Roasted Pepper and Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad

When I contacted Gabrielle of Hippie Go Lucky about being apart of my new feature series, she also expressed the desire to put together a little recipe swap. And I, of course, immediately said yes please please please. We picked a theme: fall-type food (a pretty open and delicious theme selection), rounded up a few of our favorites, and sent them off to one another to try and then share on our blogs. I was most excited about this Sweet Potato Quinoa recipe she sent me and got right around to making it this weekend, and making it my own.

I made this Saturday for dinner and it was a big hit. Mostly, I'm just fairly proud of myself that I was even capable of functioning enough to make dinner on Saturday, let alone a pretty involved salad with numerous steps, because I was having one rather mighty Dr Who hang-over. The Day of the Doctor was like early Christmas, mostly because David Tennant. P.S. Did anyone else watch the Graham Norton show later (with Matt Smith & David Tennant as guests) and see his braid!? OHMYGOD. Anyway, it worked out in my favor because I could walk away from the kitchen a lot while things were roasting, and take a break while things were cooling, to catch more of the all day Dr Who madness.

I think this salad snapped me out of my craze (even if I watched more Who while eating it, shhh) because it was so good. Surprisingly delicious. Way better than I was anticipating. It is a little involved, but still easy, great for a Saturday dinner. The combination of flavors is completely perfect, the spicy honey lime dressing contrasting the smoky roasted peppers and the sweet potato. The feta and avocado are what really make this salad though, so try not to leave them out.



Roasted Pepper and Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad
yield: serves 4 to 5 | adapted from this recipe

For the Salad                                                           

1 cup uncooked quinoa (will make 2 cups cooked)
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 large sweet potato, cubed
      + olive oil and a bit of salt for roasting
1 orange bell pepper
1 jalapeño pepper
1/4 of a large sweet onion, chopped
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 to 3 cups fresh spinach
a handful of chopped cilantro
avocado, sliced for topping

For the Dressing                                                     

1/4 cup olive oil
The juice from one lime
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 tablespoons honey
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions                                                            

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Begin with roasting the peppers; they will take the longest (about 45 minutes). Place the jalapeño and bell pepper whole on a small foil lined baking sheet. Rotate the peppers (put a different side down on the pan) using a pair of tongs about every 10 minutes to insure even roasting.
3. In the mean time, chop the sweet potato into small cubes and toss them in a bowl with some olive oil and a few pinches of salt until all pieces are evenly coated. Place these on a separate foil-lined pan and throw them in the oven to roast when the peppers have about 20 minutes left.
4. Roast until the sweet potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes) and the peppers' skins have started to blacken, shrivel, and blister (about 45 minutes).
5. While the vegetables are roasting, cook the quinoa in the vegetable broth. When done, pour into a large bowl and set aside to cool.
6. While waiting for the peppers, potatoes, and quinoa to cool, whisk all the dressing ingredients together and set aside.
7. When the peppers are cool to the touch, peel off the skin and remove the ribbing and seeds and chop into small pieces.
8. Toss the chopped onion, roasted potato cubes, the peppers, spinach, and the feta in the bowl with the quinoa. Pour in the dressing and give everything a good toss.
9. Top each serving with a garnish of cilantro and fresh avocado slices.



Enjoy!
xx Emorie

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Quinoa Garbanzo Burgers

I love a good burger. You know, just minus the meat. But really, it is a well known mission of mine to find and devour good veggie burgers. They are hard to find out in the real world; there are only a few places here in Boise that manage to make them well. Mostly I have resorted to making them at home but (given my limited culinary experience) they are hard to get just right. Recipes I have tried tend to be a little, um, mushy. As in nothing even closely resembling a patty. And they also can be a bit bland. Now, I have found a pretty damn good black bean burger recipe, but I had yet to successfully create a good quinoa patty.

