You do not want to kiss me right now.
Tonight I made the Chickpea-Quinoa Pilaf (p. 115). Yum. This pilaf only calls for 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, but I served it with the Roasted Brussel Sprouts (from Vegan with a Vengeance, or you can reference p. 31 in the "How to Cook a Vegetable" section), and some kale sauteed with garlic, capers, and balsamic vinegar (from The Healthy Hedonist by Myra Kornfeld). I think I destroyed an entire bulb of garlic. No vampires for me! But mmmmmmmm.... Also, if you think that you hate Brussel Sprouts, remember the first rule of Vegetables 101: do not boil! You MUST try them roasted with garlic. Must. I had no idea I even liked Brussel Sprouts until I cooked them this way. If you still hate on them after that, well, I guess you're a lost cause.
The pilaf doesn't have a strong flavor, so it will compliment just about anything, but it's also tasty enough to stand alone. This is simple delicious-ness at its best. And since I used red quinoa, it's so pretty!!
A quick quinoa primer: First of all, it's pronounced "keen-wah" not "kin-oh-uh." Knowing this will save you the hassle of having some snotty stock kid at Whole Foods condescendingly correct you when you ask where the hell it is. Seriously? You work at a grocery store. There's nothing wrong with that, but get over yourself. There are red and brown varieties of quinoa, which taste the same. I always buy red if I can find it, because I love the color it adds to whatever I'm using it in.
Second, it's a grain, originally cultivated by the Incas. So if your kid has a research project due on the Incas and totally procrastinates until the night before, you can whip some up and send him off with his cultural contribution.
Finally, quinoa is very nutrient dense. It is very rich in calcium, and it's gluten free for those with gluten sensitivities. And because I there's a vegan law somewhere that mandates I mention this: quinoa is a complete protein, meaning it contains all the essential amino acids. So when that annoying aunt asks you where you're getting your protein now that you don't eat meat, you can just say, "quinoa" and walk off to leave her scratching her head and wondering if you just cursed at her in some African dialect.
5 comments:
Yum! To add to your keen-wah 101, I thought I would mention that it's important to rinse before you cook. I can't remember if they say this in Vcon, but the grain's outer coating is really bitter (I think it's a natural pesticide, but don't quote me on that) and needs to be rinsed off.
Oh yeah, at my house, we say "kin-oh-ah" to be ironic and hip! :-) Thanks for your blog!
If I find that a customer mispronounces a WVI (weird vegan ingredient), I'll pretend not to have heard it, and continue to take his/her order as if nothing is wrong. I know what he's asking for, and he's fucking well paying for it. Unless, of course, said customer specifically asks me how it's pronounced. Then I'll carefully repeat it a few times so they can get the hang of it.
I happy this turned out alright. I was going to make it the other night, then slacked off. Now this will give me another reason to make it!
So glad to find your blog! I just started a 30-day vegan trial and Veganomics is the one cookbook I chose to get me through the month.
I'll definitely check back to see how your project is coming along.
You're so right about rinsing the quinoa, I'll make sure to mention that.
Dino, I think that's a great way to deal with all the unusual, hard to pronounce vegan/vegetarian foods. I mean, tempeh? WTF.
Good luck Sarah! i think you're going to feel amazing. Keep me posted on how the 30 day experiment goes.
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