Fiesta Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

This is one of those types of kitchen creations that comes about out of necessity. You know, like you look into your fridge and see big, red, very ripe bell peppers sitting there — they maybe are starting to wrinkle up a bit. And then you feel guilt, because you bought all those peppers with so many meals planned. Instead, the past weeks' dinners have consisted of a lot of frozen pizza and really simple pasta and salads topped with other dying produce. So, instead, you grab a cheese stick and shut the refrigerator door and forget about the sad peppers until you have to open it again.

By the middle of the week, I finally accepted the reality that I needed to use all of these peppers up before they went bad (and no one wants that to happen). I'd been thinking of using them for stuffed peppers ever since I saw that they were going to rot soon, but I kept telling myself that is was going to be a lot of work. Well, these quinoa stuffed peppers are super easy to make and even more delicious. They are a combination of almost all of my favorite things: quinoa, black beans, a hint of spicy, avocado, cilantro. Yes please. Despite what the poor lighting in these pictures might tell you (hey sometimes making dinner at 2:00 to have good lighting to photograph your meal just doesn't work with your schedule, you know?), these peppers will have your mouth watering the entire time they are baking.



FIESTA QUINOA STUFFED PEPPERS | yield: 3 stuffed peppers

Ingredients                                            

3 bell peppers
2/3 cup of cooked quinoa (I cook mine in veggie broth for more flavor)
1/2 a can of black beans
1/2 a can of corn
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
fresh cilantro
avocado, sour cream, salsa, sriracha (optional)

Instructions                                           

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking pan with foil.
2. Cut the tops of the peppers off and clean out any seeds.
3. In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, black beans, corn, tomato, and onion.
4. Add to the mixture the chili powder, cumin, 1/2 of the grated cheese, some fresh cilantro, and a few squirts of sriracha (optional). Stir to thoroughly combine.
5. Place the peppers into the lined baking pan and fill each pepper full with the quinoa mixture. Stuff them as full as possible.
6. Top each pepper with some more cheddar cheese.
7. Place the peppers in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, until the filling is pipping hot and the cheese in golden brown and crispy.
8. Top each pepper with some avocado slices, more fresh cilantro, sour cream, salsa, sriracha, etc.

Enjoy these stuffed peppers with a side salad and some chips and salsa. Yum!

 xx Emorie

Balsamic Veggie and Couscous Salad

I can easily say that this salad is one of my all time favorite concoctions (and I have made quite a lot of yummy concoctions before). I thought of it/made it for the first time last week, and I've been craving it since. Warm salads are such a treat this time of year; they're a great way to get some fresh veggies and greens into your diet without sacrificing the comfort-food craving that has become oh so strong nearing the end of winter.

It may very well be one of my favorite concoctions because couscous is one of my favorite foods. Couscous is a great grain that is fluffy, delicious, and super simple and fast to make. I eat it often as a side, to fish and tofu, but this is the first time I have made it the center of a meal. While hunting for lunch ideas after an afternoon workout, I saw we had a few boxes of couscous in the pantry. I wasn't much in the mood to cook much of a full meal and was craving something more light and fresh; couscous salad it was! I kept things really simple by using the box mix of couscous to add instant flavor to salad. I paired the Near East wild mushroom & herb couscous mix with some grilled balsamic veggies and lots of spinach, which made a perfect combination. Feta cheese crumbles and fresh slices of tomato really set everything together.

See the full recipe below and give this warm, filling salad a try!



Balsamic Veggie and Couscous Salad
yield: 3 large servings or 5-6 starters/sides | adapted from this recipe

Ingredients                                                                                            

1 box couscous mix or 1 cup uncooked couscous
1 zucchini, sliced
2-3 large mushrooms, sliced
1/2 a small red onion, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup feta cheese
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Instructions                                                                                           

1. Cook couscous according to instructions on the back of the box; cover and set aside. If not using a couscous box mix, bring two cups vegetable broth to boil, remove from heat stirring in one cup of couscous; cover and set aside.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the zucchini and red onion. Cook until vegetables are tender, then add in the mushroom.
3. Cook until all veggies are tender and start to turn golden. Add in the balsamic vinegar, garlic cloves, italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook for another few minutes, until all flavors seem combined. Set aside.
4. Fluff the couscous thoroughly with a fork. Toss in a large bowl with the spinach leaves. Stir in the grilled balsamic vegetables and the feta cheese. Serve warm, topping each serving with a few fresh slices of tomato.



