Quinoa

Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup

By / Grains, Greens, Soups / Leave a Comment /

The main focus of this soup, the key flavour that dominates, is mushrooms. Their earthy, woody flavour stands out and if you like mushrooms, you will love this soup!

 
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That is one thing about mushrooms… you either love them or hate them. In biological taxonomy, mushrooms are classified as a kingdom, ‘fungi’, separate from plants and animals. Actually, the mushrooms that we see are the fruiting parts of the fungus. The common name of mushrooms is toadstools, though no one uses that name these days.

 

While reading about mushrooms, I was a bit surprised to find that genetic studies have shown that fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants. No wonder many vegetarians do not eat mushrooms!

 

Humans have been known to use mushrooms as food for a long time. Also, they have been used as leavening and fermenting agents in food preparation.

 

There are so many varieties of mushrooms, both cultivated and growing wild, in different sizes and shapes and colours. The most common variety available in the markets will be the white button mushrooms which are widely cultivated commercially. Shiitake, portobello, oyster, cremini, chanterelle… these are other common varieties used in cooking.

 

One of the most expensive food items in the markets today, truffles, are a variety of mushrooms that do not sprout above ground. Highly prized by chefs the world over, they have been known since ancient Roman times. Trained pigs and dogs are used in hunting for truffles growing below the soil surface.

 

There is a branch of biology devoted to the study of fungi, known as mycology.

 
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Enough about mushrooms… let’s talk about the soup. I wanted to make it a real mushroomy soup and used two types of mushrooms in it… fresh sliced baby portobellos and dried shiitakes. The water in which the shiitake has been soaked, should be added to the soup as well.

 
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If you do not want the intense mushroom flavour, you can omit the dried shiitake, which is the stronger flavoured variety, and use just the portobellos. Or even use white button mushrooms instead.

I have used a wild rice mix for this soup. Instead, if you prefer, you can use either quinoa or barley with very tasty results. Whichever grains you are using, you have to cook it separately before adding it to the soup.

 
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The main part of the preparation is the chopping of the veggies. Once that is done, the rest is easy.

 
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I have used chicken stock as the base, as I love the chicken-mushroom combination. If you want to keep this as vegetarian, you can use vegetable stock or just plain water. However, in the light of the studies mentioned above, I don’t see much point in that! 🙂

 
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A very versatile and tasty soup, that can be enjoyed regardless of vegetarian or non-vegetarian!

~Ria

 

Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup
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Ingredients
  • ½ cup wild rice mix
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cup baby portobello mushrooms
  • ½ cup dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 large red onion
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 2 medium sized carrots
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 4 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp dried herbs (mix of thyme, basil, and parsley)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
  1. In a small pot, bring one cup of stock and one cup of water to boil.
  2. Add the wild rice, bay leaves and enough salt. Cover and cook on medium heat, till tender.
  3. Soak the shiitake mushrooms enough water to cover them.
  4. Slice the onion lengthwise, into thin wedges.
  5. Chop the celery.
  6. If the carrots are slim, slice them thinly; if they are fat, slit them lengthwise and then slice them.
  7. In a large pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion, celery and carrots.
  8. When the onion turns transparent, add the tomato paste and continue stirring for two minutes.
  9. Add the remaining stock, mix well and bring to a boil.
  10. Add the cooked rice along with the bay leaves.
  11. Add the soaked shiitake mushrooms along with the soaking water.
  12. Add the fresh sliced mushrooms and check that there is enough liquid in the soup.
  13. Allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes.
  14. Check the consistency and add more water, if required.
  15. Add the dried herbs and season with salt and pepper.
  16. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
  17. Remove from heat and serve hot.

 

A Tabouli Salad with a Difference

By / Grains, Greens, Salad / Leave a Comment /

Tabouli is one of the dishes that is a definite hit or miss with me. (Is that statement an oxymoron?) I know that tabouli is a parsley-intense dish. Though not a major fan of parsley, I am okay with it… up to a limit. Sometimes the parsley in the tabouli sooo overwhelms everything else that it tastes of nothing else. In such cases, yeah, that polite one spoon is all that I can deal with.

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But then, this friend of mine – she is from Turkey, where tabouli is a staple – made this amazing version, with cilantro instead of parsley. And boy, did it change everything! Never have I made a tabouli again with parsley. The main difference I feel, is in the texture. Cilantro has this delicate texture whereas parsley tends to be a bit coarse. Even when you manage to avoid even the tiniest stems and use only the leaves.

 

Another standard ingredient of tabouli is bulghar wheat or cracked wheat. The variety that gets cooked with just hot water poured over it. Recently, I tried using quinoa instead of the wheat. And, found it far superior.

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Of course, you can spice up a tabouli too. And you can do that in many ways to suit your perfect tastes. A pinch of allspice powder or eastern eight spice will work very well. Or to keep it simple, teaspoon of pickled jalapenos would really add some heat too.
I start by chopping cilantro.

