Oregon Fall Bounty Hash with Quinoa

A week ago Sunday we went to the delicious and oh-so-very-Oregon Mushroom Festival at the Mt. Pisgah Arboretum with our dear friends Eric, Nic & Vic, and Nic & Vic's friends Gabe & Suzanne and their daughter Coral. I'll post separately about the festival and that lovely day; it was so cool it definitely deserves its own post!

It was fantastic and sooooo fall and a pretty perfect way to spend an autumnal afternoon. There were hay rides! And many mushrooms on display -- Coral, who's eight years old, delighted in pointing out to us the coral mushrooms. Which, I gotta say, really do look like coral! And they are gorgeous. Who knew mushrooms came in so many different colors, textures, sizes, and shapes? And I was again reminded of mushrooms' truly mysterious magic -- they have so many incredible medicinal properties!

While there, we signed up for a mushroom CSA! I'll post more on that later for sure. What a brilliant idea, no?

In keeping with the spirit of the season, I threw together this dish for our dinner on Sunday night. It was seriously seriously no joke not even kidding delicious. I have already promised hubby I'll be making this every week for as long as these fall ingredients last.

It's super easy and super seasonal, so get thee to the forest a-foragin' or store or farmer's market and get a-cookin'!

Dena's Oregon Fall Bounty Hash with Quinoa

• EVOO (use of acronym is just for you, James)
• As much chopped garlic as you can handle like (for us, that's about 5 or 6 cloves or so, depending on their size)
• ~ 3 cups cooked quinoa (I prefer to cook in mushroom or chicken broth to boost the flavor)
• Anywhere between 12 to 20 heads brussels sprouts, trimmed of brown spots and halved lengthwise
• 3 to 5 good-sized leeks, green stalks removed and white to light green parts sliced lengthwise and then chopped and washed (ours came from our garden!)
  
• 1/2 lb chanterelle mushrooms, sliced (and if you're lucky like us, they were foraged for very nearly in your own backyard. And remember that the smaller the chanterelle, the creamier and more delicious it will be!)
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Good, nutty Parmesan cheese as a garnish

Begin by pre-heating your oven to 400F. (Also begin cooking your quinoa in a pot right about now -- I always do 1½ parts broth or water to 1 part quinoa. So, 3 cups broth to 2 cups uncooked quinoa, which does get you about 3 cups cooked, give or take. Add the broth and quinoa to your pot, set it to high uncovered and once it is boiling, bring down to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Easy!)

Heat about 1 tbsp (remember that's ~ one solid drizzle around the pan) EVOO in a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Once it is shimmery and hot enough, add the sprout halves, cut-side down. Cook without moving until they brown nicely and develop a crust. Do not move them, no matter the temptation to do so -- this is where the unique and addictive nutty-delicious brussels sprout flavor is developed. If necessary, brown the sprouts in batches. I used about 20 heads, and had to do about 3 batches or so -- it's very important every sprout gets a chance to develop that browned deliciousness!

Once all the sprouts have been browned, toss them onto an oven-roasting sheet with sides and pop them into your 400F oven for about 7 minutes. When they are done, set them aside in a big mixing bowl -- this will be where you mix all the ingredients together.

Next add more EVOO to your skillet and toss your leeks in when the oil is shimmery and hot enough, letting them get translucent and hopefully even a little browned -- about 10 minutes, give or take. When done, add to brussels sprouts in mixing bowl.

Then bring up the heat on your skillet a bit, to a little above medium-high heat, adding EVOO and letting it get nice and hot before you add your chanterelles. Give them a couple of minutes to heat up and develop a bit of brown fond, then stir to make sure they're cooking all over. After about 5-7 minutes, toss in your garlic and stir to get the garlicky goodness and mushroom yumminess all mixed together. Let it cook for a few more minutes, then add to your brussels sprouts and leeks.

Add your quinoa, mix it all together, add plenty of salt and pepper, and serve. Oh god it will smell absolutely heavenly. Garnish with Parmesan cheese or another nutty hard cheese of your choice. You will taste the warmth and flavor of fall in each bite.

