Lentils for the New Year

Hello everyone and hope you have started the year on a positive note. 

We certainly have and are now back into the swing of things with both kids  soon back at schoool and getting ready for very exciting years, 6th and 8th grade. WOOHHOO 

Now in regards to nutrition I feel we went 2 steps backwards as we vacationed in the US and I don't know about you all but when we are on vacation we don't like to be constantly on top of the kids about what they eat, especially if the choices at restaurants are not the best anyway for them. So after 12 days in the US they may have had one too many refills of coke and enough chicken tenders to last them the whole year. 

This of course made our life easier and yes the kids did try new foods, they certainly are getting better and more experimental with their food choices. In fact after we got back from our trip and I was making dinner the kids asked me what are we were having as appetizer. I started laughing and said " A glass of water". Vacation is over.

So now we are back into routine mode and that goes for them as much as me. Packing lunchboxes is my nightmare... It doesn't matter what I put in them I always get the healthy items returned and the odd treat I'm sure is exchanged for something else. Anyway that is just my venting because I have the whole school year ahead to experiment what to put in those darn lunch boxes. The lunch box dilemma just came to my mind because we found last years one and it still had the sandwich in it that I made for last day of school. Yuck!! 

I took Holly food shopping with me yesterday and we made a pact that if anything we saw at the super market had ingredients we couldn’t pronounce or numbers in them we would not buy it or eat it. 

In an attempt to teach her about preservatives and the importance of eating our vegetables, not only so Sara can squeeze into her Allan Border medal dress, but most importantly for our health. 

Anyway this year will be dedicated to really hammering the kids about not putting harmful chemicals found in processed foods into their mouth and eating way to much sugar for their own well being. 

We also had a good chat that having 5 juice poppers/ boxes is just as bad and we really need to drink a lot more water. In this important stage (teen nightmare) with hormones all over place and the demanding schedules they have; sport, homework etc. It is so important they are eating a balanced diet and that they are conscious of it. 

Also kids,  I don’t think drink enough water which means that they mistake being hungry for thirsty and they can get grumpy or have headaches because they are dehydrated. That is also true for us adults.

These are some of the issues I deal with that I am sure are not foreign to others who will be reading this blog.  (If you find my stories naive remember I had to take the crash course in parenting LOL.) I love comments that are filled with useful information about others experience, so please if you have some trick that has worked for you please share so others can read. I learned from a cousin of mine that in a desperate attempt to make her kids eat vegetables she would hide them in chocolate cake, I don’t know if that's something that I could ever do. Broccoli brownie doesn't sound healthy or appetizing. 

Why lentils? Lentils are a fantastic source of fiber and protein that does not come from an animal source. I really want to encourage the kids to eat them more this year and it will not be easy as I mostly get a "Gross what is that? I am not eating that." I persevered with Asparagus and Salmon and now they enjoy both so I will be persistent with the legumes. I will make other things to accompany the lentils like chicken and rice so they have other foods on their plate and it will be an easier introduction. 

The recipe is easy and you will feel great after eating a bowl of this yummy lentil recipe.  

Ingridients:

Feeds 6 people

3 cups of lentils

mix of green and red lentils (preferably organic)

olive oil 

2 carrots

1 red onion

3 spring onions

1/2 a  red or green pepper

½ stalk of celery

2 garlic cloves

2 tables spoons of ginger

2 table spoons Lemon Grass Ginger Coriander chilli from Gourmet Garden.

1 teaspoon of garlic salt

4 cups of water  and 4 more cups for later 

Mix of Red and Green Lentils, mind that 3 cups makes a lot of lentils. They triple in size. 

 In a mixer place all of the above: carrots, celery, spring onions, garlic, spring onion and press pulse. I find it is easier to use the mixer than to sit and chop everything one by one.

In a large pan or pot place a enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan or pot. Once the oil gets hot

add the chopped veggies and cook for about 5 minutes or maybe more.

Then add water to the lentils and place them in the veggie mix with all the water plus 4 cups of hot water.

Add the ginger, Lemon Grass Ginger Coriander chilli from Gourmet Garden, and garlic salt. Stir.

At this time you may add any other spice of your choice- cumin, pepper, fresh coriander are great additions.

You will have to taste it to see if you need salt. I am making it a point not to have much salt in the foods I cook.

