April begins with Polenta and Quinoa

I’m starting to get my groove back. It’s April 3, 2012 and I’ve tried 2 new recipes this week. One came from Veganomicon, and the other is from Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood. It seems that buying a couple of nice new cookbooks is inspiring me this spring!

Broccoli Polenta

p 114 of Veganomicon

I’m not sure why I’ve always been so scared to make polenta. It was not that difficult and I think it came out good. I can see how it could be bland, but adding the broccoli gave it some texture and flavor. I served this with marinara sauce and expect to be eating it all week, since the recipe makes enough for a whole family.

3 ½ cups vegetable broth or water

½ tsp. salt (optional)

1 cup polenta

2 Tbsp. olive oil

4 cups well chopped broccoli

1. Bring salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the polenta slowly, mixing with a whisk as it is poured in. Add the broccoli and olive oil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring often. Turn off heat and let sit 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Mold the polenta. I poured the polenta into a greased 9-inch square pan and refrigerated 1 hour.

3. Slice the polenta into squares, then broil (for about minutes 3-4 inches from flame) or panfry (5 minutes each side)the polenta.

4. Serve with marinara sauce.

Quinoa Chickpea Salad

p 52 of Quinoa 365

I know I should eat more Quinoa so I picked up this cookbook that another blogger was raving about. This is the first recipe I’ve tried out of the cookbook and it’s delicious. I ate it for dinner last night, and took it for lunch today. It makes a great lunch! Delicious…I wouldn’t change a thing. Cooking the quinoa in broth as opposed to water gives it a nice flavor. I never did that before.

2 cups vegetable stock

1 cup quinoa

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 cup diced bell pepper (red preferred)

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1. Bring the stock and quinoa to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and elave the covered saucepan on the burner for 4 more minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool.

2. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and mix in the remaining ingredients. Chill before serving.