Morel Mushrooms and Quinoa

I'm a Tree planter by trade and one of the many benefits of working outdoors are the annual Morel mushrooms that pop up in the spring. It's always hit and miss with these mushrooms since they usually come up in areas that have experienced a fire. Lucky for us, last year there was a very big fire in one of the areas that we plant trees. We went to one of those areas today and sure enough there were Morels popping out of the ground everywhere. We usually never plant in the same place twice so I made sure that I picked as many as I could while still making some money planting trees.
If you have never tasted a Morel there really are one of the nicest mushrooms out there. Fried up with butter and garlic they are one of the tastiest food you will ever eat. The other nice thing about Morels is that they dry extremely well and taste just as good, if not better, when used like this. You can then use them in soup, stews, pastas, risottos, etc. Tonight I had some left over quinoa so that was I used as a side dish.
serves 2
20 minutes

• As many Morels as you can get
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 cups of cooked quinoa
• 1 onion, sliced thin
  
• 2 cups of cut spinach
  

1. Fry the onion in a little olive oil and salt until slightly brown.
2. Add the spinach and quinoa and cook a further 3 minutes over medium heat.
3. In a separate pan at medium high melt the butter with the garlic and cook for 3 minutes.
4. Add the Morels and cook over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes.
5. Add the food from the 2 pans and serve with a little salt and cayenne.
   

Pumpkin seed pesto pasta

I still had some pumpkin seed pesto left over so tonight I went for a pasta meal. I have enough greens to eat from my indoor garden so into the pasta they went. I also dipped into my last jar of the sun dried tomatoes that I made last fall.
serves 2
20 minutes

• pasta for 2
• 1 large onion sliced
• 2 stalks of celery, sliced thin
  
• big handful of mixed greens (kale, spinach, arugula, swiss chard), chopped
  
• 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil)

1. Fry onion and sun dried tomatoes in a bit of oil until slightly browned.
2. Add garlic, celery and cook for a further 2 minutes.
3. Add mixed greens and cook for a further 1 minute.
4. Add 1/3 cup of pumpkin seed pesto (see previous post for recipe).
5. Mix well with what ever pasta you have cooked.
6. Top with your favorite cheese.
   

Quinoa stir fry with Pumpkin seed pesto

Quinoa is one of my staple foods along with rice and pasta. This dinner is just a simple stir fry with a pesto sauce so anything you like could go into it.
serves 2
30 minutes

The stir fry.

• 1 large onion, sliced
• half a cube of tofu, cubed
• 10 mushrooms, cut to your liking
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups of chopped mixed greens

1. Dry roast quinoa in a pot until they start to slightly brown.
2. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Turn to low and let cook for 25 minutes.
3. Fry onion, tofu and mushrooms in a pan at medium high for 10 minutes.
4. Add garlic and various greens (spinach, swiss chard, kale) and cook for 5 more minutes.
5. Add 2 cups of cooked quinoa and pumpkin seed pesto.
6. Top with some of your favorite cheese. I prefer Romano or Feta for this dish.

The pesto.

1. Dry roast 4 Tbsp of pumpkin seeds in a cast iron pan until they brown and begin to pop.
2. Grind coarsely in a food processor.
3. Add 1 cup of chopped cilantro, the juice from 1 lime, 1 chopped clove of garlic, a pich of salt and enough olive oil to get everything mixed together well. A little cayenne wouldn't hurt here either.
   

Spinach, Chick Pea Thai Curry

Spinach was the vegetable on sale today at the store so my thoughts turned to what to do with it all. It wasn't until I actually had the vegetables frying in the pan that I finally decided on having a Thai coconut curry.
serves 2-3
20 minutes

• 1 onion, cut into strips
• 1 red pepper, cut into strips
• 1 carrot, cut into thin slices
• 3 cloves garlic, cut into thin slices
• 3 cups of rinsed spinach
• 1/2 cup of cooked chick peas
  
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Thai curry paste (red, yellow or green)
• 1 can of coconut milk
  
• fish sauce
• chili pepper
  
• half a lime

1. Fry onion, red pepper and carrot in a small amount of oil in a pan at medium high until vegetables start to brown.
2. Add garlic, spinach, chick peas and a small amount of water. Cover the pan and let simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add the curry paste and mix with the vegetables.
4. Add the can of coconut milk and mix in well with the vegetables.
5. Simmer for a further 5 minutes.
   
