Quinoa with Sauteed Asparagus, Walnuts & Apples in a Pumpkin-Goat Cheese Sauce

That's right. I did that. I titled this blog post with a list of pretty much EVERY ingredient in my dinner. Try and say that 5 times fast! I just couldn't pick my favorite parts. I can't play favorites. I love you all equally. (I'm talking to ingredients there, but those of you sitting on the other side of the computer, I love you too.)

Before we get run down to the meat of this (or lack thereof), let's talk quinoa for a moment.

Ok, ok, not the most photogenic thing I've ever made...
Haven't you ever heard the expression "You can't judge a quinoa by it's closeup?"

This is the first time I've ever made quinoa. It's the ultimate in trendy health superfoods. And yes, I claim to be a cook and a consumer that focuses my efforts on being healthy (what healthy means to me). I've eaten the stuff only twice. Ever. (I know you're all so very scandalized, but please, pick up those jaws.) So, what gives?

When quinoa stepped out on the scene a few years ago, I gotta say I wasn't so concerned about healthy cooking. Quinoa just seemed trendy and superfluous. To be honest, I didn't give a sheeeet! And so I just never used it. Couscous, yum! Bulgar wheat, why not?! Brown rice, sure! The more I didn't try quinoa, the less I cared about it to be honest. I get lots of protein from chicken and tofu and beans and red meat! I get my vitamins! I've lived this long without it!

And then there was this. And of course, the less dramatic source article here. And not to be all Debbie-downer, but DAMN MAN. To sum it up, the entrance of quinoa into the global market has made the plant inaccessible to some Bolivians who depend on it for their main source of food. Yet at the same time, sales of quinoa abroad have changed the lives of many Bolivians for the better and drastically improved the Bolivian economy. What a conundrum. Fortunately, the ill effects of quinoa's entrance to the global market are being combated by aid programs, but its just such a glaring example of how we can exploit things without a second thought or realization. I obviously don't think there is anything wrong with eating quinoa, but the butterfly effect here is wild. Sometimes it's just important to reflect on our impact on the world, I guess.

There is no denying the health benefits of quinoa and there's no denying the ease of preparation we get in the US from packaged quinoa. It can be used as a healthier alternative to pasta (as seen here) or rice. But I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here and I should just tell you about my dish! Creamy, tangy and lightly pumpkin-y , this sauce balances nicely with the sauteed asparagus, sweet apples and nutty walnuts. It's not the most attractive to look at, but it's so quick and easy and the flavors are all there!

Soundtrack: Saw these guys open for Little Dragon last night. Good things. Good things.


  Tycho by Tycho

Quinoa with Sauteed Asparagus, Walnuts & Apples in a Pumpkin-Goat Cheese Sauce
Serves 4


1 c quinoa, rinsed
1/2 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c pumpkin puree
1/4 c 2% milk
1 1/2 tbsp goat cheese
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and chopped
1 Macintosh apple, cored and chopped
1/4 c walnuts
Salt, pepper, EVOO


Prepare quinoa according to package instructions (or if you buy bulk, you can find the basic preparation online. I added a bit of EVOO and salt to mine.)


Meanwhile, melt butter and 1/2 tbsp EVOO together in a medium saucepan. Add garlic and sautee until toasted. Add pumpkin and milk, bring to a simmer and lower heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes and add goat cheese. Stir until melted. Season with salt & pepper. Set aside.


In a large saute pan, heat a drizzle of EVOO. Add asparagus, apple and walnuts. Salt & pepper. Sautee until vegetable is cooked through.


Toss quinoa with pumpkin sauce and sauteed asparagus, apple and walnuts. Serve!

Saute! Ole!

Honey Goat Cheese & Dried Apricot Snack Time

Sometimes you just need to come home from work and eat cheese.

And that goes with crackers, naturally.

And then you say to yourself: "Self, you should really eat some fruit."

And next time that happens to you, I've got you covered. I've got your back.

Oh. Yea.

 Snack time rules!

PS I've made so many mentions of goats, goat cheese, etc on this blog that I get fairly frequent hits from people searching for goats on Google.

Grilled Eggplant Flatbread Pizza

One of my favorite things about this blog is the way in which I can often use it to procrastinate, operating under the pretense that I am still doing something pretty productive. This works to my advantage in a lot of situations; dishes, dog walks, ironing my granny panties. (Just kidding on that last one.. I don't iron them.) 


My favorite though, is blogging instead of putting my clean laundry to put away. I don't know what it is about laundry; I have NO problem getting it to the point of being a clean pile on my bed, but I just have the hardest time motivating to actually put. it. away. It usually takes me rounds and rounds of complaining and Jagger making a bed or two out of my clothes before I finally move it. This is probably one of the main reasons I should never live alone. No accountability. There would be clean laundry everywhere and I would just cook/bake myself into oblivion and have no one to feed.


I also make up some pretty embarrassing dance moves when I'm alone. And god forbid one of those was to get too much practice and somehow slip its way into my repetoire. No no, it's better I let other people keep me in check.

Pizza Pizza!

Anyway. I love flatbreads. So much so, that every once in a while at work, I find myself typing flatbread, instead of flatbed (that's right, I type "flatbed" at work. A lot.). Roll instead of role. Hunger for Hunter (it's a gentleman's name; it comes up frequently as well). This leads me to a whole 'nother set of issues. We'll save that for a different posting shall we?


This flatbread pizza is definitely the type of thing that, among those that I live with, only I will eat. It's totally Meghan-food. Goat cheese (adorable!), grilled eggplant, fresh basil. I also don't know if I've told you this before, but I'm obsessed with arugula. So it's the perfect thing to make when you are on your own for dinner (or lunch!). Or if you've got a buddy or two who also appreciate fresh vegetables and goats (so cute!), more power to ya. Just double or triple the recipe and you're there! And if you're not into goats as much as I am, you could probably sub out the cheese; just don't skimp on the fresh basil. 


Sountrack: This is quick, not a lot of time for a full soundtrack. But here are some of my Jimkata favorites, just to be inspiring:


Devil's In The Details by Jimkatamusic Ghosts And Killers by Jimkatamusic




Grilled Eggplant Flatbread Pizza


3-1/4 inch thick slices of eggplant (medallions, if you will)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 personal sized flatbread, for example 
2 tbsp pizza sauce (or pasta sauce will do if you've got a jar open)
1 tbsp goat cheese, crumbled
3-4 leaves fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1 handful fresh baby arugula
EVOO
salt & pepper


Preheat a toaster oven (or regular oven) to 350.


Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the eggplant slices and season with salt and pepper. Make sure eggplant slices are thoroughly coated in vinegar (I stacked them and moved them around a little) and give them a minute to soak it up. Meanwhile, drizzle a little EVOO in a grill pan (just enough to grease) and heat over medium flame. Once pan is heated, place eggplant onto the pan. Cook 4 minutes on each side, until the center of the vegetable begins to appear translucent. Remove the eggplant from the heat and cut into smaller than 1 inch pieces.


Place flatbread on foil (or small cookie sheet). Cover in sauce. Top flatbread with eggplant, goat cheese and fresh basil. Place in the oven for 4-5 minutes, until cheese begins to melt. Remove from heat and top with arugula. Serve!

Tres Amigos!

Tres grilled Amigos!

Toasty

Ready for it's close-up