Autumn Recipes Articles

Nov 16 2008

Turkish Quinoa Pilaf With Chickpeas, Kale and Pomegranate

Filed under Autumn Recipes,Dinner,Lunch,Quick Fix,Recipes

A couple weeks ago the New York Times health section featured several recipes using quinoa (keen-wah), a small, round ancient seed from Peru that can be used much like a cereal grain.

Because I had all the ingredients on hand, I decided to make this recipe for Quinoa Pilaf With Chickpeas, Pomegranate and Spices. I must admit, while it sounded good I did not expect to like it as much as I did.
I did not have an onion, but I had leeks so I used them instead. This made the recipe faster since leeks only require 1-2 minutes of cooking before additional ingredients are added.
Also, I do not have a spice grinder so I added slightly smaller amounts of already ground spices instead of toasting and grinding them myself. I just eye-balled the amounts using a teaspoon measure.
The recipe says that canned chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) are fine, but I prefer to make my own. In my opinion, homemade beans are much better than canned. However, I have the luxury of having a pressure cooker in the house, which reduces cooking time for beans to about 25 minutes (including depressurization). Otherwise beans require at least an hour to cook. They also require several hours of soaking. Since beans are one of my most reliable and affordable protein sources, this process is worth it for me. If you would rather just crack open a can, that is your call.
Finally, I wanted a little more green in my meal so I steamed half a bunch of dinosaur kale. To prepare, I cut it up into bite sized pieces and steamed it for 8-10 minutes. I salted it then added it to the quinoa after I added the chickpeas. I strongly recommend adding kale if you plan to use this recipe as a main course. It was delicious!
Adaptation of New York Times Quinoa with Chickpeas, Pomegranate and Spices (with kale):
  • 1 teaspoon(ish) cumin
  • 3/4 teaspoon(ish) coriander
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium leek, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 cups cooked quinoa, (1 c. dry)
  • 1 cup cooked chick peas (canned are fine), rinsed
  • 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

Rinse and chop kale and place in steam basket over shallow water. Cover and steam 8-10 minutes. This step is particularly important for dinosaur kale, which can be very tough. If you are using traditional kale, reduce cooking time accordingly. Cook until tender then sprinkle with sea salt.

Adjust a frying pan to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the leek and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and salt, stir together for about half a minute, and stir in the cumin and coriander. Add the remaining olive oil and stir in the quinoa, chick peas, kale and 3 tablespoons of the pomegranate seeds. Stir over medium heat to heat through, several minutes. Taste and adjust salt.
Transfer to a platter or wide bowl and decorate with the remaining pomegranate seeds. You can also mold the pilaf into 1/2-cup ramekins or timbales and unmold onto the plate, then decorate with pomegranate seeds.
Leftover pilaf can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. Picture above was after 3 days, and it was still beautiful. Only the pomegranate seeds started losing color after awhile, but they were still tasty. Reheat 1-2 minutes in the microwave.

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Nov 11 2008

Oven Roasted Vegetables, At Work!

Filed under Autumn Recipes,Basics,Cooking,Dinner,Eating,Habits,Healthstyle,Lunch,Recipes,Tips,Urban,Winter Recipes

As I mentioned, salad season is pretty much over and I have embarked on a new era of work lunches. This week I am experimenting with roasted vegetables because they can be cooked in large batches and store very well in the refrigerator. They also reheat nicely in the microwave.

It cracks me up to say this, but my vegetable choices this week were cauliflower, golden beets and Brussels sprouts. If you would have told 8-year old me that this is what I would be having for lunch every day this week I probably would have vomited in horror. By some strange evolution that can probably be blamed on San Francisco elitism, last Saturday this unthinkable combination of vegetables just sounded brilliant.
Luckily for me, it actually worked. To make sure the Brussels sprouts were not gross, I first halved and par boiled them as usual. In retrospect, I wish I would have also steamed the cauliflower for a few minutes too; it ended up taking longer to cook than everything else.

The vegetables were delicious immediately after cooking and even when reheated at work. My only complaint is that Brussels sprouts got a little too soft because of the extra time it took the cauliflower to cook. But the texture was not too bad and the flavor was fantastic.