Serve with your favorite Oregon beer in a frosty glass and enjoy!

Balsamic Brussels Sprouts (with Quinoa)

This is my post dedicated to the undersung hero of vegetables, the BRUSSEL SPROUT.

We've been eating a lot of them here at Casa Dena, happily, because these bad boys are in season right now! They're totally economical right now -- buy them by the stalkful!

I know, I know: you hate them. You tried them once and they were disgusting. Or you think you're supposed to hate them so you've never tried them.

But let me tell you, my friends -- you have never had them like this, and this preparation is what makes all the difference.

In short, it is: SO YUMMY!

This is one of my favorite go-to recipes. Of all time.

It's one of those that is just in my bones, that I could make with my eyes closed. I love that.

I love it because it means the dish is a part of me, and I love it because it means the cooking of it is easy. And I love it because when I make it, it comes out of my heart through my pores instead of through my right-brain filters.

I got the inspiration for this dish from a recipe I saw long ago in the Martha Stewart Living cookbook. As always, thank you, Martha!*

Dena's Balsamic Brussel Sprouts (with Quinoa)

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 lb. brussels sprouts
1 large-ish red onion, sliced long and thin, with the grain (ie, from stem to tip)
~ 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (you're gonna eyeball it)

Optional Step 2 Ingredient:
2 cups quinoa, cooked (go here if you don't know how to cook it)
OR 1 lb pasta, cooked

Cook brussels sprouts in a pot of boiling water for about 7-10 minutes, or until they're bright green and tender. You want them to be cooked through, but NOT OVERCOOKED! It is this overcooked mushy sprout that gives brussels sprouts a very bad name. (As the good folks over at Martha Stewart's Dinner Tonight blog* mention, "overcooking creates that bitter taste that everyone hates.")

Drain in colander and rinse with cold water. Let them cool a bit, then cut the end of the stem off and remove any leaves that look like they need to go. Halve each sprout the long way -- from stem to head.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a non-non-stick pan (ie, stainless or cast iron) over medium-high heat, letting it get a little bubbly and hot before you do anything else. (The olive oil lets the butter get hotter than it normally would be able to, preventing the butter from browning.)

Put the brussels sprouts in the pan, flat side down. Now, don't touch them! I mean it -- leave those babies alone for about 5-7 minutes or so-ish, depending on how hot your stove is. You want them to brown and get that delicious sweet, nutty flavor going without burning. Your nose will tell you when they're done. (See what I mean? This is a good recipe to have in your bones.)

Once they're nicely browned, remove them from the pan and salt & pepper them.

Add the remaining 1 tbsp each of olive oil and butter to the pan and add the onion, stirring to pick up the lovely browned bits left by the sprouts. Stir every so often, letting the onion get translucent and soft, slightly brown.

Once the onion looks nice and soft, step back a little and add the balsamic! It will give a hiss and steam immediately, and you do not want that vinegary steam going up your nose. Trust me. Stir immediately and vigorously, getting all the onion in on that balsamicky goodness. Once it's all coated and has started to even thicken just a touch, remove from the heat and add the sprouts back in.

Toss and ENJOY!

Or, go to Optional Step 2:

Add the cooked quinoa to the pan, toss, season with salt & pepper, garnish with parmesan cheese, and be in HEAVEN.

If you really wanted to, you could substitute pasta for quinoa and have yourself a delicious pasta dish.









* I swear to you Martha Stewart doesn't pay me or force me to say these things. In fact, she has no idea I or this blog even exist. She's just that good. She knows of what she speaks, is all. Plus her recipes always work really well for me, so I constantly go back to them.

Food Trends for 2008

Sounds like a yummy, healthy, greener-than-ever year to me!

Plus I am thrilled they mentioned quinoa. I am a huge quinoa fan! In our household, 2008 is the year of Quinoa is the New Pasta. I've been subbing quinoa for pasta lately, and it works like a charm and is so much healthier, in every way.

