Quinoa Pilaf with Pine Nuts Filed under ( light recipes, nuts, quinoa, Rice, side dish )

I think one of the best things about our summer at home were the family dinners. Every night my mom and I would decide what we were making, and my siblings came over just about every time to eat with us. It was so much fun and made all the preparation so worth it.



One of my mom's trademark side dishes is this quinoa pilaf, a recipe that she got from Ellie Krieger's cookbook. Now, I knew that quinoa was the new thing, I understood how good it is for you and how all the cool foodies are chomping it down these days, but I just hadn't gotten there yet. I found it too bland, too grainy, I don't know, just too quinoa-y.





I'm now a believer.



I could eat this pilaf all day long. It's nutty, it's soft, and has such a great flavor. I think one of the best parts about it is the fresh parsley. It adds a wonderful brightness to an earthy grain that goes just beautifully. If you don't think you're quite sold on quinoa yet, I really urge you to try this, you just might change your mind.





Quinoa Pilaf with Pine Nuts

Ellie Krieger



Ingredients



2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 large onion, chopped

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Salt and pepper



Directions



Put the broth and quinoa in a medium sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and grain is tender.



Meanwhile, toast the nuts in a large dry skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown and fragrant, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove nuts from pan and set aside. Heat the oil in the same skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook stirring occasionally, until the onions soften and begin to brown, about 6 minutes.



When the quinoa is done, fluff with a fork and transfer to a large serving bowl. Stir in the pine nuts, onions, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Quinoa Salad with Mandarine Oranges and Capers Filed under ( grocery treasures, light recipes, oranges, quinoa, review, salad, sandwiches )

I feel like I've learned so much through the food blog world. I've learned about ingredients and techniques that I didn't even know existed until now. Quinoa is one of those things. When I first heard about it, I didn't even know how to say it, I thought it was pronounced Ki-no-ah. Yeah...no. Turns out you pronounce it keen-wah. Well, however you want to say it, you should definitely try it. It's made of small grains that you boil and turn into just about whatever you want. They are small, soft and remind me of a cross between tapioca and wheat grains. It's also crazy healthy for you, and fun to eat!

I made this salad simply by pulling ingredients out of the frigde that I thought would be good together. It turned out to be so good, and I was also able to use my Newman's Own Balsamic Dressing that I got a few months ago. This salad was so clean tasting and refreshing with a lot of great flavors. I especially loved the contrast of the salty capers with the sweet mandarine oranges. This would be great for a BBQ or any get-together.

Quinoa Salad with Mandarine Oranges and Capers

Ingredients

2 cups of prepared quinoa (use directions on the box)
1 medium can of Mandarine Oranges
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons red onion, or shallot, chopped
1/4 cup Monterey Jack or Feta cheese, chopped into small pieces
2-3 teaspoons Newman's Own Balsamic Dressing, enough to moisten entire salad.

Directions

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl. Keep chilled.

I served this alongside a BLT, one of my favorites! To kick it up a knotch, try this spread out...


It's a sandwich spread that is full of peppercorns, dijon and lots of fantastic flavor. You could use it on sandwiches, burgers, breakfast sammies, you name it. I'm not being endorsed in any way to promote this stuff, I just really happen to like it!