Oven Roasted Vegetables

  • 1 whole cauliflower
  • Brussels sprouts (3/4 lb or so)
  • 3-4 medium golden beets
  • fresh herbs (I finished off my oregano)

Preheat oven to 400 (I sometimes do 375). Bring 1 qt water to boil with a few pinches of salt. Set up steamer for cauliflower. Halve the Brussels sprouts and boil exactly 5 minutes. Cut up cauliflower into florets and steam 3-5 minutes. Peel beets and chop into bite-sized 1/2″ cubes.

Spread equal portions of vegetables into two large baking pans. Alternatively you can add all vegetables into one large bowl to make seasoning easier, then distribute them into pans. Coat vegetables liberally with olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Finely chop herbs and sprinkle into mixture, about 2-3 tbsp final volume.

Place vegetables in oven and roast for 40-50 minutes, or until they reach desired tenderness. Be sure to stir them every 10 minutes or so, and monitor them to avoid burning. When they are finished cooking, allow them to cool 10 minutes and then immediately transfer to tupper and place in the refrigerator.

To reheat, microwave on high for 2 minutes, stirring half way through.

This recipe works for almost any durable vegetable. Simply adjust cooking time to reach appropriate tenderness. Serve with brown or wild rice.

What are your favorite roasting vegetables? I will be trying different combinations each week and would love to hear your suggestions.

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Oct 27 2008

Hate Brussels Sprouts? So Did I

Filed under Autumn Recipes,Cooking,Dinner,Eating,Healthstyle,Random,Reflections,Side Dish,Tips,Winter Recipes

Kids and adults alike are often united in their hatred of Brussels sprouts. When I was young, Brussels sprouts were at the very top of my gross foods list, just barely inching out slimy spinach and chalky lima beans. Yuck!

It was not until I got to college that I learned spinach is not really slimy. Turns out it is actually a leaf and surprisingly delicious! I didn’t realize I had been eating frozen spinach my entire life. What a relief!

Over time I learned that many foods I never liked were not as bad as I thought. I grew to appreciate fennel, avocado, cilantro and even beets, but I never could develop a taste for Brussels sprouts.

A few years ago when I started getting serious about vegetables and health, I made a decision to conquer my last few food aversions. Eggplant was something I always struggled with, but I learned that a few kitchen tricks could turn it into a delicious meal. This past summer I was finally able to embrace cucumbers.

After all this, overcoming my aversion to Brussels sprouts is my proudest accomplishment.

I have found that for most foods I do not enjoy, ordering them at an expensive San Francisco restaurant is a great place to start. These people can seriously cook. And if anyone can make something taste good, it is the brilliant chefs of San Francisco.

Absinthe Brasserie was where I first tried Brussels sprouts that I didn’t just like, I loved. So warm, savory and delicious, I finally knew what Brussels sprouts could be.

It was this experience that convinced me it was possible to find a way to cook Brussels sprouts so that I like them. I spent all last winter trying different cooking techniques until I finally got it right.

The secrets?

  1. Bacon – Is there anything bacon doesn’t make better?
  2. Nuts – Walnuts or hazelnuts add a crunchy texture and earthy flavor.
  3. Butter – I don’t cook with butter often, but sometimes it is just worth it.
  4. Blanching – Cutting the sprouts in half and boiling them for 5 minutes removes their bitter flavor.
  5. Fresh herbs – I prefer oregano or marjoram on this dish.
  6. Red wine vinegar – Acid is a great counter to bitterness; it serves Brussels sprouts well.

These tricks and variations of them have convinced me and nearly all of my friends that Brussels sprouts are truly an autumn delicacy.

For those of you questioning the health value of bacon and butter, my answer is this: get over it.

Small amounts of saturated fat will not kill you or even make you fat. Besides, if it gets you to eat your Brussels sprouts it is worth it. I feel confident in saying this dish is infinitely more healthy than anything you can get at Subway.

Don’t be scared, give it a try!

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Do you hate Brussels sprouts? Why?

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