Savory Quinoa Corn Cups

What are these you ask?

They are baked shells made with leftover quinoa, cornmeal and quinoa flour. Essentially they are healthy little cups to be served as an appetizer with the stuffing of your choosing. In this case, I went with a Mexican theme and stuffed them with my classic vegetarian refried beans. Other options you may wish to consider are dips, quacamole or salsas, cheese (think of your favorite nacho toppings or cracker spreads), or anything else that strikes your fancy. You may even wish to go with something sweet. They make for a cute presentation too should you have your mind on entertaining.

Savory Quinoa Corn Cups

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Cooking with Quinoa For Dummies Published on March 5, 2013 Simple, savory and crunchy baked quinoa and corn cups — perfect for filling with dips, cheeses or salsas for an attractive and unique appetizer Print this recipe Ingredients: 3/4 cup cooked quinoa (1/4 cup uncooked) 3/4 cup cornmeal 3/4 cup quinoa flour 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1 shallot, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon sea salt fresh cracked black pepper 3 oz (85 g or 1/3 cup) cream cheese juice from 1 lime water as needed Instructions: Preheat an oven to 350° and lightly grease 24 mini muffin cups. In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, cornmeal, quinoa flour, chili powder, shallot, sea salt and black pepper. Cut the cheese in with a pastry cutter or knife and fork until well blended. Work the lime juice into the quinoa mixture and gradually add a few tablespoons of water until the mixture is moist and just comes together. Evenly distribute the batter into the prepared muffins cups. Make a hollow in each cup and gently press the dough up the sides to form a small shell. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Let sit in the pan for a few minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm with a filling of your choosing, or store in an airtight container for a few days, warm and stuff and serve Makes 24 small cups

More little bites from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen you are sure to enjoy:
Fiery Deviled Eggs
Eggplant Quinoa Bites with Pesto
Olive Cheese Balls
Indian-Style Poppy Seed Wafers

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Gluten-Free Gingerbread Muffins

Breakfast is one meal, as important as it is to get the body ready for the day ahead, that I don't typically trouble over unless I have a lazy day to indulge. I tend to plan ahead and have healthy quick bites on hand throughout the week to nourish and keep me going — the sort of thing you can sit down and enjoy without rushing and without fussing. Muffins are always a good choice, as I stay away from sugary, overly processed breakfast cereals, and as much as I enjoy porridge, I do like some variety in my diet too. Besides, muffins are an easy and satisfying take-along solution.

These moist and flavorful muffins are gluten-free, sweetened with a small amount of molasses and heightened by the inclusion of some fresh zesty ginger to complete the aromatic experience. The raisins, which are optional in this recipe, I found to be a nice contrast to the other textures and these reminded me of a really good bran muffin with a gingery twist.

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Muffins

Recipe by Lisa Turner Published on February 27, 2013 Simple, moist and gluten-free gingerbread muffins loaded with spice flavor Print this recipe Dry ingredients: 1 cup cornmeal 2/3 cup brown rice flour 1/3 cup quinoa flour 1/4 cup besan (chickpea) flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon sea salt Other ingredients: 2 large eggs 1 cup yogurt or milk and yogurt 1/2 cup molasses 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger 1/3 cup oil (I used grape seed oil) dash of vanilla (optional) 1/3 to 1/2 cup raisins (optional) Instructions: Grease 12 standard size muffin cups and preheat an oven to 375°. In a large bowl, sift together the cornmeal, flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt. In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, yogurt (or milk and yogurt) and molasses. Stir in the ginger, oil, vanilla if using, and raisins if using. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and whisk in the wet ingredients until just combined. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the muffins are lightly browned and set. Let sit in the pan for a few minutes after removing from the oven and then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 12 muffins

More gingerbread ideas from Lisa's Kitchen:
Pumpkin Gingerbread Waffles
Guinness Gingerbread Cake
Fresh Gingerbread with Lemon Icing

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Cornmeal-Oat-Quinoa Pancakes with Dried Cherries

Years ago when I worked in a bookstore the Dummies series of how-to books were everywhere to be found on almost every subject available. I had quite forgotten about them until I was recently sent a review copy of Cooking with Quinoa For Dummies, which goes to show that the supply of how-to subjects is not yet exhausted.

Now having been acquainted with this wonderful food for years, I am not, nor are many or most of my readers, "quinoa dummies" by any stretch. But it was not too many years ago when quinoa was only readily available at specialty food stores, but with a relatively recent surge in popularity of this "superfood", quinoa — including various types of the whole grain, flour and flakes — is now easily found at most grocery stores. I found this book could be much more than a comprehensive introduction for people who are new to quinoa. Written by Cheryl Forberg, who acts as the nutritionist for the show "The Biggest Loser", it's also a thorough guide to all the types and forms of quinoa, the benefits of eating quinoa, and a great variety of the many uses and methods for cooking quinoa. Ideas for appetizers and snacks, breakfast and brunch, salads, soups, mains and desserts and even beverages await the cook. There's plenty to learn from this book, even for us quinoa veterans.

