Crunchy Thai Peanut & Quinoa Salad

INGREDIENTS
Salad
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa or millet
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups shredded purple cabbage
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup thinly sliced snow peas or sugar snap peas
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/4 cup chopped roasted and salted peanuts, for garnish

Peanut sauce

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (I love ginger so I used 2 teaspoons)
1/2 lime, juiced (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
Pinch of red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS
Cook the quinoa: First, rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander under running water. In a medium-sized pot, combine the rinsed quinoa and 1 ½ cups water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer the quinoa until it has absorbed all of the water. Remove the quinoa from heat, cover the pot and let it rest for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set it aside to cool. (Here’s how to cook millet.)

Meanwhile, make the peanut sauce: Whisk together the peanut butter and tamari until smooth (if this is difficult, microwave the mixture for up to 30 seconds to loosen it up). Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. If the mixture seems too thick to toss into the salad, whisk in a bit of water to loosen it up (I didn’t need to do this).

In a large serving bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, shredded cabbage, carrot, snow peas, cilantro and green onion. Toss to combine, then pour in the peanut sauce. Toss again until everything it lightly coated in sauce. Taste, and if it doesn’t taste quite amazing yet, add a pinch of salt and toss again. Divide into individual bowls and garnish with peanuts.

Author: Cookie and Kate Yield: 4 servings cookieandkate.com

Healthy Sesame-Orange Ginger Chickpea Stir-Fry

INGREDIENTS

For the sauce:
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons honey (or agave nectar)
2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon cornstarch
zest of 1 orange

For the stir-fry
1 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, divided
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 red onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
8 oz fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
Green onion, for garnish
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Red pepper flakes, if you like a little heat! (@ 1/8 teaspoon)-can add to sauce
Cooked Quinoa or brown rice, for serving if desired

First make the sauce: Add the orange juice, honey, soy sauce, ginger, cornstarch, orange zest to a large bowl; whisk until the cornstarch is dissolved. Set aside for later.

Next preheat a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat and add in 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil. Add chickpeas, stir frequently and cook until they begin turning slightly golden brown, about 5 minutes. Once chickpeas are cooked, transfer to a large bowl or plate and set aside for later. Keep the heat in the pan.

Add the other 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil to the pan (over medium-heat); add in onion and saute until onions become slightly translucent and golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Next add in garlic and bell pepper; cook for about 3 minutes until slightly softened. Next add in the green beans and saute for 3-4 minutes. You want them to still have a little bit of crunch!

Pour the sauce into the pan. Stir frequently as the sauce will start to thicken up. Add in chickpeas and stir again. Reduce heat to medium low and let the sauce simmer and thicken some more, about 3-4 minutes. Serve immediately over quinoa or brown rice. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds, green onion and a little red pepper flakes, if desired.

Serves 4.

ambitiouskitchen.com

QUINOA CHILI VERDE

INGREDIENTS:
1 Tablespoon butter
1 medium sweet or yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1-1/4 cup salsa verde (Herdez Roasted Salsa Verde Medium)
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, undrained
1 (15 oz) can great northern beans, undrained
1 (15 oz) can navy beans, undrained
4 cups vegetarian chicken broth
1/3 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/4 teaspoon Mexican oregano
optional toppings: fresh lime juice, fresh cilantro, avacado, tortilla chips,
1/2 bag quorn (added at the end of cooking, enough to heat up)

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot, over medium-high heat melt butter.  Once melted add onion and cook until translucent and tender, approximately 5-7 minutes.  Add garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds.  Add remaining ingredients stirring to combine.  Bring mixture to a boil then reduce and let simmer for 45 minutes.  Remove from heat and serve warm with choice of toppings.

NOTES:
Soup will appear very liquidy at first, as the soup and quinoa cook a lot of the liquid will be absorbed/cooked off.  If you like your chili thicker reduce broth by 1/2 a cup.  You can always add more liquid/broth but you can't so easily take away.  If your salsa is thick you may need to add additional broth. 

4-6 servings
nomingthrulife.com