cold salsa and cilantro.) I don't usually heat but you absolutely could!
That's a really easy and fast recipe that I know my kids will like. I say serve it with a side of jicama with chile and lime. Yum.
We love quinoa too! In reference to your post about eggs (I know your mom wrote it, but I'll address the question to you)...
I was very excited that you "uncovered" what the different labels on eggs mean. You're right, it is concentration camp conditions. And, eating from a known coop makes sense. But, in the case of cheese, how do you justify the conditions of the cows? The dairy industry is just as bad, if not worse, that the chicken farms. Especially, since they are the main reason for the existence of the veal industry. I was just wondering. I was vegetarian for 10 years before I was able to admit to myself that eating dairy was scarcely different than eating meat.
Fucktons! I love it. Gonna use it whenever I can.
Girl you are AWESOME! My bro is coming into town tonight and he is a veggie! I have plenty of cooked quinoa on hand but didn't know what to make for dinner. You just decided for me. I will tell you if he approves :).
Wait! Wait! Not so fast! I still have to cook the aubergine dish from last time! :-)
Love those recipes! Keep 'em coming. And will Wendy adopt me, please? Little Miss Kickboxer wants such a cool grandma, too.
Sweet baby jeebus, I could eat quinoa every single day for the rest of my life and never get tired of it.
And my six year old son pronounces it "king wall" despite my attempts at correcting him. It's pretty cute.
Cindy...I agree about the dairy industry. I only use goat products (I mentioned this in my egg post), which aren't factory farmed, or imported cheese (not factory farmed)...no domestic cheese unless I have researched the farm. There are some great cheeses out there that are made from co-op farms and I use their products. The co-ops use small, pasture raised cows and sell their milk to the cheese manufacturers. You can find all of these brands online and actually look at pictures of the cows grazing. Since we haven't done a cheese post, we haven't addressed this issue, but glad you brought it up. I don't eat any factory farmed products of any kind! :)
I will take any and every suggestion that you can throw at me for making dishes with quinoa! I LOVE the stuff, but my husband isn't convinced so I'm desperate to find a way of making it that he'll like too.
Bring it on!
In the meantime, I think Quinuevos Rancheros will be on the menu this weekend!
Oh wow that looks really tasty! My boyfriend and I have been trying to eat healthier lately and his sister recommended quinoa as a tasty rice alternative. Thus far we've really enjoyed it but have been stumped as to all the things we can substitute and/or is a good starting point for when we make dinner sometimes. I hope you post even more stuff with quinoa (perhaps with a recipe for the picky eaters in our lives (my boyfriend) would enjoy?
Now, to try and get my boyfriend to make this one tonight... :)
Hi! I'm new to quinoa, and it is hard to find in Norway. Do you use quinoa flakes or quinoa seeds in your dishes? And another question, in your first quinoa recipe, you said that you used goat cheese - do you mean chevre? Your recipes look great and are very inspiring!
pshaw. no one can ever get sick of quinoa.
I definitely second your mom's advice on rinsing (from bulk bins of quinoa). To make a long, only funny in hindsight story short, I had a crazy pregnancy scare when my baby was about seven weeks old (nausea like morning sickness, then more nausea at the thought of being pregnant again) that I finally realized was a result of unrinsed quinoa I had made, then eaten leftovers of because it seemed good for a queasy stomach... urgh. Now I know about rinsing, though, and no more quinoa-related scares :) can't wait to try this one! Thank you!
Thanks for another great recipe. I love the salad and had that a couple of times last week. Tonight I was suddenly solo for dinner so I decided to give your latest recipe a try. Glad I did! It was tasty, filling and easy. Thanks!
yum!
This looks so good. I will try it fer shur! One of my favorite ways to eat quinoa is in a curry and mango salad (Recipes for it are available online). You can also use wheat berries, for peeps who eat wheat.
Loving the Eat Well feature. So nice to see so many recipes that I can and would want to eat.
P.S. Go team cilantro! ;)
Since the first quinoa recipe... I. HAVE. BOUGHT. THREE. POUNDS. OF. THE. SHIT. because my girlfriend is now obsessed with it. Thanks, BEC! ;-)
Never tasted Quinoa before your post - and I simply love it - and its versatility. Yummy + Healthy = :-)
My husband made the first quinoa recipe for a party I threw and he made THE WHOLE BOX so we have "fucktons of quinoa" in the fridge right now. Can't wait to try this!
Thanks, Wendy, for responding to my comment! I'm always happy to see people take on factory farming! And, it's not easy to do in our busy, hectic lives!
