Recipe of the Week: Quinoa Stuffing with Kale and Pomegranate

Although I try not to pay much attention to celebrity docs (not Dr. Oz, not Dr. Phil and especially not Dr. Laura....perhaps Dr. Ruth....sometimes Dr. Drew....), I found this enticing recipe from Dr. Oz in the November issue of Natural Health. I decided to give it a try for the upcoming thanksgiving dinner (and made it ahead of time to leave room for a plan B, just in case). Turns out it was totally tasty! And healthy to boot!

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

6 cloves garlic, finely sliced, divided

1/2 cup vegetable stock

1/2 pounds young kale, stems and leaves coarsely chopped

Salt to taste

White pepper to taste (I used black pepper)

1 1/2 cups pecans

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage (I used 1/3 of this amount in dried Sage and Thyme forms)

1 tablespoon fresh thyme (strip the leaves from the stems)

2 cups cooked quinoa

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds

Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add half of the garlic and cook until soft but not yet golden. Raise to high heat, add the stock and kale and mix. Cover and cook for 3 minutes, then uncover and continue cooking, stir until all the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and white pepper. Set aside to cool.

Add cooled kale and pecans to a food processor; pulse until pecans are chopped and kale is shredded but mixture is still chunky.

In a separate saucepan heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat; add the onion and remaining garlic; saute 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sage and thyme; continue cooking until onion is caramelized, approximately 3 to 4 more minutes. Stir in the pecan-kale mixture.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the cooked quinoa and stir to combine. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of oil and melted butter. Season with salt and white pepper.

Add the egg and wine and toss to coat. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Garnish with pomegranate seeds before serving.

The sage, thyme, onions and garlic give the dish a traditional stuffing flavor. The quinoa, kale and pomegranate make it super-duper healthy. I give this recipe two thumbs up for fine holiday eating!

Recipe of the week: Southwestern Style Quinoa

Recently I had lunch at a place called 'sNice here in Brooklyn. It was soon after I chose quinoa for food of the week, so their quinoa dish with beans, corn and avocado caught my attention. While eating it I thought a) that it was tasty and b) that I could probably make it on my own. So, I did. It wasn't exactly the same, but it was also good.

Southwestern Style Quinoa
2 Cups Prepared Quinoa

8 ounces Black Beans

5 ounces corn

1 Avocado

1/2 Small Red Onion, sliced

1/2 Medium Lime

Few tsp of Chili Powder

Few Tsps Olive Oil

Mix 1/2 Avocado, small queeze of lime (don't use it all) and olive oil until it is a sauce consistency. Put aside.

Mix the quinoa, beans, corn, onions and sliced avocado with a splash of lime and some chili powder.

Mix in or put on the side the Avocado-lime sauce.

The dish at 'sNice also had greens, I cannot remember if it was spinach or some kind of lettuce. I didn't use it in my recipe, but it could be easily added.

Food of the week: Quinoa

Are you ready for this Mom? You're going to be so happy! This week's food of the week is none other than...duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh!....Quinoa.

It seems that quinoa has a very loyal following. Those that love it, want to spread its good word to people around the world. If there was ever a superfood, it would be quinoa. It's super-nutritious and easy to make.

Benefits:

• Excellent source of magnesium, which helps prevent migraines and hypertension.
• Helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol in postmenopausal women.
• Fiber, fiber, fiber!
• Lowers incidence of asthma in children.
• Contains plant lignans which help protect against breast cancer and heart disease.
• Lowers type II diabetes risk.
• Good source of protein (especially for vegans because it provides all the essential amino acids found in meat and dairy).
• Easy to cook
• Cool looking

Drawbacks:

• Can be more expensive than grains (but it expands a lot when cooking, so it kind-of evens itself out).

Ways to eat quinoa:

• Substitute quinoa for pasta or rice, as I did with my Cheesy Quinoa Surprise.
• Add it to vegetable soup.
• Eat it like a hot cereal.
• Use it in cookies.

Little known fact:

• Quinoa is not actually a grain, but the seed of a plant closely related to spinach.

Recipe of the week: Cheesy Quinoa Surprise

I developed this recipe one night when I had a craving for macaroni and cheese. Because I didn’t have any pasta I had to be creative. It was one of my more delicious discoveries.

My mother is always trying to get me to eat more quinoa, so this one is for her!

Cheesy Quinoa Surprise
¾ cup quinoa prepared as directed
½ medium zucchini, diced
½ medium yellow squash, diced
½ small onion, diced
1 (6oz) can tuna
½ bag of shredded cheese
1 tbsp butter
¼ cup or so milk
Salt, Pepper, & Cumin to taste

Blanch zucchini and squash. Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan and heat until cheese melts.

Without any spices it can be pretty bland. Play around with a mix of spices to discover what works best for you. I like the combination of salt, pepper and cumin.

It doesn’t get much easier than this. It makes a few servings – at least one good size portion of leftovers when I eat it.

(Psst: The surprise is tuna!)

Author's Note: It has been brought to my attention that this dish may be better without zucchini and squash, and perhaps with broccoli or peas. Yes, I realize that I use zucchini a lot (hey it's tasty!) but I will make it a point to reach out to other vegetables for you anti-zucchinists. *Hugs*