My New Obsession

I've recently come across a bunch of Instagram accounts with endless food bowl options. There's smoothies, oatmeal, banana ice-cream, salads, quinoa, kale . . . you see what I mean.



And so I've decided to jump on the trend. It seems a food bowl is the perfect spring board for simple and delicious meals--exactly what I need in this hectic thing I call life these days. Expect to see plenty of posts related to my newest obsession (food bowls-- in case you didn't get it).





Quinoa Tuna Bowl
Makes 2 servings.
Active time: 20 minutes; total time: 25 minutes.

• 3/4 cup quinoa
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 orange bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon red wine
• 2 (3 oz.) cans albacore tuna in water, drained and broken up into small pieces.
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1. Cook quinoa according to the package instructions. While it's cooking, make the vegetables and tuna.
2. Heat a wok over high heat. Add broccoli and 1/4 cup water and cook until water is evaporated. Make sure the wok is very hot so that the broccoli is stir fried. Add balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon onion powder; season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until vinegar is evaporated. If broccoli florets are not soft, add the rest of the water and cook until evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the red wine and raise heat slightly. Cook until wine is evaporated and peppers are soft. Add onion powder and stir, picking up the browned bits from the pan. 
4. Add the tuna to the pan and continue to cook, stirring. Add remaining red wine and cook until evaporated. Cook for an additional minute, stirring, until tuna is slightly browned. 
5. In two bowls, layer the quinoa, broccoli, and bell pepper–tuna mix. Top with red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. 

Fish & Quinoa

So the fire alarm in my building went off today. At 7:47 a.m.

I'm assuming it was a false alarm, but we weren't actually informed otherwise. Ten minutes after the piercing sound woke me up from my deep sleep, the torture stopped and everyone walked back into the building. I followed, dragging my feet up the five flights of stairs to my apartment.

The only upside--if any--to this terrible event was the head start I got on my studies. But I guess that's  up for debate.

Anyways, tomorrow is the first day of my third week of law school. So far so good. Yes, I'll admit there is a lot of reading involved, but call me a law nerd, because I've mostly enjoyed it--except for the uber-overwhelming and seemingly infinite amount of property terms.

On another note, I've figured out a way to go grocery shopping without a car: my backpack, two bike bags and an extra reusable bag. Thankfully the bike ride is only about five minutes because the extra weight really does kick in.

Here is my dinner from tonight: grilled cod with caramelized onions and orange-avocado salsa and carrot zucchini quinoa. On hindsight, I probably would've paired the fish with a cucumber salad or something fresh, but I wanted to cook quinoa for leftovers during the week. It's all about practicality now that I'm a lawyer-in-training. Enjoy!

Cod with orange, avocado and onions (adapted from Bon Apetit: Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook).
Makes 2 servings.
Active time: 15 minutes. Total time: 25 minutes.

• 1 medium navel orange
• 1/2 cup avocado cubes (about 1/3-inch)
• 2 teaspoons minced jalapeño 
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 2  6 oz. cod fillets
• Parsley for garnish

1. Cut and peel orange ,removing white pit; carefully separate sections and cut in half. Combine orange sections, avocado, jalapeño and lime juice in a small bowl; stir gently to blend. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a medium skillet, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, or until slightly browned. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper; transfer to skillet and sauté until brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side. 
3. Serve fish topped with salsa; garnish with parsley. 

Spiced carrot and zucchini quinoa (adapted from Bon Apetit: Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook).

Makes 4 servings.

Active time: 20 minutes. Total time: 30 minutes.

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa, rinse and drained
• A pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into small cubes
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Combine first four ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low and cover; simmer until water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and sauté, about 3 minutes. Add paprika, cumin and cinnamon.
3. Remove skillet from heat and add quinoa. Toss to blend and season with salt and pepper.

Keep That Smile on your Face

I'm still in a good great mood; I still have a big smile on my face; and I'm still amazed at how a five-hour event flipped my mood completely. Although to be fair, those five hours were the culmination of more than three months of rigorous studying--lack of social life and heartburn-creating stress included. So yes, even though I'm entertained by my awesome mood, I'll take it regardless of how it came to be.

Let me warn you though, come October 30th (when scores are supposed to be released), I'll either be in an even better mood (higher-than-expected score) or I'll be in a terrible one (lower-than-expected score). For now, I'll wait, cook--or in this case bake--and blog.

