Hottie Biscotti » quinoa http://www.hottie-biscotti.com/blog As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists. ~Joan Gussow Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:55:32 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Citrus Shrimp & Quinoa Salad with Edamame http://www.hottie-biscotti.com/blog/2010/04/12/citrus-shrimp-quinoa-salad-with-edamame/ http://www.hottie-biscotti.com/blog/2010/04/12/citrus-shrimp-quinoa-salad-with-edamame/#comments Tue, 13 Apr 2010 02:21:09 +0000 CarrieZ http://www.hottie-biscotti.com/blog/?p=3770 There is new-to-me website that I have been frequenting recently and that I am really liking….eatingwell.com.

Many of the recipes sound not only healthy, but also delicious.  I am anxious to try some of the desserts, like these lemon squares.  Baked goods are not always the easiest to make tasty and healthy, so I’d like to [...]]]> There is new-to-me website that I have been frequenting recently and that I am really liking….eatingwell.com.

Many of the recipes sound not only healthy, but also delicious.  I am anxious to try some of the desserts, like these lemon squares.  Baked goods are not always the easiest to make tasty and healthy, so I’d like to find out if they’ve managed to mix tastiness and nutrition.

Tonight I made these garlic-y citrus shrimp and a warm quinoa salad with edamame and roasted red peppers in a lemony tarragon sauce.  I served this with whole wheat pita bread.  This meal is packed with protein, quite flavorful, fresh and totally satisfying.  I finished dinner feeling full, but full of really good food, so no guilt!

Another plus is that the meal was simple to prep and came together incredibly quickly.  Quinoa is so much better for you than rice, and it takes about the same amount of time as white rice, and half the time of brown rice.  It is similar in texture to couscous, but has a nuttier flavor and is more substantial.  Shrimp is one of the quickest proteins to cook.  A mere minute on each side is all you need, but any more time than that can yield  a shrimp that is overcooked and rubbery in texture.

The only change I would make is to leave out the walnuts.  I didn’t find that they added anything to the salad but crunch and more protein…which we weren’t exactly lacking here.

I will keep you updated as I try more recipes from this site.  I already have another EatingWell dinner planned for later this week; chicken and fennel flatbread pizza.  Yum.

Sizzled Citrus Shrimp

MARINADE & SHRIMP

  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons dry white wine
  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound medium shrimp, (30-40 per pound), peeled and deveined

SAUCE

  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

PREPARATION

  1. Combine lemon juice, wine, 2 teaspoons oil and garlic in a medium bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally. Drain well, reserving marinade.
  2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook, turning once, until barely pink, about 30 seconds per side; transfer to a plate. Add bay leaf, crushed red pepper and the reserved marinade to the pan; simmer for 4 minutes. Return the shrimp and any accumulated juices to the pan; heat through. Season with salt, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
Warm Quinoa Salad with Edamame

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cups frozen shelled edamame, thawed (10 ounces)
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or 2 teaspoons dried
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup drained and diced jarred roasted red peppers, (3 ounces)
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, preferably toasted

PREPARATION

  1. Toast quinoa in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until it becomes aromatic and begins to crackle, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a fine sieve and rinse thoroughly.
  2. Meanwhile, bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the quinoa and return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook gently for 8 minutes. Remove the lid and, without disturbing the quinoa, add edamame. Cover and continue to cook until the edamame and quinoa are tender, 7 to 8 minutes longer. Drain any remaining water, if necessary.
  3. Whisk lemon zest and juice, oil, tarragon and salt in a large bowl. Add peppers and the quinoa mixture. Toss to combine. Divide among 4 plates and top with walnuts.

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]]> http://www.hottie-biscotti.com/blog/2010/04/12/citrus-shrimp-quinoa-salad-with-edamame/feed/ 1 Dinner Rush: Shrimp with Mango Sauce and Quinoa Salad http://www.hottie-biscotti.com/blog/2009/08/11/dinner-rush-shrimp-with-mango-sauce-and-quinoa-salad/ http://www.hottie-biscotti.com/blog/2009/08/11/dinner-rush-shrimp-with-mango-sauce-and-quinoa-salad/#comments Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:35:39 +0000 CarrieZ http://www.hottie-biscotti.com/blog/?p=1448 The school year is about to begin!  My first day of teacher prep began today, so my casual lifestyle with tons of free time is about to come to an abrupt and unpleasant end.  Taking 8 months off from work to take a couple of part time jobs was pretty great.  It enabled me to [...]]]> The school year is about to begin!  My first day of teacher prep began today, so my casual lifestyle with tons of free time is about to come to an abrupt and unpleasant end.  Taking 8 months off from work to take a couple of part time jobs was pretty great.  It enabled me to move in to our new house and spend time getting things organized and just like I wanted them, running errands as needed, going to the gym whenever I wanted to, playing with the dog, baking and cooking without time restraints, perusing the Internet at my leisure and blogging whenever I pleased!  These days are sadly over.  I will miss you, my lazy life.