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Then some tomatoes…

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And finally chop some cucumber as well.

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Plenty of lemon juice and here I used a pinch of eastern eight spice powder.

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The quinoa is prepared the usual way (see recipe below for details).

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Then you just keep adding the chopped stuff one by one. There is no particular order; I added tomatoes first…

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Cilantro next…

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And the chopped cucumbers last.

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Generous squeeze of lemon, the spice powder and salt and pepper. And a squiggle of olive oil to top it all. Tabouli salad is ready to serve!

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I like it served with a piece of buttered crusty warm bread. The salad tastes so refreshing, especially on a hot summer day!

 

~Ria

 

A Tabouli Salad with a Difference
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Salad
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Ingredients
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 large fleshy tomato
  • 1 seedless cucumber
  • 1 large lemon
  • 1 tsp eastern eight spice powder
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Wash quinoa thoroughly, multiple times, till the water runs very clear. Drain and keep aside.
  2. Boil 2 cups of water, adding a pinch of salt.
  3. Add the drained quinoa to the boiling water.
  4. Reduce heat and let cook simmering for 12 to 15 minutes.
  5. Switch off the heat and allow to cool.
  6. Finely chop the cilantro, tomato and cucumber.
  7. When the cooked quinoa has cooled down, add the chopped ingredients one by one and gently mix together.
  8. Squeeze the juice and add it to the quinoa, along with the spice powder.
  9. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Add olive oil to the prepared quinoa, going twice around the bowl.
  11. Mix together and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.

Quinoa and Lima Beans Salad with Walnut Dressing

By / Beans, Grains, Salad / 2 Comments /

2013 was declared the ‘International Year of Quinoa’ by the United Nations General Assembly, with the objective drawing the world’s attention to the role that quinoa can play an important role in eradicating hunger, malnutrition and poverty.
 

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So what is so special about quinoa?
 
For starters, quinoa is a complete source of protein that includes all nine essential amino acids. Imagine what a blessing it is to vegans who always have a problem about enough protein in their diets. While quinoa is low on calories and carbs, it is also gluten free and rich in fibre. Quinoa also contains minerals like magnesium, iron, tryptophan, copper, and phosphorous.
Its qualities are so much recognised that NASA includes it in the menu of its astronauts!
 
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Quinoa, pronounced ‘kinwah’ following its Spanish spelling, is the grain-like seed of a plant belonging to the spinach family. It was cultivated in the countries of Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, of the Andean region, 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. A staple in the area, quinoa has become increasingly popular world over in the last few years.
 
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Quinoa seeds have a bitter coating called saponin, which makes birds avoid them. In the case of most of the quinoa that is available today in the market, this coating has been removed. Still, it is better to wash it thoroughly before cooking it.
 
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You can cook quinoa the same way as rice. You can boil it in lots of water and then drain it. Or you can combine quinoa and water in a ratio of 1:2, bring it to boil, and simmer it till done and water absorbed, in around 15 minutes. For added flavour, quinoa can be toasted dry for five minutes over low heat and then cooked.
 
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Though quinoa can be used in many ways – quinoa burgers are quite tasty! – my favourite use for it is in salads. It is very versatile and you can add a lot of varied stuff to it to come up with interesting combinations. I like it best when I add a lot of my favourite things and come up with a satisfying meal in one dish!
The addition of lima beans, broccoli, carrots and avocados make this a complete, nutritious meal. The onions add flavour to the salad.
 
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And if you grind the dressing a bit coarse, it adds a bit of crunch too! And if you like the dressing on the spicier side, you can even add some red chilli flakes to it.

~Ria

Quinoa and Lima Beans Salad with Walnut Dressing
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: International
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Ingredients
  • Half cup quinoa seeds
  • 1 cup frozen baby lima beans
  • 1 head broccoli
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 1 carrot
  • Half a small red onion
  • Half cup walnuts
  • Quarter cup olive oil
  • Two cloves of garlic
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Wash the quinoa thoroughly under running water and drain.
  2. Bring one and a quarter cup of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and the quinoa to the boiling water. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
  3. Wash the frozen lima beans under running water to defrost it. Cook in a microwave with a pinch of salt and two tablespoons of water, for three minutes.
  4. Cut the broccoli head into florets. Cook in the microwave with a pinch of water and two tablespoons water, for two minutes.
  5. Scrape the carrot into longish strips.
  6. Slice the onion thinly.
  7. Cut the avocado into pieces.
  8. Soak the walnuts for 15 minutes. In a blender, add the walnuts and garlic and blend. With the blender running, add the olive oil in a steady stream. Transfer to a dish and season with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
  9. To assemble, in a large bowl, toss together the quinoa, lima beans (drain off any excess cooking water from the lima beans and broccoli), broccoli, carrot, onion and avocado. Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle the dressing over the salad. Serve the extra dressing along with the salad. Delicious!