Here's a simple recipe involving homemade quinoa flour. How it came to be? I just decided to experiment with a regular muffin recipe and replace all-purpose flour with blended quinoa. You can buy quinoa flour in specialty stores (maybe even regular supermarkets nowadays), but otherwise just blend quinoa until it turns into flour! Enjoy!

Quinoa Applesauce Muffins (inspired from As Simple as That)
Active time: 10 minutes. Total time: 30 minutes + cooling
Makes 6 muffins.

• 1/4 cup butter at room temperature (or coconut oil, but it definitely gives it a very distinct flavor)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Egg whites from two large eggs
• 4 oz. applesauce
• 3/4 cup quinoa flour
• 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries (I'm sure it would be great with blueberries as well)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. In a small bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Whisk in egg whites, one at a time and mix until well incorporated.
3. Add applesauce, quinoa flour, baking powder and salt to wet ingredients and mix well, making sure to get rid of any clumps. Gently fold in raspberries until combined with the batter. 
4. Divide batter among a 6-muffin pan sprayed with baking oil. Cook muffins for 15-20 minutes or until golden on the sides and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let muffins cool before serving.

A problem. A Solution.

Problem: my Nike+ Sportwatch GPS says I ran faster than does my net half-marathon time. It also says the course was 13.3 miles rather than the promised 13.1.

Solution: Stick with the faster time.

Haha no, I'm kidding. I'm sticking with my net time because I only trust the watch so much. And considering the sweltering heat and high humidity I'm still proud of finishing in one piece--even if this race was about a minute slower than my first half marathon.

Speaking of slow, mile 11 almost broke me. In a sense it did, because I gave into the heat and started walking; I was so disappointed with myself, but my feet really couldn't take any more (or so I thought). Turns our  the fear of not being able to finish got me back on pace. Two miles later I was sprinting past the finish line--yes, I'm one of those people that likes to finish with a sprint.

Anyways, now I'm back in training for the real thing: the 26.2 mile monster. But let's talk about food. I've resorted to cooking as simple and healthy as I can, and it's actually pretty tasty. I've decided to leave the elaborate test-kitchen-like recipes for after the marathon, so for now it's back to basics.

Here's a quick quinoa and tofu dinner that can double as lunch. I added the veggies I could find in my fridge--I'll admit I haven't had any time to go grocery shopping--but I'm sure there are plenty of variations that would be just as tasty.

Asparagus Zucchini Tofu Quinoa
Makes about 4 servings.
Active time: 15 minutes. Total time: 25 minutes.

• 1 cup quinoa, prepared according to box instructions. Here's a great link on how-to.
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 package extra firm tofu, drained and squeezed dry
• 1 small bunch fresh asparagus, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 2 zucchinis, sliced width-wise, about 1/2-inch thick rounds
• 1 cup fresh Kale leaves, washed and torn into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1. While quinoa is cooking, heat a oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add asparagus, zucchini and tofu and cook, stirring, until tofu begins to brown, about 5 minutes. 
2. Add kale, soy sauce and rice vinegar and continue cooking until kale is wilted, about 2 minutes. Add quinoa and lower heat. Cook stirring for 1 more minute; season with salt and pepper and serve.

Of Opening Acts and Quinoa Burgers

Raise your hand if you genuinely enjoy opening acts. Yeah, that's what I thought.

I'm sorry but when I pay $50+ to watch my favorite band/artist perform, I don't appreciate having to wait close to two hours on my feet. When a ticket says "show at 7," I expect to see the band/artist I paid for at 7--give or take a half an hour.

That being said, some openers are an exception to my complaint. If the act is relevant, lasts somewhere between four and six songs and is actually good--I've had my share of screams coupled with instruments pretending to be music--then I'm ok with it.

For example, yesterday at the Mumford & Sons concert, there were two opening acts. Mistake number one: two opening acts are not ok. If I want to see an array of bands then I'll go to a music festival. But let's put that aside for a second and analyze the acts separately. The first opener, Ben Howard, was good. He has a soft and enjoyable voice that I would guess appeals to the Mumford crowd. And his set lasted about twenty minutes, so it was a great introduction to the main act.

But the second act, The Felice Brothers, was long and somewhat irritating. There were three things that bothered me the most. First of all, if you're going to open for a band like Mumford, do not come out drunk and high, it makes you sound terrible. Also, please do not play songs that seem to be improvised--or if you do, make sure it works. Finally, if you're playing right before Mumford, do not play for more than 45 minutes!

Ok, I'm done venting. Now let me just say that the actual concert was amazing! Mumford & Sons is all I could think about today. If you ever have a chance to attend their concert, go!

Anyways, tonight I made quinoa burgers. In all honesty, I had no idea what to expect, but turns out, they were quite tasty. If you have them in pita bread, just make sure you warm it up before serving. Enjoy!

Greek-style Quinoa Burgers (adapted from Martha Stewart)
Active time: 35 minutes. Total time: 40 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.

• 12 cup rinsed quinoa
• 1 medium carrot, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• 15 oz. great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup plain on-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 4 pitas
• 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced diagonally

1. In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil. Add quinoa and lower heat; cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes. 
2. In a food processos, pulse carrot until finely chopped. Add quinoa, half the cilantro leaves, beans, breadcrumbs, egg, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Pulse mixture until combined but slightly chunky. Place in the refrigerator and chill for 10 minutes.
3. Form mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick patties. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook burgers until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes on each side.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice and remaining cilantro; season with salt and pepper. Place pita bread in a convection oven set to 300F and warm up, about 5 minutes. 
5. Serve burgers in pita topped with cucumber and yogurt sauce.

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Tomorrow's Lunch: Quinoa Salad

The weather today inspired me to make a fresh lunch for tomorrow; and my health--or lack thereof--inspired me to put together a healthy salad. Oh and I had vegetables about to go bad lying in my refrigerator.

So I adapted a quinoa salad that I found on GoJee--a site that you need to bookmark if it isn't on your favorites already--and its all nicely packed up for me to take it to the office in the morning  at sunrise.

Before I get to the recipe, I want to write about these past few days. I was bedridden yesterday due to a vicious cold. I had the perfect excuse to catch up on most of the TV series I watch and read up on Medieval Christianity (for academic purposes) without leaving the comfort of my cozy apartment; but to be honest--and for those of you who don't know me this might be surprising--I was less than excited about laying in bed all day. I'm an active person and when I know there is something I can be doing--be it work, exercise, cooking--I get annoyed.

Thankfully today I felt somewhat better and I was able to go about my life almost normally--I still slept in until past 9 a.m., which is also something that annoys me. Ideally my cold would dissapear by tomorrow, but realistically I know I'l have traces of it until the weekend. So in hopes of making it shorter, I shall strive to eat extremely healthy foods these next few days. Cue the quinoa.

Greek Quinoa Salad (adapted from Global Dish)
Makes about 6 servings
Active time: 10 minutes. Total time: 40 minutes.

• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1 teaspoon Smart Balance or butter
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1/4 extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives

1. In a medium pot, bring vegetable broth to a boil. Add quinoa, reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for about 15 minutes, or until quinoa sprouts. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork; let sit for 5 minutes. Cool at room temperature for about 10 minutes and transfer to refrigerator to cool completely, about 15 more minutes.
2. In a small sauce pan, melt the Smart Balance over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
3. In a small bowl, combine olive oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Transfer quinoa to a large bowl. Add bell pepper, tomatoes, cilantro, olives and cooled onion and stir. Whisk in the dressing until mixed in.

Fennel & Mushroom Quinoa

Happy Easter!

Yeah, I know this dish isn't really Easter-related, but it's the thought that counts right? I never got around to making the Easter cupcakes that I planned. I ran out of time and egg whites--after having them for breakfast everyday how wouldn't I.

Anyways, I decided I am definitely staying in Boston for a part of the summer (May & June) and I am very excited. Early morning runs followed by tanning reading sessions on my roof deck? I think so. I'll be taking classes too though, so it's not all fun and games. Although really, it kind of is--summer college students can vouch for it. Plus, given the four--yes four-- months of vacation that I have, why not spend a couple of months in one of my favorite cities?

Here is another quinoa dish that I can across and I immediately bookmarked. It easy and delicious. I'm bias because it has some of my favorite ingredients (mushrooms and fennel), but it is quite tasty. And healthy too, so eat up. Enjoy!

