Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup quinoa
  • ½ yellow onion, chopped (1”)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ red pepper, chopped
  • 3 baby portobella mushrooms, chopped
  • ¼-1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 4 chunks crystallized ginger, chopped
  • 2 tsp minced ginger
  • ¼ cup cashews, toasted
  • 1-2 tsp turmeric
  • 1-2 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1-2 tsp curry powder

Instructions:

  1. Boil 1 cup of water, add quinoa, and reduce heat. Simmer for 12-15 minutes until no water remains.
  2. Heat 1-3 tsp olive oil over medium heat in sauce pan.  Sautee onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add mushrooms and peppers and stir. Add peas and ginger. Stir in spices. Toss in quinoa and continue heating/sautéing over medium-high heat. Mix in toasted cashews or reserve to be placed on top when serving.
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A bottle of sriracha, that spicy Thai chili paste, magically appeared in my cupboard a few weeks ago (or maybe my roommate put it there).  Since then, I’ve been trying to work the sauce into a few recipes.  The sriracha, sort of a chili pepper ketchup (it’s made with salt, vinegar, and sugar), adds a big kick of flavor and spice to bland vegetables and side dishes.  Here’s one recipe that has been a big success for me.


Ingredients:
  • About 3 cups fresh broccoli
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • ¼ cup crushed almonds
  • Vegetable or canola oil
  • Sriracha (to taste)
Equipment:
  • Knife and cutting board
  • 4 cup+ pot
  • 9 inch skillet
  • Mortar and pestle (or substitute: see below)
1.  With a mortar and pestle, crush the almonds.  Sliced almonds will probably be easier to crush than whole, but anything’s possible with a mortar and pestle.  If you don’t have a mortar and pestle (I’ve used mine like twice, so it’s no real loss) place the almonds in a plastic bag and crush with the butt of a glass.  Set the crushed almonds aside for later.

2.  I prefer to use fresh broccoli because I think you get a fuller, deeper flavor with fresh rather than frozen.  If you’re using frozen broccoli, you can skip this step.  Rinse the broccoli in cold water; shake out excess water.  Chop the head into florets.  Set the large stalks aside so you can use them for vegetable stock, cream of broccoli soup, and other dishes at another time.  You can also throw the stalks away if none of those options sound appetizing.

3.  Drop the broccoli into a pot of water.  Place the pot over high heat for 5-7 minutes, or until the broccoli turns a deeper green.  When the color has risen, drain the broccoli.

4.  Heat a small amount of oil (barely enough to coat the bottom of your skillet).  Over heat, toss the broccoli in the oil.  Add soy sauce.

5.  Add your sriracha to the broccoli skillet.  I would start small with just a few drops at a time - this stuff is spicy - until the dish is as hot as you’d like.

6.  Remove the broccoli to a serving dish, sprinkle the almonds on top.

7.  Serve with a bottle of sriracha (for guests who really like hot food/hate their taste buds.)
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Here’s a yummy summer salad recipe with a fresh taste!

Ingredients:
  • ½ head of cabbage
  • 1 small white onion
  • 1 tomato
  • 1 lime
Instructions:
  1. Thinly chop cabbage.
  2. Chop onion and tomato. Add all ingredients to large bowl and mix well.
  3. Squeeze lime over ingredients, mix well.
  4. Easy as that! Perfect side to any summer meal. Enjoy!
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photo by J.F. Quinn
Paragraph.
Ingredients:
  • Quinoa (pronounced Keen-Wah) an ancient Mayan grain which, in addition to being very healthy, holds the largest amount of protein of all grains, making it an immensely valuable addition to a vegetarian’s diet
  • Two apples
  • Walnuts
  • Cucumber
  • Red Onion
  • Red Wine or Sherry Vinegar
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Honey
  • Salt and Pepper
 
Instructions:

  1. Cook quinoa per the quinoa Box Instructions (if you buy the quinoa in bulk, general rule of thumb: use 2:1 water to quinoa ratio, bring water to boil on stove, add quinoa and stir occasionally until all water has been cooked off).
  2. While quinoa is cooking, dice the apples, cucumbers, and walnuts into relatively small pieces (a grain of quinoa is very small, so. in my opinion, chunks of roughly half-inch cubes produce the most pleasing effect- both aesthetically and taste-budly).
  3. Dice roughly ¼ of the onion to slightly smaller size than mentioned above, as pieces of onion too large can overwhelm a bite of quinoa salad.
  4. Once quinoa has finished cooking (usually 15-20 minutes, depending on the oven and the quinoa quantity) add quinoa and other diced ingredients in large bowl and mix with a spoon.
  5. Add one cup of red wine or sherry vinegar to smaller mixing bowl along with roughly one teaspoon of Dijon mustard and several squeezes of honey. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top and mix dressing. I sometimes find it helpful to transfer the dressing into a water bottle where it is much more easily and efficiently mixed by shaking.
  6. Taste-test the dressing and adjust to your preference. I like my dressing characterized by a sort of vinegary bite balanced, and followed, by a sweet honey after-taste.
  7. Once thoroughly mixed with no chunks of mustard visible, pour dressing over quinoa salad and allow to soak while mixing salad again with spoon. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  8. Refrigerate, serve chilled, and enjoy.
  9. I usually follow this recipe every Sunday and place the remainder in Tupperware in the fridge, allowing for a daily, quick, and nutritious on-the-go snack/lunch.


Nutrition notes: Overall, this is a really great lunch/snack idea. As mentioned above, quinoa, particularly with the addition of the walnuts, has a large amount of protein, which is great for longer lasting energy (and recovery from any type of strenuous activity, be it academically or athletically related…). Adding the diced apples also allows for the opportunity to add some fruit to your daily diet. Likewise, while the cucumbers and onions, although they are perhaps not the best vegetables (in terms of nutrient content), they are still vegetables.
 
            Enjoy,
            J.F. Quinn
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I've adapted this recipe from The Atlantic, but the original is a Bobby Flay creation (Presumably. I mean it was in his book, but somehow I'm always skeptical.)  None of my friends seem to like really spicy food, so having only me to feed I cut the recipe in half. I used 2 jalapeños and a habanero (or it could have been a Scotch bonnet. See this visual guide for hot pepper assistance). If I made it again I would either stick to just jalapeños or keep the habanero and only one jalapeño. However, the soup is definitely edible as described. 
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Photo from: The Atlantic
Ingredients:
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup orange juice (the original called for red wine, which would probably taste great as well)
  • 1½ 15oz cans of cooked black beans, rinsed (the original used uncooked beans which require more cooking but probably add some earthy flavors)
  • 2 jalapenos and 1 habanero, rubbed with olive oil and roasted in the oven at 350°F for 25 minutes, then peeled, and chopped (I didn't seed my peppers so as to keep the heat)
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice (oops, i forgot this.  probably worth adding anyway)
  • 1/4 cup sour cream  

Instructions:
  1. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and sweat the carrot, onion, and garlic for 5 minutes, until translucent. 
  2. Add the orange juice (or wine), bring to a boil, and let reduce for 10 to 15 minutes. 
  3. Drain the beans. Reduce the heat to medium. 
  4. Add the seeded jalapenos and habanero, beans, and stock. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the beans are cooked through. 
  5. Remove from heat and add lime juice, plus salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine. 
  6. May be made up to two days ahead of time, covered and refrigerated. Reheat just before serving and garnish the soup with sour cream. 
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