6. Serve with juice from a quarter lime, fish sauce and cayenne into individual bowls.
7. I didn't have cilantro but this would have been added had I had some.
   

Kids can cook

S. cutting up some arugula, chives, cress, and spinach - all from the window sill.

S. cutting up the vegetables for his stew.

When you cut with knives you need to be careful. One Batman bandage later and S. was cutting again.

Stew made by a 5 year old.
Serves 4-5
Takes as long as it takes

• 1 or more kids
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 red pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 stalk of broccoli
• 3 carrots
• chives, arugula, cress, and spinach
• left over pasta from night before
  

1. Have a trusted child cut up all the greens in a bowl with a pair of sissors.
2. Have same child cut up vegetables with a serrated edged knife (it's a little safer).
3. Put everything, including pasta, in a colorful pot with some olive oil.
4. Saute everything in the pot at medium low for about 10 minutes.
5. Add 6 cups of water and once it comes to a boil, turn down to low and let simmer for up to one hour.
6. Serve with soy sauce.
   

Pasta a la J.

When I first moved to this area I quickly realized that the Italians who had settled the area also brought their great food with them. There is pasta galore and the local store always has good produce. It makes eating well as easy as it should be.
serves 2-3
25 minutes

• 1 onion, diced
  
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 2 carrots, grated
  
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
  
• 3 cups spinach cut up
• romano cheese
• olive oil
• 3 cups of pasta
  

1. Saute the onion and pepper in some olive at medium heat until they turn slightly brown.
   
2. Add garlic and carrots and cook for 3 more minutes.
3. Add spinach, add a little bit of water, cover with a lid, turn to low and simmer.
4. Into a boiling pot of lightly salted water add pasta and cook until done.
5. When the pasta is done, drain and return to pot. Add the vegetables and some olive oil to mix everything well.
6. Serve and add some grated romano cheese.
7. I like to add a little chili peppers as well for some heat.

Broccoli, Red Pepper Redux

I still had lots of broccoli and red pepper so here is a heartier version for tonight.
serves 2
15 minutes

• 1 onion, cut in strips
• 1 red pepper, cut in strips
• 1 cup of diced yam
• 2 heads of broccoli, cut into stalks
  
• 4 cloves garlic
• olive oil
  
• juice from half a lime
• good handful of chopped cilantro
• thai fish sauce
• cayenne

1. Fry the onion, red pepper and yam in olive oil until slightly browned.
2. Add garlic and broccoli, put a lid on the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes.
3. Serve vegetables in large bowl.
   
4. Add lime juice, fish sauce and cayenne to taste.
5. Top with cilantro and serve.
6. Add your favorite seeds or nuts in top.
   

Recipe - A Tangy Broth

I made this simple soup broth last night and it tasted amazing, so I figured that I might as well make it again while I exit my cleanse. Perhaps it tasted so good because I haven't eaten in 15 days.

Serves 2-3
40 minutes

• 1 cup diced yam
  
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin
  
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• pinch of cayenne
• 1 Tbsp dried Wakame seaweed
• 1 tsp Yellow (or Red or Green) Thai Curry paste
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  
• 1 tsp olive oil
• half a small lime
• 1 tsp Thai Fish Sauce (optional but recommended)
  

1. Sautee the first 3 ingredients at medium high in a heavy pot with the olive oil, curry paste and turmeric until onions turn slightly brown.
2. Add a bit of water, the cayenne, and seaweed. Turn to low, cover the pot and cook for a further 10-15 minutes.
3. Add 4 cups of water, bring to a boil, and then simmer on low for a further 15 minutes.
4. Remove from the stove and pour soup though a strainer.
5. Add 1 tsp fish sauce per serving. (optional)
   
6. Serve with a slice of lime to squeeze in
   

Eat this wonderful broth as is (very filling on it's own!) or use it as a base for any soup recipe calling for vegetable broth. Keep the vegetables to have a soup instead of a broth or mix them in with rice, pasta, scrambled eggs, or anything else you can think up.