I ventured into the world of cooking with quinoa tonight. Made a quinoa version of spanish rice. I must say it came out absolutely delicious! So here's the recipe.

* 2 c quinoa, rinsed and drained
* 1 - 2 Tbsp cooking oil
* 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
* 1 medium sized onion, chopped
* 1/2 - 1 tsp chili powder or paprika
* 1/2 - 1 tsp tsp ground cumin
* 1/4 - 1/2 cup sliced olives (I used green olives)
* pinch cayenne
* 1 - 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
* 1 3/4 cups some flavour of broth (I used chicken this time)
* Pepper and salt to taste

Directions:

1. Sauté the onion in the oil over medium heat until onion starts to become translucent
2. Add the garlic to the onion and sauté a few more minutes until the onion is translucent and garlic is turning golden
3. Add spices
4. Add quinoa and stir constantly for 3 - 4 minutes
5. Add tomato sauce and broth stirring occasionally until mixture begins to boil
6. Add salt if needed - broth and tomato sauce may already be salted
7. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes
8. Turn heat off and let sit for 5 - 10 minutes
9. Fluff with a fork and serve garnished with cilantro

I tried a new dish tonight. It has an interesting mix of ingredients but they really all worked together. A very tasty dish and definitely one I'll make again.


German Beef and Barley Bake

1 pound extra lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1 cup pearl barley
4 slices bacon, diced
3 cups tomato juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 to 4 cups sliced green cabbage
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

In large saucepan over medium heat, sauté ground beef, onions and garlic until beef is browned. Pour off drippings. Add barley and bacon; sauté 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomato juice, salt and pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Stir in cabbage and caraway seeds. Spoon mixture into 2-quart casserole. Bake in 350° F oven 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese melts. Makes 6 servings.

So far I've made five soups.  I think I'm going to start putting together a cookbook of the recipes I like, with the modifications I've made to the recipes of course.  I'm not sure if I'm going to post the actual recipes here or just email them to anyone who wants one.

Anyway, the first two soups I made were cheaters...meaning I made them from pre-packaged mixes.  The first was was a corn chowder.  Absolutely fabulous so I need to find my own recipe for it.  The second was a mushroom and wild rice soup.  It was just ok which is disappointing since I love mushrooms and wild rice.  

The first soup I made from scratch was a Bean and Barley soup.  I used pinto beans and pearl barley.  It was fabulous with the exception of it was a bit too salty.  Couldn't figure out why until today when I realized I put in too much chicken base in my broth.

The second soup was made yesterday.  It was Bean w/ Bacon.  I'm considering it largely a fail.  It is way to bland for one thing.  It also uses potatoes and I've come to realize I don't like potatoes in soup.  I don't like the texture or bland taste of them cooked that way.  Maybe I need to dice them up into much smaller pieces.  I'll have to try that.  But, I also need to look for another bean w/ bacon recipe.  I do have to say the smell of the onions sauteing in the bacon grease was heavenly!

Today's soup is a Curry Barley and Lentil soup.  It is a total win!  It was quick and easy to make and has wonderful flavour.  I've not actually had a bowl of it yet but I have tasted it.

I've determined I need another stock pot.  Only having one is a pain though I suppose I could use my pressure cooker pot.  I also need to start replacing my herbs with fresher ones.  Don't think I'm ready to start growing my own herbs and drying them and such.  The other thing that would be useful is to learn how to use knives to cut up things quicker.  I have such envy of chefs when I watch them just chop away so fast you can't even hardly see it.


Monday's cooking adventure is going to be Bean and Cheese Burritos and maybe a German Beef and Barley Bake that sounds yummy.


But right now I hear today's soup calling me.....