Quinoa Sweet Potato Pudding

I am preparing for a future potluck gathering scheduled for this coming December by the Plant-Based Nutrition Support Group headed by Dr. Sally Lipsky.   The last time we had a similar affair this past July I noticed most of the dishes served had quinoa as one of the ingredients. For this upcoming potluck, the theme of which is dessert and appetizers, I decided to develop a dessert recipe using this super food quinoa since this has a big appeal to the members of the group.

I had a pudding recipe, Indian Quinoa or Super Grains Mix Pudding, in a past blog that I am adapting that will exclude the high fat coconut milk.  I also wanted to introduce more plant protein to the nutritional value of this dessert by using the super grain quinoa in place of the brown rice.  To achieve the creaminess and thickness that the coconut milk gives, I used banana and another super food sweet potato.  After some attempt, down below is the recipe for a delicious pudding you cannot resist that is also packed with nutritional value.

Meantime here are pictures of our potluck dinner this past summer.

Dr. Sally Lipsky is in white.  

The plant based dishes brought by the members.

  

Quinoa Sweet Potato Pudding

2 servings

• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 ripe banana
• 1/2 cup cooked sweet potato
• 1/2 cup non dairy milk
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp cardamon
• 1 tbsp raisins or other dried fruits or even fresh fruit or nuts 

Mix the quinoa, banana, sweet potato in a bowl.  Add the non dairy milk, syrup and cardamon and mix. Add the raisins.

Easy Spanish Brown Rice and Quinoa with Edemame

This is a good dish for leftover brown rice and quinoa and when you are craving something with a Spanish flair. Use your pantry and spice cabinet to rescue you on those days you just want something delicious but easy and quick.  This dish uses your favorite marinara sauce and my favorite go to spices, garlic powder and dry onion flakes.  I added dry oregano to deepen the familiar taste found in Spanish rice.  No chopping at all on your part.

I bought a bag of edemame you just steam right in the bag.  I decided to use it instead of the usual peas that deck most Spanish rice dishes since my arthritis flares up with peas. I am now a fan of this green vegetable. It was not that hard to remove the pods either. Worth the little effort.

So here is a quick and nutritious dish with that "ole" taste.

Spanish Brown Rice and Quinoa with Edemame

• 1 cup cooked brown rice 
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp dry onion flakes
• 1/2 tsp dry oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup steamed edemame

Heat all the ingredients except the edemame in a saute pan.  Stir until the spices blend.  Add water if the rice sticks to the pan or you can use a little bit of oil.  Serve with the steamed edemame and a side salad.

Easy Bean Vegetable Ragu Over Quinoa

This is a plant based version of the Easy Sloppy Joe I posted in this blog.  It contains the characteristic delicious sauce that is easily made with catsup and other pantry available spices.  The sauce is both salty from the Worcestershire sauce and sweet from the catsup but not too sweet. I decided to use Lima beans but you can use any type of beans or peas. Chickpeas would be good but I opted for Lima beans since I am sensitive to chickpeas.  I am watching any arthritis flare up on my finger joints and so far the Lima beans have not given me any problems.  I read Lima beans have one of the lowest uric acid content of all the beans.

I resorted to cooking the green pepper using just plain water instead of oil and cooked it with the beans, catsup and the spices.  I like the presence of the zucchini which was cooked just enough so it emains crunchy.  Garnishing with cilantro helps with the overall taste so use it.  The taste of the ragu deepens if it sits overnight.  It is super delicious over newly cooked hot quinoa.  So, so good I forgot about the ground beef version I prepared for my husband.  Not only that I ate the whole ragu for lunch.

Easy Bean Vegetable Ragu Over Quinoa

• 1 can Lima beans or any other type of beans, drained
• 1 green pepper, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup catsup
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp dry onion flakes
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup water
• 1 large tomato, sliced into large pieces
• 1 zucchini, sliced into large cubes
• cilantro for garnish
• 2 cups cooked quinoa

Place all the ingredients from the Lima beans to the water in a saute pan and heat using medium heat.  Allow the mixture to boil gently till the green pepper is cooked.  Add the necessary water in order for the vegetable bean mixture not to dry up.  Add the tomato and the zucchini and continue to heat the mixture till the zucchini is cooked but still firm and crunchy.  Serve over cooked quinoa and garnish with cilantro.  

Asian Pineapple Cashew Salad with Oven Fried Quinoa

I always wondered how I could crisp quinoa for a salad without using oil to adhere to my plant based approach to eating.  As I was browsing Oh My Veggies, I spotted a recipe for Baked Fried Brown Rice.  I decided to try their approach to "frying" using the oven in crisping the quinoa of my dreams.  I used a shorter baking time, 25 minutes versus almost an hour in their case.  I really love the resulting Asian flavored quinoa. It was crispy and oh so tasty.  I almost devoured the whole batch I made before I could use it for a salad.

I used 1/4 of the prepared oven fried quinoa per serving.  I am using it more like a topping rather than a stand alone side dish in this recipe but you can.  I also added crushed pineapple to the salad to enhance the Asian twist to the salad.  The cashews and sliced radishes add crunchiness enhancing the taste and texture of the salad as you eat it.  For the dressing, I used the pineapple juice from the drained crushed pineapple in combination with rice wine vinegar and a little sugar, salt and pepper.  This dressing is a keeper and can be used for your other salads.  The salad itself you will devour like I did and you might just have to prepare more.

Asian Pineapple Cashew Salad with Oven Fried Quinoa

4 servings

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 stalk green onions, sliced and the white and green parts separated
• 2 tbsp cashew
• 1/4 cup sliced radishes
• 1 bag salad greens
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained but save juice for dressing
• 1/4 cup crushed pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tsp sugar or to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a pan with aluminum foil and spray with non cooking spray.

Preparing the oven fried quinoa.  Add the white part of the green onions to the quinoa.  Add the soy sauce to the mixture and mix with a fork.  Add to the prepared pan and bake at the preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Preparing the dressing.  Mix the pineapple juice, rice wine vinegar and sugar in a small dish.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Preparing the salad.  Place the salad greens in a bowl and top with the oven fried quinoa, cashew, radishes, the green part of the green onions and crushed pineapple.  Douse with the prepared dressing before eating.  Enjoy.