Simple and savory. Enjoy!
xx Emorie

Roasted Pepper and Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad

When I contacted Gabrielle of Hippie Go Lucky about being apart of my new feature series, she also expressed the desire to put together a little recipe swap. And I, of course, immediately said yes please please please. We picked a theme: fall-type food (a pretty open and delicious theme selection), rounded up a few of our favorites, and sent them off to one another to try and then share on our blogs. I was most excited about this Sweet Potato Quinoa recipe she sent me and got right around to making it this weekend, and making it my own.

I made this Saturday for dinner and it was a big hit. Mostly, I'm just fairly proud of myself that I was even capable of functioning enough to make dinner on Saturday, let alone a pretty involved salad with numerous steps, because I was having one rather mighty Dr Who hang-over. The Day of the Doctor was like early Christmas, mostly because David Tennant. P.S. Did anyone else watch the Graham Norton show later (with Matt Smith & David Tennant as guests) and see his braid!? OHMYGOD. Anyway, it worked out in my favor because I could walk away from the kitchen a lot while things were roasting, and take a break while things were cooling, to catch more of the all day Dr Who madness.

I think this salad snapped me out of my craze (even if I watched more Who while eating it, shhh) because it was so good. Surprisingly delicious. Way better than I was anticipating. It is a little involved, but still easy, great for a Saturday dinner. The combination of flavors is completely perfect, the spicy honey lime dressing contrasting the smoky roasted peppers and the sweet potato. The feta and avocado are what really make this salad though, so try not to leave them out.



Roasted Pepper and Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad
yield: serves 4 to 5 | adapted from this recipe

For the Salad                                                           

1 cup uncooked quinoa (will make 2 cups cooked)
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 large sweet potato, cubed
      + olive oil and a bit of salt for roasting
1 orange bell pepper
1 jalapeño pepper
1/4 of a large sweet onion, chopped
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 to 3 cups fresh spinach
a handful of chopped cilantro
avocado, sliced for topping

For the Dressing                                                     

1/4 cup olive oil
The juice from one lime
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 tablespoons honey
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions                                                            

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Begin with roasting the peppers; they will take the longest (about 45 minutes). Place the jalapeño and bell pepper whole on a small foil lined baking sheet. Rotate the peppers (put a different side down on the pan) using a pair of tongs about every 10 minutes to insure even roasting.
3. In the mean time, chop the sweet potato into small cubes and toss them in a bowl with some olive oil and a few pinches of salt until all pieces are evenly coated. Place these on a separate foil-lined pan and throw them in the oven to roast when the peppers have about 20 minutes left.
4. Roast until the sweet potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes) and the peppers' skins have started to blacken, shrivel, and blister (about 45 minutes).
5. While the vegetables are roasting, cook the quinoa in the vegetable broth. When done, pour into a large bowl and set aside to cool.
6. While waiting for the peppers, potatoes, and quinoa to cool, whisk all the dressing ingredients together and set aside.
7. When the peppers are cool to the touch, peel off the skin and remove the ribbing and seeds and chop into small pieces.
8. Toss the chopped onion, roasted potato cubes, the peppers, spinach, and the feta in the bowl with the quinoa. Pour in the dressing and give everything a good toss.
9. Top each serving with a garnish of cilantro and fresh avocado slices.



Enjoy!
xx Emorie

Vegan West African Peanut Soup

Let's get cozy, shall we? It's been stormy and cool and Fall like here lately (but sadly not so much today) and I couldn't be more excited. So grab a comfy sweater and a cup of tea; it's story (and soup) time.

