Sunday, October 21, 2012

Recipe: Spicy Vegetable Quinoa “Biryani"

As promised, here is my recipe for Spicy Vegetable Quinoa “Biryani”.  Traditionally, Biryani is made with rice, so I decided to experiment with quinoa and change up one of my mom’s recipe

Quinoa is a great source of protein! It is actually a complete protein, meaning that it has all of the amino acids that our body needs. Vegetarians often have trouble finding since this type of protein is found in meats, poultry, and fish. I hope you give this recipe a try!

Don’t forget to get your copy of The Vegetarian’s Complete Quinoa Cookbook!

Spicy Vegetable Quinoa "Biryani"
Makes: 6 cups
One Serving: 1.5 cups

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups vegetable broth
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp finely minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chili powder
1 large potato (about 5oz/150g) peeled and chopped into 1.5 inch (4cm) pieces
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp 0% fat Greek-style yogurt
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1. Place the quinoa in a large saucepan, add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook covered for 15-20 minutes. The quinoa is done when the grains are translucent and all the liquid has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork, remove from heat and let stand covered 5-10 minutes.

2. In a small frying pan, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Saute onions about 3-6 minutes, until golden brown. Reduce heat to low and add the ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, turmeric, coriander, and chill powder and stir well. Remove from heat.

3. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook covered for 8-10 minutes or until the potatoes soften slightly. Do not drain.

4. Add the mixed vegetables and fold in until evenly mixed. Stir in the lemon juice and yogurt. Remove from heat.

5. To serve: Fold the potato mixture and the onion mixture into the cooked quinoa. Add the cilantro and serve immediately.

The great thing about getting this published in a cookbook is that I now have the nutritional information!

Nutrition per serving:
311 Calories
0mg cholesterol
6g fibre
10g total fat (mostly good fat!)
1g saturated fat
60mg sodium
4g sugars
48g carbohydrate
9g protein

Unfortunately, I did not take  a picture the last time I made it. I will surely add a picture when I make it next :). Enjoy!

PS. For those of you stumped on how to pronounce Quinoa, it’s “KEEN-WA”.

Monday, October 15, 2012

My Recipes in “The Vegetarian’s Complete Quinoa Cookbook"

I have some exciting news! 

Two of my recipes have been published in “The Vegetarian’s Complete Quinoa Cookbook”!!!!


Spicy Vegetable “Biryani”

Date and Walnut Squares

I will share both of these recipes in the weeks to come. Buy your copy on Amazon here!

Here are a few pictures from the launch tonight at the Cookbook Store:

Some delicious samples from the cookbook!

Those spring rolls were amazing!



Mairlyn Smith being funny as usual


Stay tuned for the recipes and don’t forget to pick up your copy today!







Saturday, October 13, 2012

Recipe: Never Buy Salad Dressing Again!

I volunteer at a Community Health Centre and one of my favourite programs to assist with is the Community Kitchen. For those unfamiliar with this term, Community Kitchens are essentially a place for community members to come together, share recipes, and cook!

The last Community Kitchen was extra fun since we walked over to the local community garden and harvested vegetables for our lunch!

Among the many vegetables and herbs we harvested, here is one gem I found: 


Intertwined carrots! Can you say ‘inseparable’?
Once we returned to our kitchen, we cut up all of the vegetables and made a great salad.

You don’t really need a recipe for a salad! This salad had cherry tomatoes, lettuce, swiss chard, green and yellow peppers, kale, radish, and carrots.


We paired this with a salad dressing made from scratch! Why buy salad dressing when you can make it at home? You can always change around the ingredients to suit your needs!

The basic ingredients you need for a vinaigrette is an oil, such as olive oil and something acidic, such as vinegar or lemon juice. With that in mind, the possibilities are endless!

Basil Vinaigrette

Basil Vinaigrette
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 Tbsp dry basil
  • 2 cloves garlic minced or 1 tsp garlic powder
1. Mix ingredients well and enjoy with your favourite salad!

Source: www.allrecipes.com