Quinoa sweet potato muffins

Happy Valentines day!! A savory but yet sweet healthy dish for breakfast.
This is my first try  making muffins with quinoa and vegetables. I found a good book on whole foods and adapted this recipe with some modifications from one listed in the book which was for herbed black quinoa muffins. This is a protein and fiber rich kid friendly breakfast.

Ingredients:

White quinoa          - 1/4 cup
Yogurt /curd            - 1/4 cup
Regular milk           - 1/4 cup
Oil of choice           - 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp
Onion                    - 1 medium chopped
Salt                         - as needed
Dried rosemary      - 1 tsp
Paprika                   - 1 tsp
Whole wheat flour  - 1 1/2 cups
Baking powder       -  1 tbsp
Baking soda           -  1/4 tsp
Sweet potato          - 1 cup mashed
Water                     - 1 cup
Vinegar                  - 2 tsps
Soy sauce              - 1 tsp
 
Preparing the quinoa:

 Soak the quinoa for about 12-24 hours. Rinse the quinoa and place it in a pot with about 1/4 cup of water to cook on stove top. Cook on high with a small pinch of salt until the water boils then reduce heat to low for another 10-15 minutes until done. Turn off heat and let it rest covered for 10 minutes off the heat.

Preparing sweet potato:

Wash and cut one medium sweet potato into 6-8 pieces. Then place in a microwave bowl or pan with water to steam cook. Cook until it is soft and the skin peels off easily. If in microwave cook in high for 4 minutes. Peel skin and mash to a smooth paste.

To make the muffins:

In a bowl whisk the yogurt and milk together and let it thicken until the onion is ready.

Heat a skillet and add 1 tbsp oil and saute the onions with a little until brown with a little salt, rosemary and paprika.Remove from heat and set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda in a bowl. Add the sweet potato, soy sauce, vinegar and water, a little salt to the yogurt-milk mixture and whisk to a smoth paste. Add the 1/4 cup oil and flour to this sweet potato mixture. Using a rubber spatula to stir mixture gently and add the about 3/4th of the cooked quinoa and onions to this. Whisk the mixture lightly.

Place the mixture in greased muffin cups upto the top. Garnish each muffin with the rest of the cooked quinoa and bake for about 40 - 45 minutes or until done.

Once done remove muffins and let it rest for a few minutes before taking it off the baking pan. Serve once cool as such or warm with butter. Can be refrigerated for a week.

Tips:

1. I soaked quinoa for about 24 hours which initiated some sprouting. Quinoa is healthier when used after soaking and sprouting. Since grains and legumes have phytic acid which can bind with minerals in food and prevent its absorption by the body. So a diet rich in whole grain and legumes can lead to deficiency of these nutrients. Soaking and sprouting initiates phytase which can break down the acid and prevent this.
2. The original recipe used flax seeds instead of yogurt/curd and black quinoa instead of the white.
3. Other spices like fresh ginger, sage or thyme could be used.

Rosemary Foccacia

Inspired by the abundant rosemary from our backyard and a recipe from a book of fun recipes for kids, we made this recipe with our 6 year old son.

Ingredients:
All purpose flour - 2 cups
Active dry yeast  - 2 1/2 tsps
Rosemary leaves - a large handful
Olive oil              - 3 tbsps
Salt                      - as per taste
Lukewarm water - 1/4 cup
Sour buttermilk   - 1/4 cup

Put the olive oil and rosemary into a bowl. Infuse the oil with rosemary leaves by squeezing the leaves. Take a bowl add the flour, yeast and salt to mix well. Add about 1 to 1 1/2 tbsps of rosemary infused olive oil and about 1-2 tbsps warm water and mix well with your hands. Keep adding the water with buttermilk alternatively mixing well until you get a soft non-sticky dough.
Knead the dough on  floured surface for 5-10 minutes with flour on your hands to get a smooth,  pliable dough.
Roll the dough into a rectangle using a rolling pin to fit the baking pan. Flour the baking pan and add the dough into it. Cover it with a clean towel and let it rest in a warm place until an hour or until the dough is double the original size.
Pre-heat the oven to 400 F . Make big dimples on the risen dough with your fingers/thumb. Pour the rest of the rosemary oil over the bread to flavour it while baking. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until done.
Remove bread from oven when done and turn it over. Let it cool over the wire rack before serving.
Slice it and enjoy once it cools or it can be stored for 2 or 3 days at room temperature.

Tips

1. For a healthier version you can use whole wheat flour.
2.You can use thin slices of garlic on the top of the bread in the dimples to give an added flavour or replace it for the rosemary.
3. When you turn over the bread upside down after baking on  a wire rack, tap the underside with your knuckles, if it sounds hollow then the bread is cooked. If not bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Red bean broccoli soup

We tried this broccoli soup for a quick dinner meal with minimum ingredients and short cooking time on a weekday. It turned out to be flavourful and a beautiful green colour.

Ingredients:

Small head of broccoli   - 1 to 1 1/2 cups(florets and tender stems)

Garlic                               - 2-3 cloves(finely chopped)

Red beans                      - 16 oz can

Salt                                   - as per taste

Fresh ginger                    - 1/2 inch piece (finely chopped)

Black pepper corns        - 2-3 (roast and powder them fine)

Scallions(green onions)- 1/4 cup(finely chopped)

Mint leaves                      - 2-3

Oil                                     - 2 tsps

Wash and break the broccoli into small florets and stems. Use the stems which are tender. Bring a pot of water to boil and add the broccoli to it. Cook them with half the salt required until tender. Make sure not to over cook to maintain the green colour. In the meanwhile heat a pan and add the oil to it. Once oil is hot add the garlic and roast till light brown. Drain the water from the red beans and add it with the ginger to the pan. Cover the pan and let it cook in low for a few minutes. The broccoli should be cooked by this time, drain the water but do not throw it. Transfer the cooked broccoli to the blender and grind it to a smooth paste. Add this  to the pan with the beans with the cooked broccoli water. Let it simmer down to a thick consistency with the chopped mint leaves. Add the rest of the salt and ground pepper and switch off heat. Serve the soup topped with chopped chopped scallions or a tsp of yogurt(curd) on the top.

Tips:

1. You can use 1 cup of dry red beans. Soak it for 5-6 hours and pressure cook .

2.Rosemary is a good alternative to mint.We used fresh home grown mint.

3.The roasted garlic and chopped ginger could be blended with the cooked broccoli. If you prefer you could add the fresh garlic to the cooked broccoli before returning it to the pan with the beans.

4.If you prefer the broccoli could be steamed instead of cooked in water.