Melissa, Meredith - I'm glad you liked them! The best thing about them? They are low fat, low cal and low carb unless you eat rice with it....but if you make it brown rice, then you're good!

If you ever want to make brown rice like the 'sticky' white rice...the secret is to soak the rice over night then cook it. Or, if you have a rice cooker with a 'Warm' setting, put the rice and water in the rice cooker on 'Warm' for a few hours then cook it...voila! Brown sticky rice!

The Sake Steamed fish can be made using a few different white fish - as long as they are more on the high oil content. The meatier, the better. But Tipalia, Turbot, Snapper would all work well.

If you want an oven steamed island flave fish, lemme know...it's got garlic, ginger, onion, green onion and cilantro...SUPER easy!

cmanding wrote:

If you ever want to make brown rice like the 'sticky' white rice...the secret is to soak the rice over night then cook it. Or, if you have a rice cooker with a 'Warm' setting, put the rice and water in the rice cooker on 'Warm' for a few hours then cook it...voila! Brown sticky rice!

I didn't know that!!! My hubby loves sticky rice and I love brown rice so this would be awesome!

Here you go Meredith!

Pastrami Style Grilled/Baked Salmon

1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp each: garlic powder, ground ginger, ground coriander
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground all spice
1.5 lbs of salmon filet

mix spices together to create a dry rub
brush salmon with olive oil or grapeseed oil
sprinkle dry rub evenly on both sides of salmon
chill for at least 15 mins

bake or grill salmon

this should make about 4 servings and each serving is about 225 calories, and about 25 g of protein, 0 carbs...and good fat!

serve with steamed veggies to make it a healthy balanced meal!

Oh, totally making this tonight! Perfect timing Claudia! Hubby just asked me to find another recipe to make tonight and we have everything minus the Salmon...woohooo!

Thanks! I will definitely be making that in the next couple days.

Claudia, about how long would you say to bake the salmon?

MelissaI wrote:

Claudia, about how long would you say to bake the salmon?

If it'll be the 1.5 lb filet and it's pretty thick, you could bake it at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, OR until you see the brown sugar start to carmelize (get brown and bubbly).

I hope you like this one too, Melissa and Meredith!
It's one of my faves for salmon!

i need to pick this up....ground ginger, ground coriander. salmon is also on sale. this does not sound spicy is it? can i use the splenda brown sugar or do you need to use the lite or dark reg BS?

jbealer wrote:

this does not sound spicy is it?

Nah, it tastes more like coffee and mushrooms.

jbealer wrote:

i need to pick this up....ground ginger, ground coriander. salmon is also on sale. this does not sound spicy is it? can i use the splenda brown sugar or do you need to use the lite or dark reg BS?

It's not spicy hot at all.
I don't know how the splenda brown sugar will work but there's only 1 tbsp of brown sugar over 4 servings. That's only 1/4 tbsp per 6 oz of fish.

Thanks Claudia! I'm going to start prepping the the rub right now. I had to buy the ground coriander, but I forgot the ground ginger. When do I not forget something that's ON MY LIST? I have fresh ginger though so maybe I'll try mashing it or something...

MelissaI wrote:

Thanks Claudia! I'm going to start prepping the the rub right now. I had to buy the ground coriander, but I forgot the ground ginger. When do I not forget something that's ON MY LIST? I have fresh ginger though so maybe I'll try mashing it or something...

Fresh grated ginger will be too strong...if you use fresh ginger, cut it back and you might want to grind it up to make a paste vs. rub.

I GOT AARON TO EAT SQUASH!!!!! He bitched a little, but he ate it

I made a quinoa and butternut squash gratin tonight, and it was pretty good. If you just follow the base recipe it's a tad bland, so I either need to add more pepper (it only says "to taste" so I guessed) or experiment to find some other spices that would go well. In all, I'd call this experiment a success. Here's the recipe:

http://stephaniegallagher.suite101.com/quinoa-and-butternut-squash-gratin-a10488

OH! I have a GREAT Quinoa recipe!!!

Black Bean and Corn Quinoa
(I tried to copy this from Whole Foods and I think I came pretty close)

2 cups of quinoa

Add in 1 clove chopped garlic, 1/2 diced onion, about 1/4 c sliced sundried tomatoes, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin and coriander, salt and pepper to taste into cooking liquid for quinoa.

Cook quinoa according to package directions but instead of water, use chicken or veggie stock.

When quinoa is cooked, add corn and black beans (as much as you want) and chopped cilantro.

Serve with baked chicken to make it a balanced meal.

This will make 4-6 servings.

Good job Meredith! Even I won't eat squash!

