Red Lentil Quinoa Pilaf served with Meatball, Garlic Sauce, and Salad

Bowls! by Molly Watson has inspiring delicious and healthy one-dish meal ideas. Each recipe in this book serves a family of four. I like the simple instructions and explanations that help us prepare an array of flavourful meals. It shows how we can use ingredients that we may have at home to put together a complete meal or a healthy bowl with vegetables, toppings, sauce, protein, and a base.

Vegetable Savoury Quinoa and Delicious Dishes Made at the CUTCO Event

Savoury Qunioa, Kale orange salad and Fruit salad

I have been a fan of CUTCO for several years, so I had a wonderful time learning more about CUTCO knives at the #foodiesforever event in Toronto. I learned about different types of knives, its specific uses and knife skills at the event, while preparing and enjoying a healthy delicious meal.

Some of the things I learned about kitchen knives are that dull knives can be dangerous as it makes us put pressure when cutting, which is more likely to get us hurt. Also, wooden knife handles are porous and are prone to splintering. 
These things are not a problem with CUTCO, as their knives are sharp and have a forever guarantee to keep them always sharp. The comfortable thermo-resin CUTCO knife handles are dishwasher-safe, which keeps them clean and good as new.

We made this delicious Savoury Quinoa at the event, which I tried at home as well. This easy to make healthy meal was also enjoyed by everyone in my family.

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1 vegetable cube

1 carrot

1 zucchini

1 tbsp coconut oil

salt and pepper optional

Cut the carrot and zucchini into cubes and leave it aside. Heat the oil in medium heat and sauté the carrots and zucchini for 1 to 2 minutes. Then add the quinoa with the water and vegetable cubes. Let the quinoa cook in low heat covered for about 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cooked quinoa sit for about 5 minutes and serve it warm.

All rights reserved on photographs and written content Torviewtoronto © 2010 - 2013 unless mentioned. Please Ask First

Win your own book to Celebrate Cooking with Quinoa

Celebrate the International Year of Quinoa in 2013 with this book Cooking with Quinoa for Dummies written by Cheryl Forberg.
Quinoa is a "super food" that nearly disappeared in the 1500s as Spanish explorers destroyed Qunioa fields to break Incas' morale.  Qunioa survived in isolated places in high altitude regions until it was rediscovered and became available in South America in the 1970s.  Qunioa is increasingly becoming popular in North America because it is an easy to digest seed that has lots of nutriets, fibre, protein and more.
Cooking with Quinoa For Dummies has over 140 gluten-free recipes, including Thai Quinoa-Coconut Chicken Soup, Quinoa Currant Hotcakes, Grilled Chili Beef with Quinoacado Relish and Quinoa Chocolate Cake.  Making quinoa in different ways will help keep it interesting to enjoy it all the time.  It is even served in high end restaurants such as in Silks Dining Lounge.  
Forberg provides information on how to properly prepare quinoa, it health benefits and on how we can substitute it into our favourite meals.  Quinoa will transform our diet, health and life.  

There are lots of useful information about nutrition and other food as well, here are a Quinoa specific information from the book.

• The white, red and black quinoa have a slightly different taste.  
• To cook 1 cup of quinoa we will need to use 2 cups of liquid; it is a 2:1 ratio.  
• 1/2 cup of dried quinoa is equal to 1 1/2cups cooked quinoa, it is a 3:1 ratio.  
• Basic rule is to simmer the quinoa for 15 minutes (maybe a bit more) when it is ready we will smell its aroma strongly and the kernels will be translucent all the way through and germ will spiral out like a short thread on each kernel.

Cook the quinoa with the water in a pan by bringing the water to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer, cover and cook until the water is absorbed.  We can also cook the quinoa in the rice cooker.  Fluff it with a  fork and use it in any recipe.  

Asian Quinoa Coleslaw recipe adapted from this book
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup onion chopped
1 tbsp garlic minced
2 tbsp fresh ginger chopped
4 cups green cabbage finely shredded
1 cup carrot grated
1/3 cup cilantro without stem chopped 
1 tbsp soy sauce
salt to taste
2 tsp lightly toasted sesame seeds optional

Heat the oil then sauté the onion.  Add the garlic and ginger.  Add the cabbage, cover the pan and cook for a minute.  Remove the cover and stir-fry the cabbage until it is softened for about 2 minutes.  Add the quinoa and grated carrot and cook for 2 minutes until it is heated through.  Add the cilantro, soya sauce, salt and sesame seeds.  Serve it warm.

Giveaway:
Looking forward to hear if you have you cooked with Quinoa before, if so what is your favourite thing to make with Quinoa?
3 people in Canada or US can win this fabulous cookbook.  Giveaway ends on February 10th.
To win enter through the rafflecopter below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

All rights reserved on photographs and written content Torviewtoronto © 2010 - 2013 unless mentioned. Please Ask First