Of the over 140 recipes included in this collection, the one that struck my fancy first was for gluten-free cornmeal pancakes with oat flour and quinoa flakes. During the winter I'm always on the lookout for pancake ideas, and the leftovers from a big Sunday morning pancake cook-up session make great homemade on-the-go breakfasts for my early rising husband and myself for that matter. And this one is just in time for Pancake Tuesday. I've adapted the recipe slightly, but the essentials of cornmeal, oat flour and quinoa flakes remain the same, and make for wonderful chewy-textured pancakes with a delightful nutty taste. Guilt-free too, with no added sugar but just the natural sweetness of the grains. I'll be making these again, and I hope you try them too.

And now for some extra fun: I am hosting a giveaway for this book that is open to my readers in the US and Canada. All you need to do is leave a comment on this post, and note your favorite way to use quinoa, or if you haven't cooked with it, why you want to try it by March 1st. I will then will select a random winner. Please ensure you have an email address associated with your comment so I can contact you should you be the lucky winner. Please note, this book is not vegetarian, but there is a generous number of tempting offerings that are suitable for vegetarians and vegans making it a worthwhile addition to your collection.

*Please note: I received a copy for review, but the opinions expressed here and the adaptation of the recipe are my own.

Cornmeal-Oat-Quinoa Pancakes with Dried Cherries

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Cooking with Quinoa For Dummies Published on February 11, 2013 Wholesome, nutty and chewy gluten-free pancakes made with dried cherries, cornmeal, oats and quinoa Print this recipe Dry ingredients: 1 cup yellow cornmeal 3/4 cup oat flour* 1/3 cup quinoa flakes* 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon sea salt Other ingredients: 1 cup whole milk 1 cup plain whole fat yogurt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2 large eggs, separated 1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped Notes: (1) you can make your own oat flour by processing rolled oats in a blender or food processor until powdered; or substitute quinoa flour instead (2) if quinoa flakes are unavailable, substitute rolled oats. Instructions: Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, yogurt, melted butter, vanilla and egg yolks. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold into the milk and yogurt mixture. Pour the milk, yogurt and egg mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Fold the dried cherries into the batter 20 or 30 minutes before cooking. Butter or grease a non-stick skillet and heat over medium heat. When hot, ladle 1/4 cup portions of the batter on to the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the edges are turned up from the pan and the tops are almost firm. Flip and cook for another 30 seconds or until both sides are golden brown. Keep the cooked pancakes warm in a preheated 200° oven while the remaining pancakes are prepared. Serve hot or warm with warmed maple syrup and a pat of butter. Wrap leftovers in aluminum foil and reheat in a 300° oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Makes 14 four-inch pancakes

Other breakfast and brunch ideas with cherries you will enjoy from my vegetarian kitchen:
Cherry Cornmeal Scones
Dried Cherry Scones
Cherry Ricotta Crêpes
Baked Cherry-Stuffed French Toast with Cherry-Orange Sauce

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Mushroom Polenta Pizza

This is not exactly a pizza as we would normally think of a pizza, as the 'crust' is made up of a soft polenta base. Nonetheless, it does rather look like a pizza and it even rather tastes like one too. Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's invaluable Plenty, the texture of the soft polenta crust is a welcome treat and the rich and earthy herbed mushrooms could not fail to please fungus aficionados.

I'm sharing this with Jac's Bookmarked Recipes monthly event.

Mushroom Polenta Pizza

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes From London's Ottolenghi Published on February 9, 2013 Rich and earthy herbed mushrooms on a soft creamy polenta "pizza" crust Print this recipe Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil 4 cups fresh mixed wild mushrooms, cut into thick slices 1 clove garlic, crushed or minced 1 1/2 teaspoons dried tarragon 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon truffle oil sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste 2 1/4 cups vegetable stock 2/3 cup cornmeal 1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon dried rosemary 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped 4 oz (115 g) Fontina cheese, cut into thin slices Instructions: Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add half of the mushrooms and fry, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are softened and begin to brown. Transfer to a bowl, add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and toss in the rest of the mushrooms, stirring and cooking as before. Return the other half of the cooked mushrooms to the pan, stir in the garlic, tarragon, thyme, oregano, truffle oil and sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Transfer back to the bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a boil. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, until the polenta thickens up and is still somewhat runny but begins to separate from the sides of the pot. This should take about 5 to 8 minutes. Add more stock or water if necessary. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, butter, rosemary and about half of the parsley. Add more sea salt and black pepper as needed and stir well to combine. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the broiler. Spread the polenta over the prepared baking sheet into a 10-inch oblong or round shape (about 3/4-inch thick). Top with slices of Fontina cheese and broil until the cheese beings to bubble and brown. Remove from the oven and spread the mushrooms evenly over the cheese and polenta. Return to the broiler and bake for another few minutes. Serve hot and garnish with the remaining parsley. Makes 4 servings

More ideas for polenta from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen you are sure to want to try:
Artichoke Tart with Polenta Crust and Fresh Rosemary
Polenta with Mushroom Ragout
Vegetarian Caesar Salad with Toasted Nuts and Polenta Croutons

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