Recipe Review 7/26/10

A streak of very warm weather has us emphasizing salads from the garden, cold pasta salads, and grain-based salads.  Quinoa has been my go-to grain this summer, having finally taking the leap and fallen in love with this versatile nutty delight.   And anything we can do on the grill: lots of fish (salmon, herring, whitefish, halibut), kebabs, steaks, chicken and pizza!  Lot's of fun doing pizza on the grill.
So for new recipes for the week, I have just one:

Quinoa with Tomatoes and Spinach (Ckng Lght, Aug 2010) 3.5
The recipe as I've cut and pasted below is titled Quinoa with Roasted Garlic, Tomatoes and Spinach.  The problem - roasting the garlic.  I wasn't about to run my oven for 45 minutes to roast a single bulb of garlic.  Not in 85* temps. No way. No how.  I skipped it.  On the other hand, this means I can make the recipe again as written when the opportunity comes round. 

This also didn't quite make four servings as noted - two large ones is more accurate.  I used vegetable broth, but found it made the dish almost too salty so I would recommend omitting it and just use water.  I also added some baby zucchini and feta cheese at the end (love love love feta cheese).  

This does come together very quickly - especially when skipping the roasted garlic - and would make a good week night meal, a light lunch or a picnic side.


Quinoa with Roasted Garlic, Tomatoes and Spinach
"Quinoa contains more protein than any other grain. The tiny, beige-colored seeds have a nice crunch. It's cooked and eaten like rice and other grains. Be sure to give it a good rinse before cooking, or it may have a bitter taste." —Mary Ellen Smith, Doylestown, Pa.



Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)
Ingredients
1 whole garlic head
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon dry white wine
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup chopped seeded tomato (1 small)
1 tablespoon shaved fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt


Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°.


2. Remove papery skin from garlic head. Cut garlic head in half crosswise, breaking apart to separate whole cloves. Wrap half of head in foil; reserve remaining garlic for another use. Bake at 350° for 1 hour; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins.


3. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and red pepper to pan; cook 1 minute. Add quinoa to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add wine; cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring constantly. Add broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; stir in garlic pulp, spinach, tomato, cheese, and salt. Serve immediately.




And, I just had to gush about this - grilled chicken!  It's been a while since I've grilled my own bird, but I was in the mood for chicken salad for lunches and didn't want to buy a rotisserie chicken.  Taking a tip from Mickael Rhulman on How to Truss a Chicken (you are the boss of the bird!), I layered some fresh herbs in the bottom of a disposable pan, tossed some chopped onions in the cavity, and liberally sprinkled olive oil and Penzey's BBQ 3000 seasoning over the top.  Grill pre-heated to 350*, she went on for a hour and a half.   Perfect amount of time to fit in a bike ride. 

The result - mmm, mmm, good! See for yourself: