Happy New Year! We’ve survived the holidays and a Mayan apocalypse only to be told we need to lose 10lbs before February again. It’s silly the detox diets that people come up with, like raw green juice only for a week or “The Cookie Diet”(sounds promising but it’s not).

I definitely could use less desserts after last month and will probably try to post more healthy vegetable recipes. But that doesn’t mean you should be stuck on juices. Whole foods like broccoli and quinoa are perfectly good for you.

I read on a blog that quinoa was one of those 2012 “food fads” that ought to fade away in 2013. I hope that’s not true because it’s a great way to vary things up in the kitchen like roasted broccoli.

Roasted Broccoli Quinoa

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4-6 servings):

• 1 cup dry quinoa, washed
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted hazelnuts(optional)
• 1/4 cup craisins(optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Lay the broccoli florets out on a baking tray and drizzle with 3 Tablespoons of olive oil.
3. Roast for 45 minutes until the broccoli begins to brown.
4. While the broccoli’s roasting, combine the quinoa with 2 cups of water in a pot and bring it to a boil. Add a lid and turn off the heat and wait for the quinoa to cook.
5. In a large bowl, toss together the cooked quinoa, roasted broccoli, remaining olive oil, hazelnuts and craisins if using, and salt and pepper.
6. Add extra seasoning as desired. Serve hot or cold.

Much better than green juice.

One cherry recipe and now another; if you can’t tell I bought a couple pounds of cherries last weekend and had to find ways to eat them. Now that they’re gone, I’m tempted to get more and see what comes out of it.

The great thing about fruits in the Summer is that you don’t really need to do anything to them. I thought about roasting the cherries before adding them in with quinoa(which you certainly can do), but the light and tangy flavors of fresh cherries mixed with herbs and seasoning didn’t need anything more.

Quinoa’s one of my favorite grains and a pantry-staple in my house. If you’re out of quinoa and still want to try this, you could use couscous or a short-grain rice like Arborio. You could roast the cherries before mixing them in for a different flavor, but when they’re this fresh I think they’re even better as is.

Cherry Basil Quinoa

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4-6 servings):

• 1 1/2 cups dry quinoa, washed and rinsed
• 3 cups water*
• 3/4 cup pitted and halved cherries
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Small handful of basil, roughly chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

*This is the average amount of water I use for cooking quinoa. If you have a different method or the brand you use recommends more or less, by all means you can adjust this.

Method:

1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a pot and put on the lid.
2. Turn the burner off and leave the quinoa undisturbed for 15-20 minutes until the water is entirely absorbed.
3. Toss in the cherries, olive oil, basil, salt, and pepper and mix. Transfer from a pot to a serving dish.
4. Serve hot or cold. Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Who knew simple could be so good? You can add some beans into the mix or add crushed pistachios or almonds on top to make this more of an entrée.

Green beans are definitely not the sexiest of vegetables. I think they took a hit in the 50s when green bean casseroles were all the rage and they never really recovered from that. That’s a shame because cooked just right they can be delicious!

I love the idea of pairing green beans and almonds. But that alone doesn’t sound particularly enticing since it’s been done to death. I thought I’d try mixing that in with quinoa, since it’s filling and all the rage these days. This is a much heartier side dish that’s bright and flavorless and doesn’t taste dated.

If fresh green beans aren’t available, look for frozen green beans, which will have a better taste and texture than canned.

Green Bean Almondine Quinoa

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 6-8 servings):

• 2 cups dry quinoa, washed and rinsed
• 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and washed
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shaved or slivered almonds

Method:

1. Cook the quinoa according to the package directions(I usually cook mine with 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa).
2. While the quinoa is cooking, cut the green beans into a bite-sized length. Steam the green beans until they turn a bright green color and are cooked through.
3. When the quinoa is fully cooked, turn off the heat and stir in the beans, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.
4. Move the quinoa to a serving bowl and garnish with the almonds. Serve hot or at room temperature.

It’s been a while since I posted a quinoa recipe. Not because I haven’t been eating it, but because I haven’t been doing anything interesting with it except covering it in store-bought sauce. At some point I forgot to go grocery shopping and had to get crafty and a recipe came out of it.

When I was growing up we always had fish for Friday during Lent. Actually, we usually had pizza because I didn’t like fish, but there was definitely an offering of fish. Usually it was white fish with lemon and dill. Now I don’t eat fish and I’m not Catholic, so fish on Fridays is clearly out. But the bright side of being a vegetarian is discovering new foods, and quinoa on any day is clearly in.

This quinoa recipe like most others is fairly versatile. You can eat it as a side dish with something light like fish or beans, or toss it on a salad of green vegetables and eat it as an entrée.

Cranberry Cashew Quinoa

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4-6 servings):

• 1 cup dry quinoa, cooked to box’s directions
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup cashews, raw or roasted
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons dried dill or parsley
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Honey to taste(optional)

Method:

1. Rinse and wash your quinoa before cooking.
2. Cook using the manufacturer’s directions for water and time.
3. When the quinoa has finished cooking, remove it from the heat.
4. Add into the pot the rest of the ingredients and mix until evenly combined.
5. Serve hot or cold as a side with fish or beans.