After baking 50 cupcakes for a summer school event, then following that up with cake, frosting, and fondant this weekend, I was ready for a good, healthy meal.

My favorite weeknight dinners are always the ones that just require a single bowl and fork or spoon. This one is awesome because it’s full of protein, and it gets a nice kick from the salsa verde. I don’t know why I don’t keep tomatillos around the house more often because they make the BEST salsa!

Recipe:

salsa
4 medium tomatillos, papery husks removed, halved
3 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
2 chopped serrano chiles (or less if you’re not into spicy food)
1/4 cup water

salad
2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
juice of one lime
2 cups black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
chopped cilantro, for garnish

First, make the salsa. Put the garlic and tomatillos under the broiler until softened slightly and browned in places. Transfer to a blender and add the cilantro, salt, chiles, and water. Blend until nearly smooth. Set aside.

Bring the water to a boil in a covered pan. Add the quinoa, stir, and turn the heat down to low. Simmer, covered, until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Let stand for a few minutes, then add the lime juice and fluff with a fork. Let cool.

In a large bowl, toss the cooled quinoa with the black beans, tomato, and avocado. Stir in about half the salsa, taste, and add more if desired. Serve garnished with chopped cilantro, and pass the remaining salsa on the side.

I think people who claim to hate vegetables just haven’t tried them in the right form. Show me someone who hates broccoli, and I can almost guarantee that this broccoli pesto will make them fall in love with it.

This is another amazing recipe from 101 Cookbooks, which I changed slightly because I didn’t want to drown my broccoli in heavy cream. I also cooked my quinoa in vegetable broth, because it’s just so much more flavorful than using water. I love this stuff!

Recipe:
(adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth

5 cups raw broccoli, cut into small florets and stems

3 medium garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 big pinches salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil

Bring the broth to a boil, then stir in the quinoa and turn the heat to low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the quinoa has absorbed all the liquid. Fluff with a fork and let cool.

While the quinoa is cooking, steam the broccoli until tender. Transfer half the steamed broccoli to a food processor with the garlic, almonds, cheese, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil. Pulse a few times, until nearly smooth (but a little texture keeps it interesting). Taste and adjust seasonings.

To serve, toss the pesto with the quinoa, then top with remaining steamed broccoli.

I spent all day thinking about this dinner. I realize to some people that might be a little obsessive, but I knew I had quinoa and a random assortment of vegetables at home, and I wanted to make something that would use up what I had on hand but not feel like a dumping ground for odds and ends. I wanted it to be well put-together, satisfying, and delicious.

It’s kind of like when you were in middle school and wanted to talk to the boy you liked, so you’d agonize all day over what to say to seem cute and fun, not clingy and desperate. Middle school was so awkward. Anyway…

Roasting the mushrooms, red onion, and zucchini together in a little olive oil with salt and pepper bring out complex flavors in all three, and the lemon and thyme in the dressing bring a bright summer freshness that is hard to beat. With quinoa, the protein-packed super-grain, and some white beans for added protein and fiber, this is an awesome main course dish that will definitely keep you satisfied. For those of you that eat meat, you could always leave out the beans and serve it alongside grilled chicken or shrimp. I’m also thinking that for summer, grilled vegetables would be a seasonally-appropriate stand-in for roasted…whatever works for you!

Recipe:
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup quinoa

1 large zucchini, cut into 1″ chunks
10-12 large button mushrooms, quartered
1 red onion, cut into wedges
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

1 can (or about 1 1/2 cups cooked) navy or canellini beans, rinsed and drained

juice of 1 large lemon (2-3 tbsp)
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small shallot, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Toss the zucchini, mushrooms, and onion with olive oil, salt and pepper, and spread on a baking sheet. Bake for about 40 minutes or until all vegetables are tender. Remove and set aside.

While the vegetables are roasting, cook the quinoa. Bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan, then add the quinoa. Cover and turn to low, cooking for about 15 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed. Remove the cover, transfer to a large bowl and fluff with a fork.

Mix together the dressing ingredients (lemon juice, thyme, salt and pepper, olive oil, and shallot) and toss with the quinoa. Add the beans and vegetables, toss a few more times, and serve.

I’ve been on such a barley kick lately that quinoa kind of fell off the radar for a little while. While perusing the bulk bins at our local natural foods store, I saw the bin of quinoa and realized it had been too long since it made an appearance in our kitchen.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it, though, so I started browsing through my cookbook collection and this quinoa salad with classic Thai flavors caught my eye. It reminds me a lot of tabouli, but with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, and cilantro instead of lemon and parsley. Obviously, it’s not a classic Thai recipe, but I love the flavor and healthy ingredients.

I added tempeh to the original recipe so it could stand alone as a main dish salad. I sliced it into really thin pieces, pan fried them until golden brown, then crumbled it up (a technique borrowed from this recipe on Herbivoracious). If you’re hesitant about trying tempeh, this is a great way to do it because you hardly notice it’s there!

Recipe:
(adapted from A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider)

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 stalk of lemongrass (bottom 3″ only), finely chopped
1 kaffir lime leaf, finely chopped
3 small red Thai chiles, finely chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
8 ounces tempeh, sliced very thinly
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 shallot, chopped and rinsed with cold water
4 tbsp fresh lime juice
4 tbsp unsweetened coconut milk
3 tbsp dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

Toast the quinoa in a dry skillet over medium heat for about five minutes.
Transfer to a large saucepan and add the water, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, chiles, and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover, turn down the heat, and simmer for about 12 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.
Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork. Spread in a shallow dish to cool completely.

While the quinoa is cooling, heat the oil in a wide nonstick skillet. When hot, add the tempeh slices in a single layer and fry until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side. (This may need to be done in batches) Transfer to a plate to cool, then crumble between your fingers

Transfer the cooled quinoa to a medium bowl and add the mint, cilantro, crumbled tempeh and shallot. Toss with the lime juice, coconut milk, and sprinkle with chopped peanuts to serve.

My mom included quinoa in my last care package, and I was pretty stoked to see it.  Brown rice is fine, but I’m definitely starting to get a little tired of it, and I want to play around a little more with different whole grains.

I found some fresh edamame at the store the other day, and since then I’ve never seen it there again, so I guess I just got really lucky!  As usual when I need inspiration, I turned to my google reader. I found a great recipe for edamame salad with shiso and lemon, two things that are easy for me to find. To make a more filling and balanced meal, I added some quinoa (and cucumber for crunch) and the result was this surprisingly filling (and really healthy!) salad.

The lemon was strong but not overpowering, and the shiso added a complementary depth to the citrus flavor. Shiso (or perilla) is common in Korean and Japanese cooking, and you should be able to find it at an Asian grocery store, or possibly the farmers market. If you can’t find it, a little bit of mint might work (since they’re in the same family), but I haven’t tried it out myself.

Recipe:
(adapted from The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen via 101 Cookbooks)

1 1/2 cups quinoa
3 cups water
1 cup cooked, shelled edamame
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
1/2 cup chopped shiso, loosely packed
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp (loosely packed) lemon zest
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp maple syrup
pinch salt
1-2 tbsp olive oil

Put the water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the quinoa, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, then transfer to a bowl.
Add cucumber, shiso leaf, and edamame, and toss to combine.
Whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, rice vinegar, maple syrup, and salt.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and stir.
Add 1-2 tbsp olive oil and mix well to serve.  Garnish with some thinly sliced shiso.