I must somehow move on to my new life with a positive attitude and a determination to somehow manage a full time job and the rest of the things I need and want to do.  Hold on, there are women who have more demanding jobs than I do, AND they have children, AND they’re members of groups and clubs, AND they take care of their house, AND they cook dinner, AND do laundry, AND blog!  If they can do it, then measly little me can do it!

I will not allow my new Monday thru Friday, 8-5 (or 6 some days) job keep me from making dinner on the weeknights.  I will also not stoop to macaroni and cheese from a box or putting a frozen pizza in the oven.  I WILL make real dinner!  So, every week I will make, review and blog about quick and easy dinner recipes that can be accomplished by a full time working woman…like I will be as of August 24.

shrimp2

These recipes come from Epicurious Dinner Rush from issues of Gourmet and SELF.  They are both quite delicious.  The most time consuming thing about them is the chopping and prep.  I modified the quinoa recipe quite a bit after speaking with my wiser and younger sister, Sarah, who told me that the preparation of the quinoa in the actual recipe was a bit ridiculous.  I hadn’t ever used quinoa before, so I thought the process of washing it 5 times in cold water, cooking for 10 minutes in boiling water and then steaming it in a sieve for 10 minutes above the boiling water was normal!  Turns out, all you have to do is cook the quinoa as you would rice.  Hooray!  That little change made this dish much faster.

There is a recipe for lime and cumin dressing that goes with the salad, but I didn’t use it.  Instead of the olive oil based dressing, I simply tossed the salad with lime juice, cumin and some kosher salt.  I found the salad to be incredibly light and refreshing.  I thought about adding chopped tomatoes, but opted not to this time.  It would be delicious, though, so I may try it next time.  Here is the original recipe.

Shrimp is always a good choice for a quick meal.  Shrimp cooks quickly, just 2-3 per side, in a hot skillet.  The mango sauce has a great combination of flavors.  Sweet, spicy and perfect with the shrimp.  I served the sauce warm, but it would be good chilled also.  Here is the recipe from epicurious.

I served this meal with a few warmed corn tortillas, so Ben made shrimp tacos.  I liked it better without the tortillas, Ben liked his taco version better.  I think he likes when all the components of a meal come together in a nice little package.  He likes burritos, sandwiches, pizza, stromboli, lasagna, enchiladas, chimichangas and always seems to mix the food on his plate into a new casserole type dish.

This is a fairly quick recipe, and definitely a good choice for a weeknight dinner.

Shrimp with Mango Sauce

Gourmet, Makes 4 servings

shrimp4

  • 4 tsp canola oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped red onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 mango, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1/3 cup cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 lb large shrimp, peeled, tails on
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder (I used 1 teaspoon of minced garlic)
  1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.
  2. Cook onion, garlic, ginger, 1/4 tsp salt, allspice, cumin and cinnamon about 3 minutes.
  3. Add mango, vinegar, lime juice and sugar and gently boil, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick; refrigerate in a bowl.
  4. Toss shrimp with red pepper, garlic and remaining 1/2 tsp salt.
  5. Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp until no longer translucent, about 2 minutes on each side. Let cool; serve with sauce.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Adapted from Gourmet | July 1994

Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish

shrimp3

  • 3/4 cups quinoa (small disk-shaped seeds)*
  • 1 cup black beans, rinsed if canned
  • 1 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
  • 3/4 cup corn (canned or fresh)
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
  • 1/2 fresh jalapeno, minced
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2-3 tablespoons lime juice
  • salt, to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin, or to taste
  1. In a saucepan bring 1 3/4 cup water to a boil.
  2. Add quinoa and cook for 15 minutes on medium low heat.  Check that quinoa is cooked through.
  3. While quinoa is cooking, in a small bowl toss beans with vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Transfer quinoa to a large bowl and cool.
  5. Add beans, corn, bell pepper, jalapeños, and coriander and toss well.
  6. Add lime juice, salt and cumin and taste.  Adjust all these flavorings as needed.

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