Just made this for dinner and it was groan inducing all around the table. But like Food orgasm groans, so THANK YOU! Looking forward to more Quinoa recipes. :)
Oh my god, YUM! Your food posts always make me salivate! I am a vegetarian with a taste for seafood! I will be printing this and your mom's last recipe to cook this week!
Thank you!
so i read you blog often and when you announced you were starting an eat well section i got so excited!! i actually am pescetarian so i spend a lot of time researching about different foods and recipes. when i read this one i ran to my grocery store to try it. mind you it took me about 30 mins to find quinoa (and it didn't help that no one who worked at my grocery store even knew what it was). anyways i've just tried it (cilantro and all - which btw i still can't handle it. yuck. LOL) and...
I. LOVE. IT!
honestly i think i'm gonna have this all the time! minus the cilantro.
keep the recipes coming!!! much love!
I just made this for dinner and it was delicious! My husband and I are aspiring vegetarians so I'm always on the lookout for good recipes! Keep 'em coming!
I like this, I have to try!
Thank you for inspiring me to get back in the kitchen! I haven't cooked in FOREVER, as the hubs is an amazing cook and a bit of a food prep control freak :). However, I've recently recommitted to a vegetarian lifestyle (hubs will never do so), so we've been collaborating a little more to make recipes that we can eat and enjoy together. So I went to TJ's, bought a box of red quinoa, and utilizing your quickie salad, with a few tweaks. Thanks again for the inspiration, and for helping me look at my vegetarianism as a fun food adventure! And more quinoa recipes, please :)
I made your first quinoa recipe and took it to work for lunch all last week. You should have seen the flock of people my food attracted. I cannot wait to try this next quinoa recipe, as I know it will be another hit. Keep bringing on the quinoa recipes. I love the stuff and can't get enough. Living up here in Canada, we don't get the amount of fresh produce that you do, but we can always get creative. Thanks for being so awesome. I read your blog every single day.
I was a quinoa-virgin before this recipe.... I just made it tonight and oh. my. god. If only my taste buds could talk they would say how amazed they are at how good and easy and not scary quinoa is!!
Thanks so much... I'm really trying to eat healthier and learn creative new recipes besides boring salads, so thank you for starting this series!
i made this tonight and it was SO, SO, SO, SO good! my skeptical husband loved it. i used crumbled queso fresco--highly recommend. thanks for the great idea. keep 'em coming!
I just have to say that this is my favorite food now. I've eaten it just about every other day since you posted the recipe. My 1 year old loves it as well, too bad the 5-year old would rather have spaghetti with ketchup.
I am the worlds pickiest eater, but after seeing a Momversation video a few months back in which you mentioned quinoa, I went to the nearest Whole Foods and bought some. That was in March? I hadn't figured out a way to use it. I just used it today for this recipe, for lunch. My 3 y/o daughter looked at it, then looked at me like I was crazy. She's a hard sell (opposed to all things green, unless it's green beans, which have to be cooked a very specific way for her to even THINK about touching them). I'll find a way to sneak avocado and quinoa in her meals yet! Anyway, this is delicious. Absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe and I am LOVING the new Eat Well section.
love love love quinoa now... finally found it at a store in the middle of nowhere VA where we live (we're 3 hours from a whole food OR trader joes! TEAR!), & my 3 1/2 yr old daughter has asked for it every day! this is my favorite recipe so far... any good suggestions that dont involve onions or peppers? i have weird migraine triggers & have to avoid them... but hte cold salad with yogurt & corn looks SO good... any pepper substitution suggestions (from anyone)?
oh, and ! sarahdickens -- my daughter is the same way about avacado... i mjust mash it up & mix it in, she usually cant tell as long as theres other stuff to distract (the cheese & eggs in this recipe hid it for us this time)
i made this today, and IT IS AMAZINGLY GOOD. i posted on my blog about it and, of course, gave you credit and a link. YUMMY!!! gonna try roasting garbanzo beans here in a minute. :)
http://ourhenryhome.blogspot.com/2010/08/quineuvos-rancheros-recipe-found.html
I can confirm that this recipe is especially good when one comes home from the pub, quite pissed.
I generally only lurk & never comment though I thoroughly enjoy your blog.
I cooked this dish tonight and I had to delurk to comment & tell you this was one of the most delicious easy dinners EVER! Super satisfying! Thank you!
Also.. I LOVE your mom's recipes...
And Archer & Fable & Bo & Revi are awesome!
Am I sounding stalkerish now? I'll stop :-)
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