Does anyone have any other non-squash recipes that take quinoa? I only have 2 recipes right now that take quinoa and it'd be nice to try something new.

Edit: That's awesome Claudia, do you have anymore?

Val, I wouldn't either for a long time, and then finally started eating it a couple years ago. Funny how tastes change, huh?

Claudia, that recipe looks awesome! You should just write a cook book or something

Huskyluv wrote:

Good job Meredith! Even I won't eat squash!

Does anyone have any other non-squash recipes that take quinoa? I only have 2 recipes right now that take quinoa and it'd be nice to try something new.

Edit: That's awesome Claudia, do you have anymore?

I have one more that I've made that I really liked...it's a bit more involved, but I like it...I hope you like eggplant...

Oh I have an eggplant ready to pick in the garden!!

Salmon was awesome BTW!!! I having a left over piece for lunch w/ some brown rice =0)

Here it is!!
Quinoa and Wheatberry are 2 of my fave grains...but they are SO bland!!

So....I was searching for Quinoa recipes and came across this one which I LOVE just as is AND it's healthy!

It's a little more involved, but don't let the recipe shy you away from making it. It's not that hard to make...


Quinoa Cakes with Eggplant-Tomato Ragu

For quinoa cakes
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 to 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

For topping
1 1/2 pounds eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup drained bottled roasted red peppers, rinsed and chopped
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 pound smoked mozzarella, diced (1 cup) - you can omit this or use low fat cheese to make it even healthier


Make quinoa cakes:

Bring water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan.

Meanwhile, wash quinoa in 3 changes of water in a bowl, then drain well in a fine-mesh sieve.

Stir quinoa into boiling water and return to a boil, then simmer, covered, until quinoa is dry and water is absorbed, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes, then stir in egg.

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap and lightly brush with oil. Lightly oil a 1-cup dry-ingredient measure. Pack enough quinoa into measure with a rubber spatula to fill it two-thirds full. (If spatula becomes sticky, dip in water.) Unmold onto baking sheet and gently pat quinoa into a 4-inch-wide patty with spatula. Make 3 more quinoa cakes, brushing measure with oil each time. Chill cakes, uncovered, at least 15 minutes.


Make topping while quinoa cooks and chills:

Toss eggplant with 1 teaspoon salt in a colander and drain 30 minutes. Squeeze handfuls of eggplant to extract liquid, then pat dry.

Cook eggplant, onion, garlic, oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, roasted peppers, and water and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is very tender and mixture is thick (if dry, thin with a little water), about 10 minutes.


Cook quinoa cakes:

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Carefully add quinoa cakes and cook, turning once carefully and adding remaining 2 to 3 tablespoons oil, until crisp and golden, 8 to 10 minutes total (pat cakes to reshape with cleaned rubber spatula while cooking if necessary). Transfer to plates.


To serve:

Return eggplant ragù to a simmer and stir in parsley and half of mozzarella, then simmer, stirring, until cheese just begins to soften, about 30 seconds. Spoon over quinoa cakes, then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.


·Quinoa cakes can be formed 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
·Eggplant-tomato ragù, without parsley and mozzarella, can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

MelissaI wrote:

Salmon was awesome BTW!!! I having a left over piece for lunch w/ some brown rice =0)

Glad you liked it!!!

Here's another low fat, healthy recipe if you like Moroccan flavors.

Moroccan Stew

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch of saffron
1 cup water
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
5 cups combination of protein and veggies (carrots, potato, parsnip, butternut squash, acorn squash) - cut in 1/4" dice

You can use all veggies, or use tofu to make it vegetarian.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until soft, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Mix in paprika and next 8 ingredients. Add 1 cup water, tomatoes, and lemon juice. Bring to boil. Add squash and carrots. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve over Quinoa.

Saffron is an expensive spice, so you can omit it if you don't want to use it.

I know this isn't a healthy recipe but I just made these cookies yesterday and they are really good! I did use whole wheat flour...does that make them healthier? Lol

http://thebarefootkitchen.com/2009/12/04/cinnamon-walnut-shortbread-cookies/

Legend_of_Faolan wrote:

I did use whole wheat flour...does that make them healthier? Lol

Yes. Yes it does.

Here's a recipe for some awesome Chili:

Autumn Turkey Chili

1 onion chopped
2 carrots chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
2 cups apple diced
2 cups butternut squash diced
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 lb ground turkey cooked
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt and pepper each
10 oz chicken broth canned undiluted (I use the low sodium boxed kind, works just fine)
8-12 oz coconut milk canned
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup black beans canned, drained and rinsed
coconut flakes and cilantro to garnish

Dump it in the crock pot and cook 8-10 hours on low, 4-6 hours on high. Enjoy!