Those days are over, friends. Because I decided to make a burger of my own. If recipes just aren't working out for you, I'd recommend taking this approach. Just wing it! It's so much fun to get creative in the kitchen. It is even more fun when that creativity is successful and delicious. I mean, the worst thing that could happen is that it doesn't turn out (again). Or you could always give my recipe a try! These burgers were so good, filling but light too and full of flavor. The patties formed perfectly and there was none of that 'refrigerate the mixture for such and such a time' nonsense either. I literally mixed these up and then grilled them. The best.

Quinoa Garbanzo Burgers, makes 4 large patties:

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup garbanzo beans
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup spinach, chopped
1/4 cup sweet onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup GF oats, blended (you could also use breadcrumbs)
Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to taste

Toppings-
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
4 large mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Romaine lettuce
Mayo and Dijon mustard
Thin slices of mozzarella cheese

Directions: Cook the quinoa in the vegetable broth and set aside. In a large bowl, use the back of a fork to mash the garbanzo beans into a paste. Mix in the chopped spinach, onion, and garlic. Thoroughly combine this mixture with the cooked quinoa (which should be a little cooler by now). Add the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese, combining thoroughly. In a blender or food processor, pulse half a cup of oats into a grainy powder. I use this instead of breadcrumbs, as I prefer the taste, but breadcrumbs should be just fine to use. Add this powder and a beaten egg to the mixture. On a griddle, heat up a thin layer of olive oil over medium high heat. Form patties in your hand and place on the heated oil. Cook each side thoroughly, at least five minutes, before flipping or you'll end up with a broken patty. Cook both sides until golden brown.

Toppings, if desired: Lightly grill thin slices of mushrooms and onions in a pan with olive oil over medium heat. Once slightly tender, add 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar to the pan and cook for another minute or two. Layer your quinoa garbanzo burgers, on (gluten free) bread or buns, over thin slices of mozzarella cheese and top with the onions and mushrooms. Finish with a leaf of romaine lettuce and a spread of mayo and Dijon mustard.

These are also delicious just wrapped up in a big leaf of romaine lettuce or simply eaten alone. Enjoy!

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Cocoa Oat Power Pancakes

I'm a pancake person. I love all kinds of pancakes. Banana pancakes, blueberry pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes, pumpkin pancakes . . . oh,  now I've got myself started. And hungry. To be honest, I didn't know that being a "pancake person" was even a thing you could be until recently. I mean, aren't we all pancake people? Will informed me that he is not much of a pancake person. I mean, what? How can you not love pancakes!? Did something tragic happen to you in your childhood that involved pancakes? I hope not. He then informed that it is simply because he finds them too dense and filling. I've been on a pancake mission ever since. In other words, I'm really mean and make him eat pancakes every time I make them. I am proud to say that he has yet to not enjoy a pancake I have made him. Unless he is lying to me...

These pancakes are some of the favorite I've ever eaten. And I've had a lot of pancakes over the years, let me tell you. They're sweet, but not too sweet. They are packed full of protein. And these are healthy! Without tasting too healthy, if you know what I mean. They are also gluten free, so they tend to sit in your belly a little lighter.

Cocoa Oat Power Pancakes, serves 2

6 egg whites
3/4 cup oats
5 pitted dates
1/2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tablespoon unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, optional
1 tablespoon coconut oil, for cooking

Directions: Crack six eggs and separate them, using only the egg whites. Beat the whites thoroughly in a bowl and then set them aside. Using a food processor, a blender, or a magic bullet, blend the 3/4 cup oats into a fine powder. Add the oat flour to the beaten eggs. Also blend the dates until as smooth as possible. Add them to the mixture as well; it is easiest to use a fork for this and sort of mash the dates into the mixture as you go. Combine until smooth.

Directions (continued): Once the dates are evenly distributed, add in the cocoa powder and cinnamon, as well as enough almond milk to make the pancake batter nice and smooth (usually just a little drop or two). You can add some mini chocolate chips to the batter, if you fancy. Using a large griddle or pan over medium heat, melt the coconut oil and pour the batter into small rounds. Cook until large bubbles appear in the batter and then flip to cook the other side.

