50 Recipes, #20: Warm quinoa salad with grilled vegetables and fresh cheese

[nonelvis]

Another one from the June 2009 issue of Gourmet, though for some reason it isn't online yet. I had to broil the asparagus and eggplant, since I'm out of charcoal, and I subbed in the recommended fresh mozzarella instead of the Peruvian cheese. Not bad, though surprisingly bland given that it also includes cumin, smoked paprika, and Kalamata olives. Still, now I have plenty of leftovers for lunch this week, which is nice, since I'm trying to cut down on my meat consumption anyway.

Comments

[mmancuso.livejournal.com]

Sounds soooo good. Will have to try this. I shall look it up in my Gourmet archives I have stashed neatly in the kitchen bookshelf, in color-coded binders, organized by ingredient, cross-referenced by whether the recipe uses the word boil.

Oh, wait, I don't have Gourmet archives.

Darn.

[nonelvis]

I'd point you to it online if they'd get off their butts and post it! It's basically a pilaf: rinse a cup of quinoa a few times, boil it for 10 minutes in salted water, then steam it in a basket for another 10-12 minutes and set the quinoa aside in a bowl. Sauté three cloves of chopped garlic, half a red onion, and a minced jalapeño in olive oil; add some cumin; mix all veggies, 3/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives, a couple of ounces of chopped mozzarella, a couple tablespoons balsamic vinegar, and some smoked paprika with the quinoa. I think it could have used some chopped toasted walnuts and maybe some scallions as well.

[fonticulus.livejournal.com]

I think quinoa is a flavor suppressor or something. "Surprisingly bland" describes almost everything I have ever eaten that was based on quinoa. I mean, it's not bad, and it's got that nice nuttiness, and it's a good base to build a salad on. But it's... bland.

[nonelvis]

I think you may be on to something here. I like quinoa, but I don't love it in the way I love barley, couscous, or bulgur. It needs to be more interesting, dammit.