The Bored Vegetarian

Roasted Cauliflower & Steamed Kale Salad

1 small head of Cauliflower, broken into florets
3 cups raw Kale, large stems removes, leaves chopped small
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice from half of a Lemon
Salt & Pepper to taste 
Toasted Sesame Seeds (optional) 

Preheat oven to 350.  On a baking sheet, toss florets in olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes until cauliflower is soft and begins to brown (toss about halfway through to brown on different sides).  Fill a soup pot or large sauce pan with an inch or two of water and place over medium/high heat.  Place a vegetable steamer in the pot and add the kale.  Steam the kale until tender.  Remove cauliflower from oven and let cool until you can handle it.  Chop up cauliflower into very small pieces.  In a bowl, toss with steamed kale and season with salt and pepper.  Add to a serving bowl and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Can be served warm or room temperature.  

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Quinoa with Roasted Sweet Potato, Dinosaur Kale, Chickpeas and Green Onion

Serves 3-4

1 cup Quinoa
2 cups Low Sodium Vegetable Stock
3 cups Sweet Potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 cups Dinosaur Kale, stems removed, leaves chopped
1 cup Chickpeas (recommend that you use dried and follow cooking directions on the bag)
1/8 cup Green Onion, chopped (white/light green only)
1 1/2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 tsp Paprika
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with about a tablespoon of olive oil.  Toss to coat.  Season with salt and sprinkle with paprika.  Roast in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft, tossing halfway through.  In a saucepan, bring 2 cups of vegetable stock to a boil.  Add quinoa and stir. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer for about 15 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked through and the liquid has mostly evaporated.  In a saute pan, saute the kale and chickpeas in remaining olive oil.  Add quinoa and sweet potato and toss everything together.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spoon into a serving bowl and top with green onion.  Serve warm. 

Sunny Side Up Egg with Quinoa, Sauteed Kale, Tomato and Basil & Scallion Puree

It’s a slow rainy Saturday in New York.

1 egg
1/2 cup dry Quinoa
1 cup Low Sodium Vegetable Stock
1 cup chopped Kale, large stems removed
1/4 cup Baby Heirloom Tomatoes
2 generous handfuls of fresh Basil
1/2 cup chopped Scallions
1 clove Garlic
4-5 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp Butter
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a saucepan 1/2 cup of water and 1 cup Vegetable Broth to a boil.  Add quinoa and season with a bit of salt.  Cover and bring down to a simmer until the liquid cooks off (about 15 minutes).  In a saute pan, saute minced garlic in a bit of olive oil until soft.  Add the cooked quinoa and toss.  Cook on low heat, continuing to cook off any remaining liquid in the quinoa.  In a blender, liquify basil, scallion and a 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil.  With the blender going, slowly stream in the white wine vinegar, which will thicken the puree.  In a saute pan, saute the kale and tomato in a bit of olive oil until soft.  Add to quinoa and toss.  Season with salt & pepper.  In a saute pan, melt butter over low-medium heat.  Crack the egg into the pan and season with salt and pepper.  Cover with a lid until the whites have firmed up.  Serve quinoa in a bowl, top with the sunny side up egg and spoon some of the basil & scallion puree over the top.  Serve immediately.  

Sweet Corn & Sun Gold Tomato Quinoa Salad

This salad has a natural sweetness from the corn and sun golds and would be a perfect side for a end-of-summer BBQ or even brunch.   

2 ears fresh Sweet Corn
1 container Sun Gold Grape Tomatoes
1/2 cup Quinoa (uncooked)
3 Tbls Shallot (chopped)
Handful of fresh Basil (chopped)
Handful of fresh Italian Parsley (chopped)
Sea Salt to taste

Bring 1 cup water to a boil with a pinch or two of salt.  Add quinoa and bring down to a simmer, cover with a lid.  Cook until water evaporates and quinoa is cooked (I like a little bite to mine).  Remove husks and threads from corn.  Using a knife, cut off kernels and break apart in a bowl.  Slice grape tomatoes in halves and toss with corn.  Add shallots, parsley, basil and quinoa and toss together.  Salt to taste and serve at room temperature.  

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Quinoa, Spinach, Goat Cheese and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

My brother called me out on slacking on the blog, and he’s right.  I’ll admit I’ve been a bit overwhelmed with work and keeping up with social obligations (aka rooftop bbqs), so being in the kitchen has taken a bit of a backseat recently.  I’m working on getting my recipe wheels turning again…

2 Orange Bell Peppers
1 cup Black Quinoa
3 handfuls fresh Spinach (big stems removed)
1 cup Grape Tomatoes
2-3 Tbsp Goat Cheese
1/4 cup Raw Pumpkin Seeds (sans shell, or buy already roasted, also called Pepitas)
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A few splashes of Dry White Wine
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 375 and roast pumpkin seeds until they brown slightly.  Remove from oven, and turn oven up to 425. Bring two cups of water to boil in a sauce pan.  Add in quinoa and a pinch of salt.  Turn heat down to a simmer and cover pan with a lid.  Cook until liquid is completely absorbed, about 15 minutes.  In a saute pan, add olive oil and chopped garlic.  Saute on low/medium heat until soft.  Add spinach and toss with olive oil & garlic.  The leaves will begin to wilt.  Add quinoa to the spinach and toss together, continuing over heat.  Add dry white wine a little at a time and stir until liquid start to evaporate.  Salt to taste.  Cut grape tomatoes in half and toss with quinoa.  Add most of the toasted pumpkin seeds as well.  Remove from heat and set aside.  On a cutting board, cut off the tops of the peppers and remove the seeds and any remaining white edges inside the pepper with your hands.  Stuff each pepper with quinoa mixture.  Place in a shallow pan so peppers stay upright and cover with aluminum foil.  Bake in the oven until the peppers are soft but still have a bit of bite to them.  Remove from heat and top with goat cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds.

This recipe is completely packed with good nutrients (protein! fiber! iron! vitamin c!), which is what I was craving.  I swam laps for the first time in years tonight and donned my dorky, faded swim team suit from 1999 and Dollar $tore rainbow swim cap. The stuffed bell pepper was a nice healthy and filling dinner after the pool/public humiliation.