Cheesy Quinoa

For Christmas, my awesome older sister (the "German Sister" as we call her, since she lives abroad and is married to German citizen) came to visit. She brought me an assortment of grains - polenta, amaranth, quinoa, and another one with a German name, which I think is something like millet.

I've started experimenting with them, but as James is very hesitant even about rice, I have to be strategic.

I've never eaten quinoa (keen-wah, not kwin-no-uh as I previously called it), but I decided to throw caution to the wind and make up a recipe as I went along. I wasn't being super risky, because basically I decided to make macaroni and cheese with quinoa instead of noodles. I don't claim this recipe to be part of a 2009 extreme body makeover weight watcher diet. But it does have more fiber and protein than velveeta shells and cheese, and James ATE IT. He actually asked me what it was, said he loved it, and got a second helping.

So you see the strategy? When I introduced him to fish, I started with potato chip crusted fish, then to a cheesy parmesan tilapia, then finally to seasoned grilled salmon. If I had tried the salmon first he never would have tasted it. And now he loves it and requests it. So I started him on a cheesy gooey buttery grain dish. We'll evolve from there. I served this with sauteed chicken tenders and green beans.

About the Cheese Sauce:

Mac and Cheese is something I struggled with for a long time with. For whatever reason, I was very roux challenged. I have to credit this article from the nest with saving me from my grainy mac and cheese days. I still use lowfat milk with no trouble, but letting the bechamel cool before adding cheese, and using a mixture of cheeses (I like gruyere - not great flavor in my opinion, but melts beautifully- and sharp cheddar - not a great melter, but so much flavor!), and heating the milk before adding has made me a Mornay sauce queen!

Cheesy Quinoa

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
1 cup milk

3 oz gruyere, shredded

3 oz cheddar, shredded

cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Rinse the quinoa a few times to wash away any residue from the bitter outer layer. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a small saucepan. Add quinoa and let it simmer, covered, for about 10-15 minutes until it is fluffy and the liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, make your sauce.

2.Heat your milk in either a saucepan or the microwave. You want it warmed up, but not boiling.

3. Melt butter in a large saucepan (You're going to have to whisk up a storm, so it needs to have high sides if you're a mess like me!)over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk until smooth. Continue to cook and whisk the roux until it darkens slightly (takes 5 minutes or more) from a buttery yellow to a caramel tan. The roux needs to cook slightly to cook out some of that raw flour flavor.

4. Add the milk slowly, whisking as you go to distribute the fat throughout the liquid. Bring to a boil and cook and whisk until it thickens. Turn off the heat, and let it sit for a minute or two, stirring a few times.

5. Add the gruyere and stir until it melts in. Then add the cheddar. It should melt, but if some of it doesn't, it will melt when added to the hot quinoa. Stir in a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.

6. Stir the sauce into the quinoa, and taste. I added a little salt and pepper at this point, but taste yours first, because the salt levels in cheeses and chicken broth vary, and you don't want to overdo it.

This recipe made probably 4 large side dish portions.

Bruschetta Orzo Salad

I made this a few weeks ago for a dinner party. It was my first time to use orzo! I don't recommend making new recipes for dinner parties, but I was bound and determined to use the orzo in my pantry, and the flavors went well with the rest of my dinner so I went for it!

It turned out great, the flavors were good, the texture was great, and it was something different than the same old same old. I recently asked James to plant fresh basil over my grave the day I die. I would put it in EVERYTHING if he'd let me!

I'll warn you - the orzo should probably be done the day before, it took a while to cool. (I hate it when I get into a recipe the night I want to eat it and realize it's going to take days!)

Bruschetta Orzo Salad

recipe by: me! Made this one up from scratch

-1 cup of orzo
-1 cup cherry or grape tomatos

-2 large garlic cloves
-1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
-1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs olive oil
-1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
-1/4 cup chopped shallots (or onions)
-1/4 cup of crumbled feta

1. Cook and drain the orzo according to package directions. Toss with the 2 Tbs of olive oil and let it cool completely.
2. Heat up remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Toss in shallots and let them cook for a couple of minutes until softened and translucent. Toss in garlic and let it soften and flavor the oils, it will only take 30 seconds to a minute. Don't brown or burn the garlic!
3. Whisk balsamic vinegar into the oil, shallots, and garlic, and let the dressing cool completely.
4. Cut tomatos in half (If using roma tomatos, remove the guts, and dice the firm flesh)
5. Mix the cooled orzo, cooled dressing, tomatos, and feta cheese, breaking up the orzo with a fork. (all the steps to this point can be done the night before. Add the basil just before serving)
6. Chiffonade the basil by rolling up the leaves and slicing with a knife. Stir the basil into the salad.
7. Top with additional feta cheese and serve cold.

Happy Mothers Day!!

We had both fabulous moms (along with my dad and sister) over for Mothers Day dinner. It was great to spend the evening with family and have great conversation and great food!

The menu:
-Grilled White-wine salmon
-Garlic Risotto in Parmesan Frico cups
-Mixed fruit salad in orange cups
-Grilled zuchinni

Recipes:

Grilled White Wine Salmon

Salmon Filet, cut into portion sized peices.
Olive oil
White wine (I used Smoking Loon Chardonnay)
Salt and pepper

-Several hours before cooking, prepare fish and marinade. Mix 1/4 cup of Olive oil with 3/4 cup white wine. Place fish in a baking dish skin side down and pour marinade on top.
*You can use less or more marinade depending on the amount of fish. This 1 cup marinade was perfect for a 3 lb filet arranged in a 7x11 baking dish
-Grease grill grates with cooking spray or a papertowel soaked in veg. oil. Prep the grill to medium heat.
- Arrange fish skin side down directly on the grill. Grill for 6-8 minutes, rearranging fish pieces over hot spots as needed, until it is almost cooked through.
-Flip the salmon with a flat spatula (the fish will start to flake, and tongs could cause it to fall apart)
-Grill for 3-4 minutes top side down until fish develops a nice crust.

-Slide fish onto a spatula, peel off and discard skin (after cooking, the skins slides off easily) and flip over to serve top side up.

Garlic Cheddar Risotto

Adapted from this foodnetwork.com basic risotto recipe. I added 4 cloves of roasted garlic (roasted ahead of time, use less of raw, minced) when I added the rice to the onion. Then I added 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese at the end of cooking. Otherwise I followed the recipe! Mine got a little overcooked, risotto is best when served right out of the pot, otherwise it starts to get overly soft and starchy.

Parmesan Frico Bowls

From Confections of a Foodie Bride's blog. I used two small dessert ramekins to shape the bowls, they turned out great! A really easy way to dress up plating and make something simple look super fancy!

Fruit Salad/Zuchinni

Okay, I'm not going to give you a recipe for these. For the salad, mix your favorite fruits! I split and hollowed oranges instead of using bowls for a fun touch. I used blackberries, strawberries, watermelon balls, and pears with a little orange juice squirted on top. Chill the mixture so the flavors have time to meld.

For the zuchinni, I just sprayed a little olive oil from my kitchen mister (that I took from my mom!) and sprinkled with kosher salt and pepper, and threw it on the grill.

Here's to moms, who allowed us to stand underfoot in our childhoods so we could learn a whisk from a spatula. I love you mom!

Pictured: My grandma Genie, my mother in law Brenda, and my mom Faye!