Cold Quinoa Salad with Pumpkin Seeds and Sugar Snap Peas

You are most likely sick of hearing about quinoa. In an article about the politics of food companies, a grouchy journalist took this swipe at the grain; "For some consumers, that would spoil the taste. Or would, if it were possible to make quinoa taste worse"*.  But really, quinoa is a good deal, food-wise. I like the crunchy mouth feel and the taste is bland enough to be a bit of a canvas for other flavors. It is quite nutritious, cheap and versatile....it is a good grain to have in rotation. I especially like it for to-go lunches. You can make this recipe in advance and then bring it with you to work for a healthy, hearty, and relatively low calorie meal.

Full disclosure on this recipe. My kids tried it, and decided they didn't like it. However, I consider it a victory, as they didn't make a face, or gag. Which means that if I make another 10 times they will probably eventually forget that they don't like it.

Also, I apologize for posting this recipe as sugar snap peas are more of a spring vegetable. I love them though, and my kids actually like them as well, so I included them. You could use bell peppers for a nice crunch instead. I'm hoping that the oh-so-seasonal pumpkin seeds make up for this transgression.

Ingredients
1/2 lb sugar snap peas
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained**
1/4 cup olive oil, extra virgin
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, roasted and salted
1/2 cup minced chives
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a small saucepan full of salted water to a boil. Add the sugar snap peas and simmer for about a minute. (If you want to really bring out the green color, drain and dump into an ice bath for a few minutes. This is one of my mother's best tips.) Drain and cool. It's probably best to cut into bite size pieces, but I sometimes leave them whole because they are just so pretty.

Bring the quinoa and two cups of water to a boil. Turn heat to low and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Put the quinoa in a large bowl, fluff it with a fork and leave it to cool to room temperature.

While the quinoa is cooking, combine the oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Add the pumpkin seeds, cooled peas, pumpkin seeds, chives and dressing to the quinoa- stir and add more salt and pepper to taste.

Refrigerate after making.



*"Voting with your wallet." The Economist, September 13th, 2014. Page 38.
** You may ask yourself, how the hell do I rinse these teeny little suckers? They get everywhere! I lay them in a clean dishcloth, make a little open bag out of it, and run water over them. Then I scrape them off the dishcloth into the pot with a knife. If anyone knows a better way, let me know.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

My daughters love making cookies with me. I like to think it is because we are spending time together and learning math through application. But perhaps they are more results oriented than I care to admit.  Regardless, we do enjoy it and are always looking for excuses to bake.  A few months ago, my preschooler and I decided to make cookies for her class picnic.  She loves oatmeal for breakfast, and often requests it as an after school snack.  I was surprised when she objected to my suggestion of oatmeal raisin cookies. Evidently she has become anti-raisin because "they stick in my teeth". However, she suggested using chocolate chips instead. I tinkered with the recipe on the Quaker Oats canister and the result was quite a hit with the entire class.  

You will need:

1/2 cup plus 6 tblsps unsalted butter (almost 2 sticks)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 and 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups of old fashioned oats (I never use quick, I prefer the texture of the old fashioned)

1 and 1/4 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make sure the butter is nice and soft. Put it in a mixer with the sugars, until it is well combined. Add the  eggs and the vanilla. 

Mix together the flour, soda, salt and oats in a separate bowl. Add to the wet mixture. Toss in the chocolate chips. Stir until just nicely blended. Don't stir too much! Over stirring will make them tough. 

Line the cookie sheet with a silpat mat. Trust me on this- they are worth the investment. (See my previous post on the topic.) 

For the next part, I use a small ice cream scoop, the kind that you squeeze.  The scoop really helps keep the size uniform so that the cookies bake evenly. Scoop a ball of dough with the ice cream scooper. This next part is optional, but it makes the cookies look very nice. With clean, wet hands, roll the dough ball in your palms until it is smooth and even. Then put it on the cookie tray lined with the silpat mat and smoosh it a little bit flat with your hand. Bake for 9-15 minutes- this really depends on the size of your cookies and then oven. If it is a teaspoon size ball of dough, it will run closer to 9 minutes. The ice cream scoop ones will be more like 12, and really big cookies are about 15 minutes. 

Once the cookies are lightly browned, remove from the oven. Cool on a cookie rack. 

Lentils?

I discovered my daughter had low iron levels at her last well child visit. I found this totally shocking. Apparently, hemoglobin levels are NOT correlated to willpower. The pediatrician advised me to increase iron-rich foods, and listed in rapid-fire succession foods my daughter would never, ever eat....and lentils. I realized I had never made lentils for my daughter. In fact, I wasn't sure if I had ever made lentils for myself. Inspiration struck! I picked up a box of French Le Puy Lentils at random, and began experimenting. 

Here's what I learned. These tiny green French lentils are much tastier (in my opinion) than the bigger ones. They have a more pleasing texture. In addition, unlike many legumes, they don't need to be soaked or any sort of big fuss. You just cook them up. They are great warm, with fish for dinner. Then I eat them cold the next day for lunch. The best thing of all, they are low in calories, and high in protein and iron.  Here's my favorite way to make them. 

French Lentil Salad

1.25 cups of French green lentils (I use the Roland brand)

1 bay leaf

a few sprigs of fresh thyme (I'm sure you can sprinkle a pinch of dried instead)

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

2 stalks of celery, diced (if you like fennel, you can also use this, but I find celery more kid friendly)

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

lemon wedges

lots of sea salt and black pepper

Rinse the lentils. This is trickier than it sounds. I wrap them up tight in cheesecloth and run the water through the bundle. These little guys have a way of sneaking all over your kitchen if you don't contain them in the rinsing process! Put the rinsed lentils in a large saucepan and cover with water by 3-4 inches. Add the bay leaf and thyme. Bring the concoction to a boil, and then reduce heat. Now add a dash of salt (in my case, a lot of salt!) and simmer them for about 20 minutes.

While they are simmering, saute carrots, onions and celery (or fennel) in olive oil. Season them with salt and pepper until tender. Drain the lentils- you can use the cheesecloth for this too- and discard the bay leaf and thyme.

Then you combine the veggies and the lentils, stir up a bit, add more salt and pepper to your taste. Add an additional 1 tbsp of olive oil. Serve with lemon wedge, so your little diners can decide if they want the extra zing of lemon.  If you want a real treat, add crumbled goat cheese. Delicious.