Recently I have become an avid cooker- not a chef, because I have no idea what I'm doing. I've been making myself great vegan dinners almost every day, so I thought, why not document these creations for future reference?
So, as of 1/28/09, here is my What I Cooked Today blog.
What I cooked today is quinoa, the brilliant Bolivian grain, topped with roasted squash and red peppers, sauteed in a Middle Eastern spicy olive oil with mushrooms and spinach.
Lately, my local grocery store has been putting all sorts of vegetables in a bag together and marking it down to $1 per bag. Yesterday I bought 4 green peppers, a red pepper, 2 yellow peppers, and 7 summer squash for $2! They are all on the verge of going bed, but since I cooked most of them today, it was a great buy and a very satisfying meal.
Some notes on cooking quinoa: I find it very beneficial to cook it in a rice cooker. It takes less time and less water than on the stovetop, although I have resorted to the stovetop because I don't have a rice cooker. You'll want to rinse the quinoa grains in a coffee filter before boiling them. In a rice cooker, think 2x more water than quinoa. In a pot, think 3x more water. Quinoa is a very great addition to any meal, especially vegan or vegetarian because it, unlike most veggies, is a complete protein.
To make this meal, first I rinsed the quinoa and put it on the stove to cook. Meanwhile, I sliced the squash, peppers, and mushrooms. Then I put them in the oven at 450 for about 6 minutes, just to begin making them softer. When the quinoa was done, I sauteed all of the veggies together in a pan with minimal olive oil and seasoned them with Mrs. Dash original seasoning, some mustard seed, cumin, and pepper. I really wanted curry, but I don't have any. That's about it. It probably took about 40 minutes in all. Well worth it!
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