Stir and cook at a low temperature. You will notice the lentils take a while to cook and you don't want to add a lot of water at once as you may over cook them and not realize it. So I find that it is easier to just keep checking the lentils and tasting them to see if they are cooked. If the water is drying up add the other cups of water while the lentils are cooking. Make sure it is boiling water so you don't delay the cooking time.


I like my lentils dry that is why I add the water slowly. If you like them to have more of a soup consitsency then you don't have to worry about adding too much water at once.

My lentils took about 1 hour to cook. Brown lentils might take less time to cook. I have not found legumes to be reliable in cooking time and it might vary also on the kind of lentil you use.

I hope you enjoy this recipe it is very simple and very good for you. xxx

Spinach, Tuna and Pomodori e Cipolla Rossa Pesto Pappardelle

Dear followers,

 First I will apologise for not having blogged in a while. I have no help and need some urgently, LOL.  I cook every night, still take pictures but I must admit that on more than one occasion I have ended up with only half the recipe photographed and worst not writing down ingredients. This is mostly because I come home tired from being at the gallery all day or in and out of meetings and I am rushing to put food on the table, and to be honest i am usually the one who is hungriest.
 Tonight my last appointment finished at 7:45 and it was 8 pm before I walked in the door and the whole family was starving. I always try to have a fridge that is stocked but tonight I had not planned ahead, no meat or chicken defrosted no fresh assortment of veggies.(I'm a mess lets put it simply). But one thing that I have learned to accept is I can't do it all.. and sometimes in survival mode we get the best results. My mom, from her recent visit, left a package of egg pappardelle, a really nice pasta that is made with an egg base and is very soft even if cooked al dente.. a beautiful consistency perfect for ragù. Then in the back of the pantry I found my little saviour, a jar of the Barilla Pomodori e Cipolla Rossa Pesto (Tomato and red onion ) and a can of tuna...I think if you look through the blog you will find I have more than one pasta recipe with tuna- not to be repetitive but hey when in doubt pasta with tuna always saves the day. I don't think I am telling any of  you something you don't already know or experience yourself, how busy and hectic life can be and still when you get home you have to get on with the program. So no winging.. this is an easy recipe and it will take only 10 minutes.

The pasta tasted so nice, that even though I'm totally exhausted I'm still here typing away because it was totally worth it..hope that if anything it inspires you to put together ingredients that can save the day in case you had not planned accordingly.

Recipe goes:

1 garlic clove
1/2 red onion sliced thinly
1 jar of Barilla pomodori e cipolla rossa (tomato and red onion)
300 g or a bag of fresh spinach
1 can of tuna (regular size can)
Olive oil
350g of Pappardelle all'uovo (egg pappardelle).

Chop the garlic and red onion. In a pan pour  2 table spoons of olive oil wait for the oil to heat up and throw the garlic and onion in, stir and wait for it to start browning..once the garlic and onion have browned place the drained tuna in and stir evenly.

Cook together for about 2 minutes and then add the spinach. You will notice the spinach will become soft quickly then add the whole jar of the Barilla  tomatoes and red onion pesto.
Mix everything evenly allow to cook for 2 minutes then remove from the heat. I do not add any salt or pepper because the Barilla pesto has a very strong flavour.

Easy.

Cook the papardelle in a large pot filled with salted boiling water, this pasta needs lots of water to move in. You may add a drop of olive to the water but only very little. This pasta should only cook for 4 to 5 minute read the package carefully. Stir often.

Place the tomato and red onion Barilla pesto, spinach and  tuna sauce in a bowl. Once the pasta is cooked drain it but leave a little bit of water this will allow the pasta to mix more evenly with the sauce. Mix the pasta in the large bowl before serving. At this point you will notice if you need to add more olive oil or not.

You may, as a finishing touch, add some fresh basil and chilli along with parmigiano reggiano cheese.

xxx

Broccoli, Salmon and Cream Cheese Penne

Hey guys I am on a roll with my pasta recipes today...

Sometimes for me this is the quickest thing to prepare and I know it will be a complete meal for everyone.
This recipe is child tested and approved...Hurray!!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of broccoli (lightly pre steamed so that they are still green and chopped.)
1 yellow onion chopped
3 garlic cloves (2 if really large)
1 large piece of fresh salmon
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
Chili flakes  (optional)
100 g of Philadelphia cream cheese
1/2 a cup of parmiggiano cheese
1 table spoon Basil from Gourmet Garden or fresh basil ( 6 leaves will be enough)
Penne Barilla or other kind of pasta of your choice but stick to a short pasta.

