Quinoa Banana Pudding

1/2 cup milk of your choice (I used rice)

bring to a boil and add

1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 Stevia packet (not sure how to convert that to drops)
1/2 honey

Mix well and whisk in

1.5 tsp. corn starch, dissolved in a small amount of the milk

Simmer and stir until thickened. Stir in

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

Allow to cool, then stir in 1/2 banana, chopped or sliced. Serve warm or cold. Yum!

Cream of Spinach Soup

I was in a spinachy sort of mood tonight and went searching for a soup recipe. Everything I found either didn't look so great or required stuff I didn't have, so I used 3 different recipes as a reference and made up my own. Dad loved it, and so did I!

Cream of Spinach Soup

1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Tbsp. olive oil

Saute the veggies until translucent. Add:

5 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning (we use Slap Ya Mama. No sugar or MSG)
1 Tbsp. Braggs or soy sauce

Simmer for 20 minutes, then add:

16 oz. frozen spinach
3/4 cup cooked quinoa

Bring back to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

Puree the soup (I use a stick blender). Stir in 1-1/2 cups milk of your choice (I used rice milk), optional. If you would like thicker soup, whisk in some potato flakes. Or, you could add a potato or two to the soup from the start.

Taste and adjust seasonings. I added more salt, and some cayenne pepper.

I didn't think it needed any potato flakes. The quinoa thickened it up nicely, added a ton of great protein and the taste went very well with the spinach.

Next time I'll add 2 or 3 celery stalks to the veggies, and maybe some kale.

Yellow Split Pea Soup

This was thick, colorful, and full of flavor.

1 package yellow split peas

Cover with water, about an inch over the peas. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse; return peas to pot.

Add:

4 cups vegetable stock
3 carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup pearl barley, brown rice or quinoa (rinsed well)
1 tsp. salt

Simmer for at least 30 minutes. If you use brown rice, you'll need about 50 total.

10 minutes before serving, add:

1/4 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh tomato
1/4 cup chopped fresh zucchini
salt and pepper to taste.

You can make this with green split peas, but the color here is really gorgeous!

Quinoa and Chickpeas

I just learned about quinoa and decided to try some, since Dad is having trouble eating all he thinks he needs right now. It seemed kind of expensive - $5.00 for 14 ounces - but I only needed half of it for this recipe. It's available elsewhere and in larger quantities for less - I got mine at the local health food store.

This is actually adapted from two recipes I found online, based on the ingredients I had on hand.

Quinoa and Chickpeas

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1-3/4 cups water

Soak the quinoa for 10 minutes in water to cover. Drain, and rinse very well two more times. Make sure to use a fine strainer as this grain is very small (and did I mention, expensive!). You do NOT want to skip this step and it rinses off a natural coating which is supposedly very bitter.

Bring to a boil in the 1-3/4 cups water. Reduce to a simmer and cover tightly. Simmer for 20 minutes; fluff with a fork.

• 1 cup canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
  
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 zuchinni, chopped
  
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• 3 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 tomato, chopped
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
  

Once done, stir in the garbanzo beans, garlic, onion and zuchinni. Transfer to a casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in the lime juice, tomatoes, and olive oil. Season with salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley to serve.

The original recipe said don't substitute the lime juice - it makes the dish. I agree! We didn't have quite 3 Tbsp, and I think it would have been better to have the full amount, but it certainly did "make" the dish in my opinion.