Lately I’ve been entertaining a lot which is code for “I’ve been spending time on Pinterest”.
As always Pinterest inspired me to put together the following menu:
-Carrot Soup
–Spinach Feta Pinwheels
-Pineapple Coconut Quinoa
-Roasted Mushrooms in Browned Butter
–Baked Tilapia Veracruz
-Pear/Apple Crisp
I was also inspired to set the table using some placemats I hadn’t used in a while!
In particular I want to share the Pineapple Coconut Quinoa recipe with you. It was SO flavourful and not hard to make at all.
The flavour was due to these two ingredients: Dole Pineapple Juice and Cha’s Organic Coconut Milk
Hurry up and make this fabulous side dish – you won’t be disappointed. Promise.
Recipe: Pineapple Coconut Quinoa (original recipe posted by www.theharvestkitchen.com)
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice (I used a can of pineapple and drained the juice from it).
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- juice of 1/2 lime
FOR THE MANGO SALSA
- 1 cup chopped mango
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion, minced
- 2 limes, juiced
DIRECTIONS:
- This is the interesting part – heat the pineapple juice and coconut milk in a saucepan over medium low heat.
- Then add the quinoa and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add the vanilla and lime juice.
- Cover and simmer on low for about 17 to 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has absorbed, but still a little moist on top.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- Lightly fluff with a fork. (an important step)
- Add chopped mangoes, coriander and red onion. Feel free to add a touch of lime juice as well.
Final Result:
Not only did it taste amazing but I was happy the way it looked as well!!
Coconut, pineapple, Pinterest, quinoa, Recipe, side dish
Yes – it’s that time of year where there’s an insane amount of food events. I went to the Toronto Food and Wine show on Friday, took a rest on Saturday and went to two food shows on Sunday. (Toronto Garlic Festival and the Canadian Health Food Association Trade Show).
Todays blog post is going to be dedicated to the CHFA Trade Show as I want to share with you some of the trends I noticed. I walked around the show for almost 3 hours but needed more in order to walk thru the 800 exhibitors that are at this show.
Naturally I picked up some samples to take home plus I sampled plenty while I was walking thru the show. No need for breakfast or lunch.
1. DRINKS – I spotted: cold pressed watermelon , blueberry juice, water infused with a variety of flavours and fruit, and more. This category seems to be exploding!!
2. TUMERIC – There was tumeric tea and a tumeric drink that caught my eye. Something tells me that we are going to see more and more products that contain this spice.
3. PUFFED QUINOA – I’m guessing that this is going to be the new “granola”. I can see myself sprinkling this on top of my yogurt with fruit or integrating it into fruit crisp recipes.
4. BARS – Cricket bars, and sprouted bars and more!! I actually first got introduced to Cricket Bars on a trip to San Francisco last year so I’m delighted to see that they are now in Canada.
5. COCONUT – Not exactly a new trend but it’s certainly continuing to grow. I sampled the Wasabi Coconut Chips and can’t wait to try them in a salad or crushed on top of a piece of salmon.
Hopefully you will see many of these products in local health food stores, and even in the health section of major grocery stores in the near future.
For more information:
Please visit the Canadian Health Food Association Website: www.chfa.ca
bars, blueberry, CHFA, Coconut, Crickets, drinks, quinoa, Trade Show, tumeric, Watermelon
I love using recipes but sometimes it’s just fun to look into my fridge/freezer and figure out if I can get creative and create my own recipe!
Specifically I had some pineapple and a piece of salmon….plus a jalapeno.
I decided to bring out my Philips AirFryer to create my meal as I knew it was going to be the fastest way to cook this dish. Not to mention, no odour and minimal cleanup. #winwin
1. First, I cooked the salmon. (see previous post).
2. Then I shmeared (is that a word?) 2 slices of pineapple with the agave, and then sprinkled it with some finely diced jalapeno. Notice the brown specks? That’s grated nutmeg on it. I also decided to take the other 2 slices of pineapple and shmeared it with Nando’s Piri Piri Sauce.
3. I popped the pineapple slices into the Philips Airfryer and 6 minutes later (at 200 degrees) it was golden and cooked!!
4.To complete the meal I made some some quinoa with fried onions and some spices from Jaswant’s Kitchen.
Voila. LUNCH.
Disclosure: The Philips Airfryer was provided to me however all opinions are my own.
Jaswant's Kitchen, lunch, Nando's, Philips AirFryer, pineapple, Piri Piri, quinoa, Recipe, salmon
I love entertaining…the menu planning, the cooking and even setting the table. But I won’t include the “cleaning up” part! (we can save that for another blog post.)
Most of the menu I had made before but there were 2 new recipes (*) that I was checking out and guess what? They were a hit.
-A Deconstructed Salad.
–Spinach Pesto Tilapia
-Roasted Brussel Sprouts (recipe: Barefoot Contesssa)*
-Tomato/Bocacini/Roasted Garlic/Basil Skewers
-Quinoa salad with Apples and a Curry Dressing* (recipe: Martha Stewart)
Dessert: Meringue Nests with Fresh Raspberries
These photos might help you visualize the menu!
-Dessert: Meringue Nests with Whipped Cream and Fresh Raspberries.