There is a little lovely place in Moscow, Idaho (where I lived for three years) that makes the most surprisingly delicious foods. I say surprisingly, only because the first time I passed it walking down Main Street I had no idea it was a restaurant. But thanks to the guys sipping lunchtime beers outside, I was quickly informed of Mikey's greatness. They are known far and wide for their gyros, but they have a whole array of menu items mostly featuring a greek sampling. I loved their avocado pitas, fresh warm hummus (no other hummus has yet to compare), and falafel salads. But their soups were godly. You had to get there early to even have a chance to down a bowl of whatever the were serving for soup of the day. And of all the vegetarian soups I tried from them, every single one made left me so satisfied and wanting more.

Enter their African Peanut Soup. I was walking by on my way home from class on a cold day and saw just that written on their chalk board as their soup of the day. I had never heard of peanut soup before, but there was no way I was passing up a chance to try it from the soup gods. So I ordered a bowl for lunch and my life was changed forever. It'd be funny if it wasn't true; I dreamed about how good that soup was for weeks. And unfortunately, Mikey's switches up their soups quite often (or fortunately because I got to try so many soups) and I never saw it there again. But I was determined to eat peanut soup again, and often, so I made it myself.

And I do make it all the time. Especially in the winter. It is a bowl of soup that is sure to warm you up completely from the inside out. There is something about the mix of the warm spices and the nuttiness from the peanuts that creates a rather heavenly flavor. And aroma. This will make you house smell so so good and just like Fall. My recipe is quite a bit different from that bowl I had at Mikey's years ago, and it has changed a bit over time, but it is equally delicious. Creamy and comforting, this spicy vegan soup is made from a combination of peanut butter, sweet potato, tomato, red bell pepper and sweet onion.

Peanut Soup, serves 6 

5 cups vegetable broth
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 large sweet potato, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced (Depending on size/preference. I always use more garlic, and then some.)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes, or two fresh garden tomatoes
3/4 cup (uncooked) brown rice
2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup peanut butter (chunky and/or smooth)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions: 

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat and add the chopped sweet onion and red bell pepper. Cook, stirring often, until tender and onions are translucent (not browned). Add in the chopped garlic and grated ginger and cook for another minute or two while stirring.
2. Turn down the heat to medium and pour in the vegetable broth. Add the brown rice, sweet potato, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Add the chili powder and cumin. Cover and simmer (turning the heat down to low) until brown rice and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir often. To cut down on cooking time, use brown rice cooked ahead of time.
3. When the potatoes and brown rice are tender, uncover and turn tho heat down to the lowest possible. Stir in the peanut butter thoroughly with a spoon. Add in the nutmeg and cayenne pepper, then give it a taste test. If it tastes a little bland, add in a bit more cumin, chili powder, and peanut butter. 
4. Cook for 5 more minutes (or longer) to let the peanut butter thoroughly incorporate into the soup. Serve warm and enjoy. This soup makes great leftovers as well!

Tips:

+ I like to start the brown rice in a small pot with 1 or 2 cups of water and let it boil on high uncovered while I cut things up and start the soup. I leave it like this until I am ready to add it, pouring it all in. This way the brown rice is mostly done when I add it which cuts down the cook time significantly.

+ I prefer all the veggies chopped pretty finely in this soup. I like them to be noticeable but not too chunky, so that the texture is really smooth and creamy.

+ If you love spicy flavors like me, don’t hesitate to use liberal amounts of ginger, garlic, cumin, and chili powder. They balance nicely with the peanut butter nuttiness and the hint of nutmeg. I always add more of all the spices when the soup is done (after the peanut butter is added) and taste as I go until I feel they are nicely balanced.

+ I like to use 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter and 1/4 cup crunchy (to give it a bit of a crunch). Don't be afraid to add more peanut butter if it doesn't seem creamy/nutty enough.

Everyone I have ever made this soup for has loved it. Celebrate the start of soup season and give it a try and let me know what you think!

P.S. I'm sorry I've been a bit absent this weak. I was sick (and stressed).
P.P.S. This week marked the six month anniversary of Oh Whimsical Me! I can't believe it's been that long already. I'll have something fun and exciting soon to celebrate.
P.P.P.S. I asked a question a few days ago on the OWM facebook page and would love some input from you.