In a large pan add a small amount of olive oil enough to brown the chopped onion and garlic.
Make sure they become slightly golden brown. (don't burn them)

In the mean time prepare your water for the pasta. It should be on high to boil quickly. 
When it boils add abundant salt to the water and get ready to throw in your penne pasta.


Barilla penne cook in 11 minutes. So  your pasta should be ready and al dente just in time for your sauce to be ready.  
(if you don't yet feel comfortable cooking both sauce and pasta simultaneously, then cook your sauce and do the pasta afterwards).

Add the chopped pre steamed broccoli to the browned onion and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes.
Then add the salmon pieces you have cut from the larger fillet. Remember to remove any visible fish bones from the salmon and cut off the skin.

Cook for another 5 minutes until the salmon starts turning light pink.
Add a dash of garlic salt and pepper. You can also throw in some chill flakes, which are optional.

Add the cream cheese and stir until mixed evenly, add more cream cheese if you would like.  I just felt half a stick package of philadelphia cheese was enough.

Then add about a table spoon of Basil from Gourmet garden or some fresh cut basil, what ever you have available.
Keep stirring.

Drain you pasta. Add the pasta directly into the pan or if you feel that could get messy place first a small amount of the broccoli/cream cheese and salmon sauce in a bowl. Then pour the pasta and add the remaining sauce on top and mix evenly. You may add little olive oil to help you stir the pasta evenly then add parmiggiano and you are ready to enjoy your pasta.
Crack more fresh pepper before serving, if you wish.

 

BUON APPETITO 

xxx

My very "Cheery" Cherry Tomato & Barilla Zucchini Pesto Caserecce Siciliane

Hello my loyal followers.

First of all thank you for your patience and thank you for following The McGrath's Kitchen blog.
I have been very busy in the last two months and have not been able to post as often as I would like. I can assure you that I am always creating content for the blog, as at home I cook 90% of our meals. I can't help it, somehow for me its easier to prepare a meal at home than book reservation at a restaurant. I am very lucky though, because of our lifestyle I get the chance to go to many restaurants. This is great because not only do I get spoiled I get new ideas of how I can translate those fancy restaurant meals into a quick one for the whole family.
 As many of you may know Glenn is the main ambassador for Australian Year of the Farmer and I have been lucky enough to jump on the band wagon. I recently had the opportunity to cook at the Woman's Weekly test kitchen and also join Lyndey Milan in the Super Market Challenge at the Royal Easter Show.
It was a great experience and certainly an intimidating one to be in front of a large crowd on stage with a microphone chatting away....but I guess once you realise how nice the crowd is and how generous people are, by listening to what you have to say, it gets easier and one can ease into the points that need to come across.
They were all very lovely to help me promote the McGrath's Kitchen Blog and give me the opportunity to talk about the importance of buying local produce from Aussie farmers, as well as creating awareness about how we go about educating our children about healthy eating habits. It was a real honour to be amongst these fantastic women.

Another reason that the McGrath's Kitchen has been a bit slow is because after almost two years of researching, planning, and networking we have finally been able to open MCLEMOI GALLERY.

MCLEMOI GALLERY is our new art gallery, please go to WWW.MCLEMOI.COM to see the fantastic contemporary artists that we will be showcasing in Chippendale (suburb of Sydney).
If you are a lover of contemporary art you will thoroughly enjoy our current exhibition "Decepcion" by Luis Gispert.

You can make a day trip with the family and come visit us in Chippendale, it is a fantastic suburb that is changing the face of the arts scene in Sydney. We are not the only gallery in the area, on the contrary you will notice we are only a block away from the White Rabbit Gallery, NG Art Gallery and Mission Cafe, Galerie Pom Pom, The Commerical Gallery (soon to open) and many other galleries and artist run initiatives.

There are also some very nice spots to eat, my favourite and one where I can easily say I am a local at is Bar Mattino on the corner of Meagher and Abercrombie St.; owned  by Sigrid and Chef Sebastian. (He makes a delicious snapper, so if I can get him to divulge the recipe it might end up on the McGrath's Kitchen, it's divine and he accompanies it with spinach and celeriac mash that I can still taste in my mouth it was that good...yummy.)
Anyway, that is my little anecdote for this post and a bit of an update on what is happening in my world.