Moroccan Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew with Quinoa

As predicted in my menu plan for the week, last night I made a new recipe for the first time: taking a cue from my Everyday Food magazine, I made Moroccan Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew. They suggested putting it over cous cous, but I opted for quinoa instead.

It was delicious. I'll definitely be making this one again, with some tweaks for the future. Hubby doesn't love sweet food, so I'll be lowering the amount of cinnamon, and we both think garlic makes everything better, so I'll be adding that in next time.

This is a perfect hearty autumn meal. It seemed very Halloween-appropriate, too, given its stunning orange colors.

Dena's Twist on Moroccan Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew with Quinoa

Serves 4

1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders or boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 piece fresh ginger (2 inches long), peeled
1 cinnamon stick
1 32 oz. carton reduced-sodium, low fat chicken broth
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound total), cut into 1-inch chunks
2 pinches ground coriander
2 pinches ground cumin
Pinch of curry powder
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups quinoa
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional - hubby doesn't like cilantro so we skipped this, but I can see how it'd be yummy)

Place flour in a wide, shallow bowl. Season chicken with salt and pepper; dredge in flour, shaking off excess. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add chicken, and cook in batches until browned, 4 to 6 minutes per side; transfer to a plate.

Add onion, ginger, and cinnamon to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and pinches of seasonings, and as much broth as needed to cover sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Return chicken to pot when a few minutes are left so as to cook it all the way through and let it absorb flavors. Discard ginger and cinnamon. Stir in lemon juice, and season stew with salt and pepper.

While stew is simmering, prepare quinoa: rinse quinoa under running water. Combine 3 cups water (I use chicken stock to give it that nice rich flavor – low sodium and low fat, of course) and 2 cups rinsed quinoa in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Serve chicken stew over quinoa, garnished with cilantro, if desired.

Dena's Quinoa Pilaf

First, a word about quinoa in case you've never heard of it (with thanks to South Beach Diet online for the following information):

Move over couscous — there's a new grain in town, quinoa (pronounced keen-wa). Actually, quinoa isn't new at all — it's been grown for thousands of years in the Peruvian Andes and has been a staple in some South American diets for centuries. North Americans are just beginning to discover quinoa's unique nutritional makeup and versatility.

Quinoa grains are the seeds of a leafy, spinach-like plant. The Incas referred to quinoa as the "mother grain" because of its high protein content — the highest amongst the grains — and because it's a great source of vitamins and minerals, particularly potassium, the B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, and copper.

Quinoa is as easy to make and use as rice, but cooks in half the time. To cook, rinse grains and combine one-and-three-quarters parts water with one part quinoa, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Serve it up as a side dish, as part of a one-pot meal, or as an addition to soups and stews. Any uncooked leftovers can be stored for several months in an airtight container.

Since quinoa is still relatively new to the American marketplace, at the moment you may only find it in specialty food stores or very large supermarkets. And though it can be expensive, keep in mind that besides its many nutritional benefits, it increases about three or four times in volume after cooking, which gives you more bang for your buck.

The recipe I like is below, but I also totally use it as a rice substitute on occasion.

Dena's Quinoa Pilaf

1 ¾ cups water or chicken stock
1 cup quinoa
½ cup shelled unsalted pistachios
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 small tomato
½ red onion
2 tsp white wine vinegar
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

(To turn it into a main course, I add sauteed veggie Italian sausage or diced chicken.)

Heat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse quinoa with a fine-mesh strainer.

Combine water (I use chicken stock to give it that nice rich flavor – low sodium and low fat, of course) and quinoa in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and place in a mixing bowl.

While quinoa is cooking, spread pistachios on a baking tray and bake until lightly browned and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Cool and roughly chop (I actually leave them whole).

Heat 1 tsp of oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and red onion until they become fragrant and softened. Then add bell pepper, tomato, and scallion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add to quinoa, along with pistachios, vinegar, and remaining oil; stir to combine. If making it a main course, add protein. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.