    

Scrambled Egg Avocado Brunch Tacos

Am I the only one who eats eggs in tacos? Given the response I always get when I suggest them for a meal, I am starting to believe so. I've finally gotten Will on board with them, though, so I will be eating them alone no longer. Perhaps eggs and tacos seems like a strange combination at first, but breakfast burritos exist and huevos rancheros are delicious. Scrambled egg tacos are actually my favorite kind of taco. Well, aside from Pollo Rey's fish taco but you just can't compete with that. They are certainly my favorite tacos to make; they are so simple and quick.

Plus these have avocado on them as well. I truly believe avocados are a perfect food. You just can't go wrong with them. If you want to make something delicious put avocado in it. Or, you know, just eat one with a spoon. The avocado is certainly what makes these tacos perfect. And these tacos are all kinds of perfect; they are great for those days when you didn't eat breakfast, or at least not much of one, and you're now starving but it still seems too early for lunch. Eat these then. I know that I titled these Avocado Brunch Tacos. But don't let the name of these tacos limit you either; I would eat these anytime (and do). Ugh, so good.

Avocado Brunch Tacos, serves 2 / makes 4 tacos

4 corn tortillas
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 whole eggs and 3 egg whites
1/2 cup spinach
1 avocado, sliced
1/2 cup black beans
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons pico de gallo
salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
fresh lime and cilantro, to garnish

Directions: Put the chopped onions and green bell pepper in a pan with a bit of olive oil (or butter/margarine if you fancy) and cook over medium high heat, stirring often. You don't want to grill these brown and crunchy, just cook until soft and translucent. Beat the eggs and whites in a bowl and then pour in the pan over the onion and peppers. Season with a bit of salt, pepper, and garlic powder and cook the scrambled eggs until completely done. Warm the tortillas up a bit in a separate pan or pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Spread a thin layer of sour cream on each tortilla and build the tacos by layering black beans, avocado slices, spinach, and the cooked egg mixture. Top each taco with a scoop of pico de gallo and a bit of fresh cilantro. Squeeze a bit of lime over the top as well.

Enjoy, and ignore the comments about how weird you are for eating egg tacos. You know how good they are; everyone else is just missing out.

Quinoa Garbanzo Burgers

I love a good burger. You know, just minus the meat. But really, it is a well known mission of mine to find and devour good veggie burgers. They are hard to find out in the real world; there are only a few places here in Boise that manage to make them well. Mostly I have resorted to making them at home but (given my limited culinary experience) they are hard to get just right. Recipes I have tried tend to be a little, um, mushy. As in nothing even closely resembling a patty. And they also can be a bit bland. Now, I have found a pretty damn good black bean burger recipe, but I had yet to successfully create a good quinoa patty.

Those days are over, friends. Because I decided to make a burger of my own. If recipes just aren't working out for you, I'd recommend taking this approach. Just wing it! It's so much fun to get creative in the kitchen. It is even more fun when that creativity is successful and delicious. I mean, the worst thing that could happen is that it doesn't turn out (again). Or you could always give my recipe a try! These burgers were so good, filling but light too and full of flavor. The patties formed perfectly and there was none of that 'refrigerate the mixture for such and such a time' nonsense either. I literally mixed these up and then grilled them. The best.

Quinoa Garbanzo Burgers, makes 4 large patties:

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup garbanzo beans
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup spinach, chopped
1/4 cup sweet onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup GF oats, blended (you could also use breadcrumbs)
Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to taste

Toppings-
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
4 large mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Romaine lettuce
Mayo and Dijon mustard
Thin slices of mozzarella cheese

Directions: Cook the quinoa in the vegetable broth and set aside. In a large bowl, use the back of a fork to mash the garbanzo beans into a paste. Mix in the chopped spinach, onion, and garlic. Thoroughly combine this mixture with the cooked quinoa (which should be a little cooler by now). Add the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese, combining thoroughly. In a blender or food processor, pulse half a cup of oats into a grainy powder. I use this instead of breadcrumbs, as I prefer the taste, but breadcrumbs should be just fine to use. Add this powder and a beaten egg to the mixture. On a griddle, heat up a thin layer of olive oil over medium high heat. Form patties in your hand and place on the heated oil. Cook each side thoroughly, at least five minutes, before flipping or you'll end up with a broken patty. Cook both sides until golden brown.

