Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Crazy About Quinoa


The recent comment from Emilia of Gluten Free Day (a beautiful and informative blog, check it out if you haven't been there before) on my latest quinoa post is something I can completely relate to:

"I sometimes worry that I eat too much quinoa and will become allergic to it too. I don't know if that's possible though."

I'm beginning to feel that way too. Since first throwing together this dish, I've managed to eat it three or four times already. There's something about the slightly spicy kick that my "secret ingredient" adds to the dish. It can certainly be prepared without being stuffed into a zucchini, but I really liked the change in texture between the crisp zucchini and the slightly chewy quinoa.

Kicked Up Quinoa (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)

2 heaping cups of cooked quinoa
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 heaping tablespoon vegan butter spread
1 tablespoon (more of less depending on how much heat you like) Thai spicy chili sauce (my "secret" ingredient -- the brand I buy is similar to this)
Salt and pepper to taste

First, I cut two zucchini lengthwise and scooped out the seeds with a spoon.

Then, to a pan on medium high heat I sauteed the onion and pepper in olive oil for about five minutes.
Then, I added the cooked quinoa and added the "butter" and chili sauce. Cook for a few minutes and taste. Add salt, pepper and more butter and/or chili sauce to your liking.

Spoon the quinoa mixture into your zucchini, there will be plenty left over, so I just served it on the side.

Enjoy!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I adore quinoa (as you might know!), so this is perfect. We've got 2 lonely zucchini in the fridge--can't wait!

Anonymous said...

Oh, Lizzie, good idea! And I have so much zucchini right now I don't know what to do with it. I have a zucchini post half-written — when (if) I finally finish it, I'll link it to this recipe if that's okay. This looks wonderful and thanks for the up-close and personal directions. Your photos are awesome. No picture of Henry lurking in the background, drooling over the quinoa logs?
P.S. I'll do a sugar, sugar post. Thanks for the suggestion!
Melissa

Emilia said...

Thanks for the kind words Lizzie!

We also have lots of zucchini here and this seems like a delicious way to use it, I'll have to try this.

I always stuff zucchinis with mushrooms so trying something new like this will be a nice change.

Love the light in the first and last photo, it really compliments the food nicely :)

Simply...Gluten-free said...

Believe it or not I have never tried quinoa. I used to think I could not eat it. You make it look so appealing, I will have to give it a try.

Tiffany said...

I love quinoa, I am so excited to try this recipe! Just like everyone else right now, I have a few sitting around waiting for me, so I am excited for this! Tonight!!

Anonymous said...

Yum! That looks easy and yet a bit fancy. That's awesome.

It's definitely possible to develop an allergy to any new food by overconsuming it--that's why people do rotational diets. But not everyone is equally as prone to that multiplication of allergies, either.

Liz said...

Yay! I hope you like it Ricki!

Mmm. Good call Emilia. I adore mushrooms and stuffing zucchini with them sounds great.

SGF, I totally recommend it. The taste might take some getting used to, but if you rinse it and toast is before cooking, it really helps with the flavor.

Yay, Tiffany! Let me know how it goes.

Sally, great info. I heard of rotational diets before and I actually try to keep an eye on my peanut butter intake because I'm afraid I'll become allergic to it.

Kate said...

Looks good! Lizzie do you cook it afterwards? I was thinking of making this for dinner this week (I have two enormous zucchini that I just got from the Farmer's Market) and thought maybe after stuffing it the zucchini might be good cooked a little?

Unknown said...

Okay I know this is an old post but what ideas can you give me to serve this with. My wife is celiac. I know she will like the zuchinni stuffed with quinoa but she will want meat. What kind of meat would this go well with?

Thanks,


Fred

Tracie said...

I made these for our Super Bowl party yesterday, using mini cucumbers for the boats instead of zucchini. They were a hit, thanks!