The nests came out more like discs. #ohwellstilltasty
As for the table: I thought it would be a great time to buy white tulips, white roses and babies breath. (source: any of the flower stores at Avenue/Davenport)
Hope this blog post inspires you to host a dinner party one day soon as well!
Note: Stay tuned for another blog post as I had more company over last night and made lasagna cups for my first time!
Barefoot Contessa, Brussel Sprouts, Curry Dressing, entertaining, flowers, Ina Garten, Martha Stewart, menu, Meringue Nests, quinoa, Recipe, spinach, tilapia
I love trade shows and consumer shows. Especially if they are about FOOD. (My favourite subject. Did you know that?). Last week I walked thru Grocery Innovations looking for new food items, new flavour profiles and interesting packaging. This is an annual trade show for food companies, buyers, manufacturers, and distributors. Not to mention it’s a show that I’ve been attending for years as I was a food sales rep at one point in my career!! (fyi).
Here’s a few items that caught my attention:
ORANGE KIT KAT. I adore the combination of orange and chocolate and believe that this item will be a hit. Agreed?
LIVE HAPPY WATER. Water continues to be a huge trend and I’m happy just LOOKING at their booth!! Fact: This water contains naturally occurring lithia and other minerals. Plus it’s sourced from two ancient Canadian mountain springs.
QUINOA BARS: I love this concept and I think consumers will too. What do you think?
WHOLE WHEAT PANKO: What a great idea and will certainly be buying this in the future. The only comment I have for this company is “What took you so long”?.
Water without Sodium – called Aqua Carpatica.
SUNMAID ORANGE COVERED RAISINS:
There was also an abundance of coconut water and gluten free products at the show as well. But for some reason, the above products stood out. Stay tuned for a blog post about the Whole Wheat Panko as I went home and made a recipe with my sample box as soon as I got home!!
Happy Grocery Shopping!!
chocolate, grocery innovations, Kit Kat, LIthia, Live Happy water, Orange, Panko, quinoa, Sunmaid, Trade Show, Whole Wheat
I discovered this recipe in 2008 on the Oprah website and have been using it ever since. This dish is truly packed with flavor because you cook the quinoa in carrot juice and not water. Plus the addition of nutmeg gives it a certain punch.
Healthy and Flavorful....A Winning Combo
I also love this recipe because it contains all the right elements for a perfect side dish:
- you just need a few ingredients
- it’s got a ton of flavor
- there’s just a few steps i.e its’ easy to make
- oh so healthy
Ingredients:
1 cup of quinoa, rinsed
1/4 tsp olive oil (I didn’t measure but I’m sure I used more)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
2 cups of bottled carrot juice (I used Bolthouse)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper.
Instructions:
Heat a saucepan, and toast the quinoa. Transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
Heat a frying pan, and add olive oil. Add onion, celery, and zucchini. Cook till the vegetables are soft.
Stir in the carrot juice. Bring to a low boil. Stir in the quinoa, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer until liquid has been absorbed and quinoa is tender. About 25 – 30 minutes.
NOTE: I put the quinoa and the carrot juice in the rice cooker!! It works brilliantly. Here’s a picture of my beloved rice cooker.
The Rice Cooker Cooks All Sorts of Grains!! (including quinoa)
Bolthouse, Carrot, Oprah, quinoa, Recipe, Rice Cooker
Had some friends over for dinner the other night, which gave me the opportunity to try two new salads and repeat one favorite salad. I used tastespotting to look for new recipes and once again, I wasnt disappointed.
TOMATO/HEARTS OF PALM SALAD (I have been making this for years..its a winner) p.s this recipe is from a friend
Ingredients
2 containers of grape tomatoes (cut in half – this is the longest step)
1 can of sliced hearts of palm
corriander
1/4 cup of red onion
Dressing – (sorry I dont have the measurements….will you forgive me?)
vegetable oil
ketchup
cayenne pepper
Preparation:
Mix the tomatoes, hearts of palm, and red onion together in a bowl. Mix the dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad.
END RESULT:
SPRINGY QUINOA SALAD WITH SUGAR SNAPS, MINT AND GINGER YOGURT DRESSING
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1/2 lb sugar snaps ( I had peas in a pod – so I used them instead)
1/4 cup sliced, toasted, almonds
1/4 cup fresh chopped mint
Dressing
3/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp honey
Preparation:
Prepare quinoa. Add almonds, mint and snap peas to the quinoa. Mix together dressing and add to the quinoa mixture.
END RESULT:
will be making this again!!
NOTE: I bet this salad could be prepared with couscous instead of quinoa or even as a pasta salad.
Mixed Greens with a Buttermilk Herb Dressing
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 mayonnaise
tarragon, chives, parsley
a bit of minced onion or minced shallot
Preparation: Put all ingredients in the Cuisinart and pulse till the herbs are chopped. Pour the dressing over mixed greens.
END RESULT:
dressing, quinoa, recipes, salad, tastespotting, tomaotoes
PhotosSeptember 30th, 2010
A Winner!!
I love vegetables..can you tell?
YUM
More goodness…
Love the Colors!!
More…
Perfect!
And the winning dish…Fig, Acorn, Squash and Goat Cheese Pizza.
So Interesting..
Happy Cooking!!
carrots, fall flavors, figs, food, photos, quinoa, recipes, squash, Toronto