HOME GROWN CHERRY TOMATOES & BARILLA ZUCCHINI PESTO

I came home one day to a cherry tomato plant totally grown with mature juicy cherry tomatoes right by our garage. It must have been seeds that were planted randomly by a neighbour or a bird planted them. I know that because out of the things I might be good at, gardening is absolutely not one of them.
My plants either die by over-watering or forgetting to water them at all...I know it's very bad of me.
So I guess that was my lucky day, just by the car port hundreds of the sweetest little tomatoes ready for me to make dinner with. (To be honest I almost contemplated a veggie garden but it would turn into a catastrophe so I will not even attempt it.) So for those of you who do have a veggie garden you know the satisfaction of cooking with the veggies from your own garden.

A while back I received a lovely package from the team at Barilla (my favourite pasta brand.) They knew that even though I like making my own sauces from scratch, it would be nice to receive some of their pesto pre-made sauces.  I enjoy both making my own or using Barrilla's pesto jars; they are great and can make your life very easy. (I caught my mom using one of them when I went to Italy, and she make the best pesto from scratch, so I figured if it passed my mothers test then it's safe for me to use.) Once again it is a prepackaged product, so please take you own measures to assure that they meet and satisfy the eating requirements of your entire family.

I have used the pesto, not in the traditional way that you would imagine, but have used it to marinate the zucchini. (In the past I have also marinated the zucchini; cut in large chunks and then placed them on the BBQ, very tasty.)

I cook this pasta recipe in two parts and use Casarecce Sicialiane, which is a type of pasta.
It is ideal for this and many other recipes.

 

photos are from the Barilla website. http://au.barilla.com/product/pasta/collezione/Casarecce_Siciliane.htm, please visit their website for all the information on their products and different varieties of pasta available. 

Recipe:

Olive oil

Garlic salt

1/2 a red onion

1 scallion

1 large garlic clove

2 cups of zucchini - cut into cubes

2 to 3 cups of cherry tomatoes

1 jar of pesto alla genovese from Barilla

1 large can of tuna in olive oil

400g of Casarecce Siciliane

Salt & pepper

100g of Parmiggiano 

Fresh basil

Peperoncino/ chill flakes - if you wish to add some spice

1st part: In a pan add a little extra virgin olive oil the red onion and garlic. Once the onion and garlic have browned add tuna; you don't have to drain the oil. Cook the tuna so it picks up the flavours of the onion and garlic.  You may add a dash of garlic salt...but very little..then add the cherry tomatoes.

2nd part: In a separate a bowl marinate the zucchini in the pesto sauce for 5 minutes...the important thing is that they are evenly coated in the pesto sauce. Add a little extra virgin olive oil and fry the scallions until soft, then add the zucchini marinaded in the pesto. Pour the all the pesto sauce and cook the zucchini until soft.

 

When both are ready combine the two (cherry tomato/ tuna and the zucchini pesto) and once the pasta is cooked and you have drained it, stir everything together (you can add fresh basil at the end.)

The reason I cooked the zucchini and the cherry tomatoes separate, is so that they both equally soak up the flavours of the most intense ingredients. I add the drained pasta directly to the pan then add a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil and mix it all throughly.

I add a little bit of parmigginao cheese and it is ready to serve, also some fresh basil maybe pepper or chill flakes if you prefer spicy. 

ENJOY!!!

xxx

Honey Mustard Pork Chops

Every time I turn on the TV, which is not often, I see ads for PORKFEST with Julie Goodwin!!! (She is such a lovely lady and also a proud supporter of the McGrath Foundation, how can you not love her.) Well this got me to google what PORKFEST was all about. I founds a lot of useful information on the website http://www.PorkFest.com.au. Please check it out and you can read about all the myths and facts of pork; also Julie's recipes are divine. I am looking forward to trying them out!!!

Honey Mustard Pork Chops is my contribution to PORKFEST. I don't always buy pork, mainly because  our family is accustomed to eating chicken, beef and lamb. I love pork and growing up in a Latin American community in the US pork is huge. Cuban's love making pork, my favourite is Pan con Lechon, which involves many hours of cooking pork and then simply placing it in Cuban bread (which is a white soft loaf)...it is so good it's worth a trip to Havana or Miami just to try the deliciousness of this tender juicy pork sandwich. My mother makes pork the Venezuelan way, which also involves cooking the pork for many hours, it has a sweet flavour to it and is absolutely divine. One of the reason that I don't usually buy pork is because I grew up eating it and knew it to be a very lengthy cooking process...but of course, yes, if we are making a whole pork it would take a long time but there are a lot of different lean cuts that are fantastic on the grill or roasted, which cook quickly.