Toppings, if desired: Lightly grill thin slices of mushrooms and onions in a pan with olive oil over medium heat. Once slightly tender, add 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar to the pan and cook for another minute or two. Layer your quinoa garbanzo burgers, on (gluten free) bread or buns, over thin slices of mozzarella cheese and top with the onions and mushrooms. Finish with a leaf of romaine lettuce and a spread of mayo and Dijon mustard.

These are also delicious just wrapped up in a big leaf of romaine lettuce or simply eaten alone. Enjoy!

Loaded Veggie Cauliflower Crust Pizza

You guys, I did it. I accomplished something really important; eating pizza while following the Revolt diet (and it's not even a cheat)! I have really great priorities. I know I've said over and over again that the only thing I really crave anymore, since switching to a whole foods diet, is pizza. And I crave it like crazy, as in I would make pizza almost every weekend for my cheat day. This is probably pretty obvious considering the percentage of recipes on this blog that are pizza. Pizza, I just don't know how to quit you.

How did I accomplish this you ask? Well, Nichole (the founder of Revolt) is super SUPER lovely and always takes menu suggestions before each uprising. And of course, the only thing on my mind when I saw the thread on Facebook was pizza. So I thought, "You know what? Cauliflower crust is actually pretty healthy." And so I suggested it, never thinking that my dream of a daily pizza indulgence while following the Revolt diet would actually become reality. But it diddd! This uprisings menu included Flourless Margherita Pizza. My recipe was close enough to the one she shared that I made mine to eat this week instead. This recipe is a bit time consuming, and the crust can be a bit tricky, but it is so worth it.

Loaded Veggie Cauliflower Crust Pizza, makes 8 slices or 4 servings

For the crust:
3 cups cauliflower (about 1/2 a large head)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/8 of a cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
salt and ground black pepper, to taste

For the marinara sauce:
2 tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic 
4 large leaves fresh basil
dried oregano, dried rosemary, salt, and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon red wine

Toppings:
3/4 of a cup mozarella cheese
1/4 of a red onion
1/2 of a red bell pepper
1/2 of a cup of mushrooms
1/2 of a tomato
a loose handful of spinach
1/8 of a cup fresh basil
red pepper flakes

Directions (for the crust): Rinse a head of cauliflower thoroughly and then cut in half. You'll only need half for the crust. Using a large knife and large cutting board, chop the cauliflower into the smallest sizes possible. I've heard that grating the cauliflower works well, but I prefer this option. Just be prepared for a big mess. You'll want to try and only chop the flowery part of the cauliflower for this crust. You should have about 3 cups of crumbles. Place the crumbles in a large microwave-safe container and cook in the microwave for eight to ten minutes (until fully cooked and soft). Let cool. This next step in important, and will really help your crust stay intact. Place the cooled, cooked cauliflower crumbles on a clean dish towel and press firmly to remove as much moisture as possible. It should wet the dish towel pretty significantly, and when done, be a little bit flaky or paste-like. You don't have to remove all the moisture, but removing as much as possible will help your crust turn out greatly. Next, mix the cauliflower with a beaten egg, 1/8 cup mozzarella cheese, 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Once combined, pat and mold into a 1/4 inch thick round on a pizza pan or stone lined with parchment paper. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Once removed, turn the oven down to 400 degrees.

Directions (for the sauce): In a blender or food processor, blend the tomatoes and garlic cloves. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat. Add in the fresh basil leaves and all of the other spices, tasting as you go until it reaches a flavor of your liking. I tend to add A LOT of rosemary and oregano. Add the tablespoon of wine and let the sauce simmer over medium heat for about ten minutes to let it reduce/thicken.

Directions: Thinly slice all of the vegetables. Top the cooked cauliflower crust with the prepared marinara sauce and then layer on the vegetables. Finish with 3/4 cups mozzarella, a handful of fresh pizza with the sauce, 1/4 cup mozzarella, fresh basil leaves, and a small sprinkling of red pepper flakes. Bake at 400 degrees for another 10 minutes, and then turn on the broil and watch closely until the pizza is golden and bubbly.

Enjoy two pieces served with a green salad and/or fresh fruit.