Warning: This post is meant to show you how you can enjoy one batch of quinoa throughout the week…not encouraging you to eat quinoa for EVERY meal!  It is possible to get too much of a good thing : )

 

I’m back on a quinoa kick!  I blame the HUGE Costco sized bag about to expire in my pantry and the quinoa filled recipes spreading across the blog world!  This morning, I whipped up a pan of cooked quinoa.  If you are new to quinoa, you can find cooking instructions here.  Once you have a large pot of cooked quinoa, the possibilities are endless!

 

Starting with breakfast…

 

 

I’ve had this recipe for pancakes from Everyday Food tucked away from a few years ago, yet I’ve never made them.  I rediscovered it flipping through my recipe binder this morning searching for a Sunday Pancake Day worthy recipe!

 

 

Sadly, my pancakes never quite stack up quite as nicely as the Door County rock piles.

 

 

 

Despite their odd shape, the pancakes, served drizzled with agave and sprinkled with diced strawberries, were awesome!

 

 

I’m a huge fan of a breakfast that will fuel you through your morning (in today’s case…that was Hot Yoga).  Since quinoa is packed with protein, these pancakes are satisfying and filling!

 

 

 

When I walked out of yoga, the rain was coming at me horizontally.  It’s amazing how (almost) overnight, the neighborhood started to look like fall!

 

 

On a day like today, there’s only one thing will do…

 

 

 

Make chili!  Have you ever tried quinoa chili???

 

 

I have seen a few different quinoa chili recipes on the web, and this one from Manifest Vegan definitely caught my eye.

 

 

I followed the recipe as written, but ended up with a much soupier version than I expected. I added in some extra white beans and quinoa (since I had it), and then skimmed off about 2 cups of liquid.  The result was a thick and flavorful bowl of heart warming chili.

 

 

I diced up some avocado and crumbled some crackers to make a hearty and fulfilling lunch.

 

 

 

The chili was delicious!  The perfect combination of fall flavors with some pumpkin spiciness!

 

 

Does anyone else’s kitchen look like this on Sunday afternoon?

 

 

Slightly embarrassing…I know!  I must say that by the time my chili cooled off, it had thickened up quite a bit, but I would still decrease your liquid (as seen in the NOTE below) for a thicker chili.

 

 

 

As I am housesitting and heading back into class for the week (this is the last week and then I will have my certification), I am thrilled to have lunch for the week.  This is a new household favorite!  A must try!!!

 

Which leads me on to the last, but not certainly not the least exciting quinoa recipe, Quinoa Cocoa-Nut Cookies.

 

 

 

I have had this recipe for about a year, but I’ve never actually made it as written.  Instead, I modified it to make these Afternoon Energy Bars.  With a tornado warning raging at our back door, I had the full hour to let the cookies sit in the oven.

 

 

And it was well worth it!

 

 

These healthy cookies are fabulous!  They will store in your fridge or freezer for up to a week!

 

 

And even though they are considered ‘cookies’, these make a super healthy snack.  Or, my plan is to freeze them to bring to my classmates for breakfast on Friday (along with this tasty bread).

 

 

One food really goes a long way!  Everything, the pancakes, chili, and cookies can all be frozen for a later date, so cook and bake away while planning to share with friends or freeze for later.

 

CLICK HERE for more Quinoa Love!

 

What is your favorite quinoa recipe?  Links Welcome!

 

 

Quinoa Cakes (For One)

Recipe inspired from Everyday Food, November 2010

 

Ingredients

 

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 large egg

1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce

2 tablespoons almond milk

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Agave and fruit for topping

 

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together quinoa, flour, and baking powder. In another medium bowl, whisk together egg, milk, and cinnamon until smooth. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine.

Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with butter and heat over medium-high. Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into skillet. Cook until bubbles appear on top, 2 minutes. Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside, 2 minutes. Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more melted butter and remaining batter (reduce heat to medium if overbrowning). Serve with maple syrup and fresh fruit or preserves if desired.

 

 

Pumpkin Quinoa White Bean Chili

From Manifest Vegan

Makes 8 servings

 

Ingredients

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3 to 4 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon allspice

Dash nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup shredded carrot

2 cans (15 ounces each) pumpkin puree (solid packed works great)

4 cups salted vegetable broth

3 cups cooked cannellini beans

1/2 cup canned coconut milk

1 1/2 cups cooked red quinoa

1/2 cup scallions, chopped

1/2 to 1 teaspoon additional salt to taste

1 avocado, diced

1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

 

Directions

Place the onion, garlic, and red pepper along with the olive oil and sea salt into a large stock pot and sauté over medium-high heat until the peppers are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir often to prevent burning.

Add in the spices, carrot, pumpkin puree and vegetable broth and simmer over medium heat for 11 minutes. Stir in the cannellini beans, coconut milk and quinoa and simmer an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until heated through and thickened slightly. Fold in the scallions and then top each individual serving with ample avocado and cilantro. Let cool about 15 minutes before serving; the chili will thicken about standing.

 

Important Note: I followed the recipe as written and ended up with way too much liquid. I was able to add some quinoa and beans, but still needed to skim off some of the liquid.  I would recommend using 3 cans of beans and only 2 cups of vegetable broth.

 

 

Quinoa Cocoa-Nut Cookies

From CHEW

Ingredients

1/2 Cup natural Almond Butter

1/3 Cup Raw Agave Nectar

2 Tbsp Milled Flax Seed

2 Cups cooked Quinoa, completely cooled

1 Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

1/2 cup Dried, shredded, unsweetened coconut

1/4 Cup Cocoa Nibs (I used chocolate chips)

1 Tsp Sea Salt

 

Method

Preheat the oven on its lowest setting.  For me, this was 170 degrees.

In a bowl, mix together the peanut butter, agave, seal salt and ground flax seeds. Mix in the quinoa, oats, and coconut. Fold in the cacao nibs. This mixture should be pretty clumpy

Mold into mini patties, place on non-stick cookie sheet and throw into oven for 1 hour-ish.

Store in fridge (or freezer) and consume within a week.