So the other day I went to my local butcher in Miranda and the lovely lady there, Mary, who is always happy to see me, gave me the nicest cuts of pork loin on the bone. I like the ones with the bones because I like having that last bite to sink my teeth into...says the carnivore in me..LOL

Anyway, so I take the pork home, think of how to cook it and remember a recipe I used to make at university, HONEY MUSTARD PORK..how could I forget.

You see, when I was at university my mother; in an attempt for me not to have to spend my money on food; would kindly stock up my freezer with a semesters worth of all kinds of meats...of course as most students are broke, I was broke but had a freezer filled with meats, a valuable currency when you need help studying for your exams...My deal was always to have study groups at my house "I'll cook...you can tutor me." and it paid off...My best friend and accounting/finance guru Bojana, always loved my honey mustard pork. So I was happy to make "Boki" her favourite meal, and I passed accounting.

This recipe is relatively child friendly as long as your children don't mind the chili, which is optional.

*Also if I can add a restaurant tip please go to MOMOFUKU at the Star Casino for a fantastic pork. 

(If you are in Sydney and are keen to try what I think has been the best pork I have had in Australia, please go to MoMoFUKO at the Star Casino adjacent to the Darling Hotel and book yourself for a degustation meal. The meal is an explosion of delicate flavours and its grand finale is the most magnificent soft, sweet and moist pork. The pork is cooked for over 15 hours...OMG it was so good. I can't wait to go again and eat there.)

Please note that incase you don't eat pork for religious or other reasons you may substitute this recipe with prawns or chicken.

Ingredients:

3 pork chops (or prawns according to amount of servings)
3 tablespoons of honey
3 tablespoons of mustard
Garlic salt
Apple cider vinegar (a dash)
1 1/2 tablespoons of mild chili (Gourmet Garden)
1 abundant teaspoon of ginger

Make your marinade by mixing in a bowl: honey, mustard, garlic salt, mild chilli and ginger.
Then cover the pork with the marinade, you can either place it in a plastic zip lock bag and leave it over night or you can just spread the marinade over it, like I did, and cook it right away.

Place the marinated pork in a pan at low to medium heat. The idea of pork is that you have to cook it all the way through, a bit of pink in the pork is not good...
Allow it to cook slowly and if it needs more marinade add it in the pan. Add a dash of Apple cider vinegar and make sure the heat is on high so that it evaporates quickly.
When the pork is almost ready raise the temperature so that you nicely brown the chops.

You can cook the chops in the oven as well. Keep the oven at 160-180 degrees Celsius, keep the chops covered with foil, so that the marinade doesn't burn and they remain moist...then 20 minutes later uncover so that they brown.

As you can see I have served the pork chop with white rice and string beans very simple easy and shouldn't take longer than 15 minutes to cook all up. I am very glad for how tender and tasty this meat was, everyone loved it!!! 

Thank you again for visiting my blog. Please also note that all your contributions are welcomed, themcgrathskitchen is not only a place for my recipes but it is also a place that you can share your cooking triumphs.  Sharing is caring...

Enjoy your meal! 

XXX 

PINK BOW TIE PASTA - Holly's Favourite

Pink Bow Tie Pasta - or Pink Farfalle is Holly, my step daughter's, favourite pasta. I first called this pasta 'surprise pasta',because I learned quickly you don't tell kids everything you put in your recipes, as the first response will be "Gross I'am not eating that"!!!
Then fitting that we are a very pink family I have renamed this dish 'Pink Bow Tie Pasta'.

This recipe is one that is really special to me because my mom used to make it when I was little (her version is different to the one I make for Holly I will give you that recipe later.) Holly my beautiful, funny and charming step daughter has always been very difficult with food; I think that many children these days are. I could give you a list of what she used to like because it is much shorter than what she didn't like. She loved french fries (chips), chicken schnitzel, vegimtie sandwiches and that is it..oh and of course chocolate..but I don't even consider that food. The other thing that she ate outside of white food, fried food or chocolate was feta cheese dipped in beet root juice.  I figured this was a peculiar combination but not one that was foreign to me. So my goal at the beginning was not only to get her to eat healthier but to eat a variety of things. 

At the beginning I thought it was not normal for children to not eat what was on their plate, since as a kid I ate everything my mother cooked. (Plus I had no children of my own to compare the experience.)  I have asked other parents and everyone seems to be having some sort of a problem or another getting their kids to not only eat healthy but eat everything on their plate. It is hard folks, it's like we are torn between saying- eat everything on your plate kids in Africa are starving and/or don't eat all of that junk you don't want to get fat and sick... ahh 

Anyway, I have slowly won my battle with food and it has taken lots of love and patience. We are now at the point that my step daughter eats meats like lamb, beef, and salmon and will eat cauliflower and other veggies besides the staples (peas, carrots, corn)...and eats pasta. HURRAY!!!