Fennel Mushroom Quinoa (adapted from Weight Watchers)
Active time: 15 minutes. Total time: 25 minutes.
Makes about 4 servings

• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup leeks, sliced into 1-inch rings
• 1 fennel bulb, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cup sliced Shiitake mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 cup chicken broth
• Salt and pepper

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When about to simmer, add leeks and fennel and reduce heat to medium. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until beginning to soften. Add mushrooms to pan and cook for another ten minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat until quinoa is ready.
2. Meanwhile, rinse quinoa in cold water 3 times and drain well. Place quinoa and chicken broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for about 10 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff using a fork; season with salt and pepper.
3. Add quinoa and soy sauce to vegetables and stir over low heat for 1 minute. 

Breakfast for Lunch but not Brunch

So here's the deal. I already know that I'm going to be in a not-so-great a mood this week. It's Sunday, I know, but this whole nice weather for a week only made me ache for summer. And now the cold is back and I'm not liking it.

I know I've said before that I love winter and snow and all that, but when I'm teased with something like last week's high temperatures, sunny days sitting on my roof deck are all I can think of. That said, I will do my best to post frequently this week and maybe that will make the weekend swing by faster.

Anyways, on a more exciting note, I am writing an article for a class about tacos. And when I say tacos I mean the real tacos--soft corn tortilla ones filled with carne asada or al pastor with loads of salsa dripping messily from the sides. I'm writing about my quest to find the most authentic taco in Boston. For this reason, in the next few days I will be consuming more tacos than I have in a very long time, maybe even ever.

Just yesterday, I had three different types of tacos at La Verdad: tinga, carne asada and pescado. The tortillas were perfectly soft and floppy enough to fold over large amounts of diced meat; the carne asada was perfectly seasoned and topped with a zesty guacamole; and the tinga was moist and flavorful. Oh and the salsa. The salsa roja (or rohja as the waitress pronounced it) was delicious. Tasted just like home. Needless to say I found my new favorite restaurant in Beantown.

Moving onto food at home, today I decided to finally try the quinoa pancakes that I bookmarked about a month ago. And I'm glad I did. Breakfast for lunch was yummy. Plus, they're quinoa, so they're healthy right? Enjoy!

Strawberry Quinoa Pancakes (adapted from NYTimes)
Active time: 20 minutes. Total time: 25 minutes
Makes 3-6 pancakes (I made my huge!)

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• Sliced strawberries, about 1 cup

1. In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk egg. Add buttermilk and whisk to combine; then whisk in vanilla extract and canola oil.
2. Combine fry ingredients with the wet and whisk quickly, but do not over beat, some lumps are fine. Carefully fold in quinoa until just incorporated.
3. Heat skillet over medium heat. Drop 3-5 tablespoons, depending on the size you want the pancakes to be, and place sliced strawberries on top, pressing lightly. Cook until bubbles start to appear, about 3 minutes; flip pancake and cook for another minute. Remove from heat and serve.

First Time Quinoa

It snowed today! I was ecstatic for a bit--then I realized how unlikely it was for it to accumulate and I got over it.

I was right. The snow is gone and so is my happiness (not really though).

Anyways, I was quite productive yesterday and today. I interviewed people for a story I'm writing on gluten-free foods, finished my homework (for the day at least), caught up on reading (or some of it), and managed to stay up to date with the TV shows I currently watch. In lieu of this I decided I would make my first quinoa dish today.

I'm not going to lie, despite my newfound healthy approach to food, I was still skeptical about quinoa. Sure, it's been called a super food and what not, but for some reason I was not convinced. Now I am. Quinoa is tasty and nutritious. Woohoo right? Well, the only way to find out is to try it out.

This recipe is simple and delicious. Plus, there are tons of variations to it. Have it with mixed greens (like I did), as a side, or as a meal; substitute onions or tomatoes for the peppers or add sauteed tofu.

Bell Pepper Quinoa Salad (adapted from Epicurious)
Makes about 4 servings.
Active time: 15 minutes. Total time: 30 minutes

• 1 1/4 cups quinoa
• 3 bell peppers, quartered
• 2 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• 6 cups mixed greens

1. Cook quinoa according to package; or read a how to here.
2. While quinoa is cooking, grill bell peppers on a sauce pan over high heat. Cook until both sides are slightly charred. If you have a grill, use that instead. Let peppers cool and slice into 1-inch cubes.
3. Whisk together olive oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce and cumin in a large bowl. Add quinoa, peppers and cilantro and mix well. Add mixed greens and toss well. Season with salt and pepper and serve.