Happy Easter to all!
...Taking a quick break from preparing tonight's mini Easter dinner to share a few recipes. The first is for a quinoa salad that is so so good! I found this recipe and changed it up just a bit to end up with a date and cranberry quinoa side dish that is flavorful and puts plain old rice to shame (who gets tired of having rice as a side every day? I DO!)
Date and Cranberry Quinoa:
1 cup quinoa
1 2/3 cup water
1 tsp garam masala
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup cranberries
1 1/2 celery stalks, chopped to 1/4 in. pieces
1/2 large bell pepper, chopped to 1/4 in. pieces
1 1/2 large dates, chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped white sweet onion
2 1/2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSp canola oil
First make sure you rinse the quinoa well, to remove the bitter saponins. I usually spend about 3 minutes rinsing it, just to make sure they're all gone.
Next, add the quinoa to a small pot with the water, salt, dates and garam masala. Cook over a medium flame, stir occasionally and keep covered until water is evaporated and quinoa is somewhat translucent (cooked).
When the quinoa is done, remove it from the pot. Now add the remaining olive oil and canola oil to the pot.
Allow the oil to get hot, when the oil is hot (check by sprinkling with a bit of water, it should sizzle), put the flame on high and add the onion, caramelize the onions but keep stirring.
When the onions just begin to darken, put the flame on medium and add the chopped celery and bell pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add the cranberries. Cook covered on low for about 3-5 minutes.
Lastly, mix in the quinoa while the flame is still on low and then turn off.
1 cup quinoa
1 2/3 cup water
1 tsp garam masala
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup cranberries
1 1/2 celery stalks, chopped to 1/4 in. pieces
1/2 large bell pepper, chopped to 1/4 in. pieces
1 1/2 large dates, chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped white sweet onion
2 1/2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSp canola oil
First make sure you rinse the quinoa well, to remove the bitter saponins. I usually spend about 3 minutes rinsing it, just to make sure they're all gone.
Next, add the quinoa to a small pot with the water, salt, dates and garam masala. Cook over a medium flame, stir occasionally and keep covered until water is evaporated and quinoa is somewhat translucent (cooked).
When the quinoa is done, remove it from the pot. Now add the remaining olive oil and canola oil to the pot.
Allow the oil to get hot, when the oil is hot (check by sprinkling with a bit of water, it should sizzle), put the flame on high and add the onion, caramelize the onions but keep stirring.
When the onions just begin to darken, put the flame on medium and add the chopped celery and bell pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add the cranberries. Cook covered on low for about 3-5 minutes.
Lastly, mix in the quinoa while the flame is still on low and then turn off.
And how about cupcakes for dessert? Here are 2 dozen mini gluten-free yellow cupcakes that are topped off with a NATURAL pink frosting. No food coloring here! I've seen a few of you cleverly incorporate jello into your strawberry cake recipes. I basically took that idea and applied it to frosting. I used an all-natural strawberry jello that I purchased from Whole Foods awhile ago; that pink color you're seeing is from beets! Watch out, though, the frosting is super sweet, which is why I just made enough of it to coat the cupcakes with a very thin layer of it. Double the frosting recipe if you like a thick, sweet frosting. (Click here to see the 'jell dessert' I used in this frosting; it is also gluten free/vegan.)
24 comments:
Man oh man, what a quinoa dish and batch of mini muffins!! Love it :-)
Enjoy your Easter dinner tonight!!
what delicious recipes. The pink cupcakes look so cute and delicious :)
i got your package in the mail yesterday! those pins are so cute! thank you so much! you have been too sweet and a great friend :)
Both of these look great, I could go for one of those cupcakes right now. Happy easter!
Those cupcakes are so cute! I didn't realise you could use jello to frost.
The quinoa dish sounds fab too. What else did you cook for your Easter dinner?
Happy Easter to you as well!!
Love the beet-coloring in the cupcake frosting
what cute little treats :)
very fitting for the easter weekend!
I never would have thought to add jello for color. That is such a great idea!
Happy Easter to you too!
That quinoa is so colorful and those cupcakes SO cute!
Oh I've been very curious about quinoa recently. And those cupcakes look lovely!
Quinoa is my favorite. I think it is better than anything as a side or main dish. I love what you did with it here and the cupcakes look great too!
Mmmm, the strawberry frosting looks amazing! I had such a big sweet tooth yesterday and could have used one of these cupcakes.
although the little cakelets are cute, i'm loving your pile of quinoa. that's good stuff.
I've been wanting to give guinoa another thry. I didn't like my last go around. This looks beautiful and nice and healthy.
Hope you Easter was good.
I am always looking for good quinoa recipes, and your cupcakes are gorgeous!
Thanks for taking my request (via Conversations with a Cupcake) for a gluten-free cupcake! I hope my friend tries these!
What a pretty pink frosting!
What a creative use of quinoa, Sophie! Simply beautiful.
I have a vegan friend who would love those cunning pink cupcakes.
Great blog! :-)
What a great recipe! I just cooked quinoa for the first time yesterday. I had a box of quinoa, and didn't have time to cook brown rice, so I gave it a try. I liked it though my preparation was very plain. This sounds like a fabulous way to dress it up. Thanks for the idea!
Your cupcakes sound absolutely delicious and they looks so pretty.
I like the idea of putting the cranberries with the quinoa!
That sounds so good. I've been trying to eat quinoa at least once a week.
I just started baking with quinoa flour too. Have you tried that yet? It seems you can bake with it in place of all purpose flour. I bought mine at Fruitful Yield (a health food store) but I think they sell it at Trader Joe's too
those cupcakes are super cute and gluten free too! amazing.
Um, I just want to lick that pink frosting right off! Yellow cake is always a winner. I just looove your photos since you got your new cam, Sophie!
Sophie, I'd never seen a Quinoa salad look that tempting, and the dates is a deliciously-new addition one to me.
I hope you had a wonderful Easter, although judging by your menu, I'm sure you did!
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