Enjoy these pancakes topped with some creamy peanut butter, fresh raspberries and blackberries, or with good old fashioned maple syrup.

Do you have a favorite pancake recipe? Leave a link in the comments below for this pancake connoisseur to check out!

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Loaded Veggie Cauliflower Crust Pizza

You guys, I did it. I accomplished something really important; eating pizza while following the Revolt diet (and it's not even a cheat)! I have really great priorities. I know I've said over and over again that the only thing I really crave anymore, since switching to a whole foods diet, is pizza. And I crave it like crazy, as in I would make pizza almost every weekend for my cheat day. This is probably pretty obvious considering the percentage of recipes on this blog that are pizza. Pizza, I just don't know how to quit you.

How did I accomplish this you ask? Well, Nichole (the founder of Revolt) is super SUPER lovely and always takes menu suggestions before each uprising. And of course, the only thing on my mind when I saw the thread on Facebook was pizza. So I thought, "You know what? Cauliflower crust is actually pretty healthy." And so I suggested it, never thinking that my dream of a daily pizza indulgence while following the Revolt diet would actually become reality. But it diddd! This uprisings menu included Flourless Margherita Pizza. My recipe was close enough to the one she shared that I made mine to eat this week instead. This recipe is a bit time consuming, and the crust can be a bit tricky, but it is so worth it.

Loaded Veggie Cauliflower Crust Pizza, makes 8 slices or 4 servings

For the crust:
3 cups cauliflower (about 1/2 a large head)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/8 of a cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
salt and ground black pepper, to taste

For the marinara sauce:
2 tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic 
4 large leaves fresh basil
dried oregano, dried rosemary, salt, and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon red wine

Toppings:
3/4 of a cup mozarella cheese
1/4 of a red onion
1/2 of a red bell pepper
1/2 of a cup of mushrooms
1/2 of a tomato
a loose handful of spinach
1/8 of a cup fresh basil
red pepper flakes

Directions (for the crust): Rinse a head of cauliflower thoroughly and then cut in half. You'll only need half for the crust. Using a large knife and large cutting board, chop the cauliflower into the smallest sizes possible. I've heard that grating the cauliflower works well, but I prefer this option. Just be prepared for a big mess. You'll want to try and only chop the flowery part of the cauliflower for this crust. You should have about 3 cups of crumbles. Place the crumbles in a large microwave-safe container and cook in the microwave for eight to ten minutes (until fully cooked and soft). Let cool. This next step in important, and will really help your crust stay intact. Place the cooled, cooked cauliflower crumbles on a clean dish towel and press firmly to remove as much moisture as possible. It should wet the dish towel pretty significantly, and when done, be a little bit flaky or paste-like. You don't have to remove all the moisture, but removing as much as possible will help your crust turn out greatly. Next, mix the cauliflower with a beaten egg, 1/8 cup mozzarella cheese, 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Once combined, pat and mold into a 1/4 inch thick round on a pizza pan or stone lined with parchment paper. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Once removed, turn the oven down to 400 degrees.

Directions (for the sauce): In a blender or food processor, blend the tomatoes and garlic cloves. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat. Add in the fresh basil leaves and all of the other spices, tasting as you go until it reaches a flavor of your liking. I tend to add A LOT of rosemary and oregano. Add the tablespoon of wine and let the sauce simmer over medium heat for about ten minutes to let it reduce/thicken.

Directions: Thinly slice all of the vegetables. Top the cooked cauliflower crust with the prepared marinara sauce and then layer on the vegetables. Finish with 3/4 cups mozzarella, a handful of fresh pizza with the sauce, 1/4 cup mozzarella, fresh basil leaves, and a small sprinkling of red pepper flakes. Bake at 400 degrees for another 10 minutes, and then turn on the broil and watch closely until the pizza is golden and bubbly.

Enjoy two pieces served with a green salad and/or fresh fruit.

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