I put the Peruvian in parathesis in the title because quinoa originally comes from Peru. At least the country is the top exporter in the world, followed by Bolivia and Ecuador. It's like saying American hotdogs or Chinese dim sum. It is neither a grain nor a grass, but rather more like amaranth seeds. And, per cup serving it is also very high in protein (13% per dry weight) and it makes a great complement to other foods. This recipe adaptation is not my own and is one that I got from a potluck this year. This is a perfect summer time dish and is very easy to make.
1 cup dry quinoa = 2 cups cooked quinoa
Ingredients:
1-2 cups dry quinoa
2-4 cups water
For the salad:
1 cucumber, diced
2-3 small tomatoes, diced
1 jalapeño, cut into small pieces (or use 1/2 jalapeno if only making 2 cooked cups of quinoa)
1/4 cup fresh lemon (or lime) juice
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
To cook the quinoa, add quinoa to a pot of boiling water (or add the quinoa to a pot of water then bring to a boil, it really doesn't matter). Cook on medium heat until all the water has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool before mixing in salad ingredients.
Toss well with cucumber, tomatoes, jalapeño, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve.
Roasted Bell Peppers
Roasting bell peppers seems simple enough, so why blog about it? Because tastes are individual and this ratio and process works for my oven. ;) For this recipe I used Himalayan pink salt. Maybe one day I'll try it with Sicillian sea salt which also is in the pantry. Also, when I roasted the peppers the first time, I used parchment paper with a baking sheet; but alas, that did not work so well.
If you're going to use a baking sheet, you need to butter or lightly grease it so that the carmelized peppers do not burn or stick to the sheet.
Materials
An oven-proof glass or ceramic baking pan large enough to accommodate the peppers
Ingredients
Fresh bell peppers, whole or sliced, any variety
Olive oil
Salt, any variety
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Add whole or sliced peppers to baking pan. Drizzle olive oil on top of peppers. Sprinkle with salt.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, turning the peppers at least once.
Remove from oven and add to other recipes or enjoy as is.
If you're going to use a baking sheet, you need to butter or lightly grease it so that the carmelized peppers do not burn or stick to the sheet.
Materials
An oven-proof glass or ceramic baking pan large enough to accommodate the peppers
Ingredients
Fresh bell peppers, whole or sliced, any variety
Olive oil
Salt, any variety
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Add whole or sliced peppers to baking pan. Drizzle olive oil on top of peppers. Sprinkle with salt.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, turning the peppers at least once.
Remove from oven and add to other recipes or enjoy as is.
Making Xian Bing ("meat pies")
This is bing as in a bread-styled appetizer found in Chinese cuisine, such as shao bing ("small bread" kind of like a pita), jian bing (crepes), cong you bing (pancakes), etc. This recipe comes from the book of unintelligible Chinese recipes. Basically, it comes from a recipe book written entirely in Chinese from my mom's cookbook collection, none of which I can actually read.
Ingredients
5 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. water
1 3/4 lb ground pork
2 tbsp soy sauce
8 tbsp water
dash of sea salt
2-3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
10 small shitake mushrooms, minced
3 stalks green onions, minced
Directions
1. Except for the flour, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour with 1 cup of water. (Note: if you're using whole wheat flour, you'll need more water). Stir to combine and knead until it comes together as a dough.
3. Form a log and slice into equal chunks. Roll out a dough chunk into a 5" diameter circle.
4. Fill with 2 tbsp of pork mixture and roll the dough up like a pouch. It's better to have the dough in one hand and crimp the edges with the other.
5. Fry on low heat until golden brown on both sides.
View pics.
Ingredients
5 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. water
1 3/4 lb ground pork
2 tbsp soy sauce
8 tbsp water
dash of sea salt
2-3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
10 small shitake mushrooms, minced
3 stalks green onions, minced
Directions
1. Except for the flour, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour with 1 cup of water. (Note: if you're using whole wheat flour, you'll need more water). Stir to combine and knead until it comes together as a dough.
3. Form a log and slice into equal chunks. Roll out a dough chunk into a 5" diameter circle.
4. Fill with 2 tbsp of pork mixture and roll the dough up like a pouch. It's better to have the dough in one hand and crimp the edges with the other.
5. Fry on low heat until golden brown on both sides.
View pics.
Roasted Shimp with Honey-Ginger
I'm not sure when this recipe was scribble down on a random piece of paper (I'll write out recipes on whatever can be written upon, blank spots of used envelopes, scraps of paper, etc.), but it looks good enough to repeat.
Marinade
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tsp dry yellow mustard
1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 lb large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Marinade shrimp for a few hours. Remove from marinade and lay out shrimp in a single layer on a baking dish or tray.
Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, or until shrimp begins to curl and its flesh is no longer translucent. Remove from heat and serve.
Marinade
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tsp dry yellow mustard
1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 lb large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Marinade shrimp for a few hours. Remove from marinade and lay out shrimp in a single layer on a baking dish or tray.
Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, or until shrimp begins to curl and its flesh is no longer translucent. Remove from heat and serve.
Review: Serious Pie (Seattle, WA)
Serious Pie is exactly what its name suggests. For a corner pizza place in downtown Seattle, this restaurant isn't ordinary and their ingredients are far from the usually expected. I ate here on Sunday with my sibling and his wife. We ordered two really tasty pizzas (roasted yellowfoot mushrooms, truffle cheese and the penn cove clams, house pancetta, lemon thyme) and promptly devoured both. The mushroom pizza was a little saltier than I like; but the clam pizza more than made up for it.
The shop doesn't have much footprint inside, so it's best to come here at a off-eating hour. And, they don't take reservations. I'm told that during the summer, the line to get into the restaurant goes out the door, down the block, and around the building. It's that popular.
The only downside is the limited food menu. There are only six starters, seven pizzas, and three desserts. The rest of the menu are beverages.
It is one of many eateries that was created and managed by Tom Douglas, a Seattle chef, who also owns Lola, Palace Kitchen, Dahlia Lounge, Dahlia Bakery, and Etta's.
Price: $$ to $$$
Serious Pie location: 316 Virginia & 3rd Street, Seattle, WA
Menu
Website
The shop doesn't have much footprint inside, so it's best to come here at a off-eating hour. And, they don't take reservations. I'm told that during the summer, the line to get into the restaurant goes out the door, down the block, and around the building. It's that popular.
The only downside is the limited food menu. There are only six starters, seven pizzas, and three desserts. The rest of the menu are beverages.
It is one of many eateries that was created and managed by Tom Douglas, a Seattle chef, who also owns Lola, Palace Kitchen, Dahlia Lounge, Dahlia Bakery, and Etta's.
Price: $$ to $$$
Serious Pie location: 316 Virginia & 3rd Street, Seattle, WA
Menu
Website
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