( Two useful tips I read that have made sense to me and explain why our kids today have bad eating patterns is because they snack too much. So when its dinner time they have no appetite for the healthy things we put in their plate. Also if there is a lolly/chips or chocolate drawer in the house maybe it is best for kids not to have direct & easy access to it, as they will eat and you will not notice. The clue there is monitor your pantry)

This pasta is fun because it is PINK, kids love the colour...beetroot juice will make the cream go pink... it's a fun way to mix it up a bit...plus Aussies love beetroot :)  Not everyone may like this recipe but it has worked for me and when its one of those days that I really don't know what to cook I know she will be happy with her PINK BOW TIE Pasta :) 

THE PINK BOW TIE RECIPE IS EASY...

Ingredients:

150g of Bow Tie (also called Farfalle)

1/2 of a cup of fresh cream 

1/4 of a cup of beetroot juice (from the can) 

100g of feta cheese (1/2 a pack of the regular size feta cheese)

1/2 a table spoon of butter 

Dash of garlic salt

(If you feel that the flavour is too bitter for you add another kind of cheese even Tasty cheese is nice or any cheese your child eats). 

Cook your bow tie pasta in boiling water (remember to add a dash of salt to the water) for as long as instructed.

In a sauce pan pour the cream and then the beetroot juice, stir and  let it cook slowly on low-medium heat...

Add the feta cheese and butter, plus a dash of garlic salt...and any other cheese you may want to add.

 Let it cook until the bow tie pasta is ready. Once it is ready mix the pasta and the sauce together and your pasta is ready!

(I have no luck with pictures...these are so small...have tried to make them bigger but no luck, just get close to the screen LOL xx Enjoy )

If you have success stories about how you got your children to eat or try different foods I want to know so please share your story!!!! xx

VEGETABLE QUINOA

I love QUINOA. It is available in almost every supermarket, and the whole family can enjoy it.  It's also great if you are trying to loose weight, have a wheat allergy or are just tired of rice. It is very easy to make and goes with practically any meat or vegetable. Some recipes even use it as a dessert, as it has a nice and easy nutty flavor. There are many brands but I usually buy this one ('macro wholefoods market') and both my health food store and larger super market chain carry it. Any brand is fine (I have no loyalties with quinoa brands yet.) You will also find that there is a darker black or reddish quinoa, I have used them before and it has a stronger flavour, it also needs a bit longer to cook.

I have also discovered puffed quinoa, which is great as a substitute for cereal. I like adding it to my Kefir yoghurt (the highest probiotic on the market) with some blue berries, pomegranate or back berries. Sprinkle Chia seeds and you have a super breakfast or quick snack. 


Now here is my veggie recipe...enjoy and don't be scared of over cooking the QUINOA. 

Ingredients:

1 knob of ginger (finely sliced)

1 garlic clove (finely chopped)

2 chives (coarsely sliced)

1 green pepper

1 carrot

1 bunch of asparagus

1 bunch of cilantro/coriander

5 mushrooms

2 cups of quinoa

2 tomatoes

Olive oil

Lemon (fresh)

Chop all of the ingredients.

First start with your veggies, as they take longer.  Throw the ginger, garlic and chives in a pan with olive oil. Once the aroma starts to seep out toss in the green peppers, carrots and asparagus.  Then sprinkle fresh cilantro/coriander…plenty.  Finally toss in the mushrooms and let it all cook together until the vegetables are evenly cooked. 

(Yes I have a new pan and I'm not cooking with these anymore, it's an old picture. Sorry it sometimes takes me a while to post.) 

With quinoa, boil 1 cup of quinoa in 1 ½ cups of water with a bit of olive oil so that the quinoa doesn’t stick together.  This should be cooked for about 10-15 minutes…it is ready once all of the water is absorbed and the quinoa grains seem to have popped open into small whitish grains. (The cooking time may vary by brand).

Once the quinoa is fully cooked and drained toss it into the pan where your veggies are mix them together so all of the flavours are absorbed and distributed evenly.

Now your quinoa is ready to serve.  I add some chopped tomatoes on top and a little bit of lemon for that extra zest.