Everyone loves breaded foods like chicken, fish, crispy zucchini, either to munch alone or to dip in luscious sauces. Whenever I make my buttermilk chicken fingers, they quickly disappear from the plate, but sometimes I like to shake things up and make my breading with ingredients that add health benefits and unique textures.
Quinoa Cooked quinoa has a creamy texture that kids love, but what do you do with the leftovers? I take cold quinoa and mix it into seasoned breadcrumbs to make a healthier bread crumb coating. Dip your chicken pieces in egg and then press them into the quinoa breadcrumb mixture. Coat both sides with a thick layer of cooking spray and bake for 25 to 30 minutes in a 400 degree F oven. Quinoa not only adds dimension to the breadcrumb mixture -- it also happens to be a complete protein and contains all nine essential amino acids. Get more of Jennifer's beneficial breadcrumb alternatives after the jump.
I'm sure we're all aware by now that there's a rice shortage going on. Lots of factors contribute, but the bottom line is that even in the first world there is some rationing going on. But what happens if it gets worse?
The BBC recently posted this article about some possible rice replacements. Quinoa, the native South American grain, was first on the list. I think a lot of people are aware of quinoa by now, but how many people have heard of fufu? That's a west African dish made from cassava, but apparently it's not well known outside of that region's population.
Most of the other grains in the BBC article are familiar, like millet and bulgur. I know there are plenty of other grains out there, and lots of edible plants that we just don't eat. Maybe we should start thinking about that kind of thing, now that we're having shortages of some of our staple foods.
There are certain dishes for which I always have the ingredients in my kitchen. Scrambled eggs (eggs and butter). My sister's Quinoa, Bean-wa, Green-wa (a mash up of quinoa, garbanzo beans, Trader Joe's Curry Simmer Sauce and frozen spinach). Lentil soup (dried split mung beans, carrots, celery and onion). My friend Cindy always keeps around Ramen Noodles and frozen peas for the nights when she can't deal with being creative. Another friend is never without the makings for fluffer nutter sandwiches.
These are the items I can make quickly, with my eyes nearly closed (chopping veggies without at least one eye open is a very bad idea). I know that they will taste good and stop me from being hungry, which is often all I ask from my food.
Okay Slashfoodies, confession time! What are meals you make time and again, and always keep the makings for around in your fridge and pantry?
Despite my status as the child of natural food loving hippies, I don't think I ate quinoa until about four years ago. I had a friend who was working on eliminating wheat and rice from her diet and so was looking for alternatives. Someone suggested she check out quinoa and so she started experimenting with it, creating some seriously delicious dishes in the process. I particularly remember some stuffed acorn squash that were ridiculously delicious.
Across the country, at about the same time, my sister started eating it regularly. One of her favorite ways to use it was as a base for quick meals, like her signature Bean-wa, Green-wa, Quinoa. That would be a can of beans (garbanzos mostly), some cooked greens (spinach, kale, chard, collards, whatever she had around), some sauce (typically Trader Joe's masala simmer sauce, but anything meant for pasta works well) and a couple of cups of cooked quinoa. Stir together, heat and eat.
Alright Slashfoodies, we have a challenge for you. As posted on our sister site The Cancer Blog, one of our favorite food bloggers, Béa at La Tartine Gourmande, the creator of many exquisite dishes we have featured here before, has prepared this perfectly-pink dish of Quinoa Beet Verrine (as shown above) to help raise awareness for Breast Cancer. We'd like to continue what she has started and see what our readers can come up with. There are no rules, other than it should be an original creation and contain the color pink. As I said before, it can be dinner or dessert, anything from pink cream cheese on a bagel to an entire fuchsia dinner is fine - use your imagination. Drink submissions are fine, too.
Please send us the link to your blog/website once you have posted the picture, and we will spotlight the entries in a future post. Is there a prize? Yes - knowing that you are helping to raise awareness for Breast Cancer, is that not enough? Tell you what, we will let you judge, and then we will do a spotlight/interview with the creator of our favorite submission.
A new book, The Diet Detective's Countdown, lists the calories of 7500 foods, including Double-Stuff Oreos, the rice dish at PF Changs, and even Breathsavers!
Tasty, less popular grains like amaranth and quinoa are the subject of a recent Associated Press article. Apparently these grains are starting to appear more often on the average American grocery shopper's radar. And with good reason, as the AP says, amaranth and quinoa both have more iron and protein than wheat. Sales of the grains rising in big was, the AP says, citing a 25 percent increase in sales last year for the well known Bob's Red Mill brand. While these grains are probably old news to anyone who's set foot in a health food store or a Whole Foods in the last decade or two, I'm looking forward to seeing more mainstream uses for them.
So, it's the first week of January and you're still feeling a little bloated from all the egg
nog, stuffing, and booze you had over the holidays. I hear ya. And you made your New Year's resolution to "really
eat better this year!" and "I'm gonna get in shape!" Maybe whole grains can help you.
The Boston Globe has the
scoop on how brown rice, bulgur, and quinoa can help you get your waistline back (not to mention giving you a nice
base to center a meal around). You can simmer the brown rice for 45 minutes if you have the time, and maybe have a
casserole of winter veggies cooking at the same time. The bulger isn't as easy, since you have to toast it a
little in oil, then add chicken or vegetable stock. (The authors of the piece serves it with a cauliflower in a
curried tomato-onion sauce dish, but I'm not going near cauliflower).
The quinoa? Doesn't taste like anything unless you toast it like the bulgur, and serve it with something
saucy.
I'm sure we're all aware by now that there's a rice shortage going on. Lots of factors contribute, but the bottom line is that even in the first world there is some rationing going on. But what happens if it gets worse?
Tasty, less popular grains like 
So, it's the first week of January and you're still feeling a little bloated from all the egg
nog, stuffing, and booze you had over the holidays. I hear ya. And you made your New Year's resolution to "really
eat better this year!" and "I'm gonna get in shape!" Maybe whole grains can help you.
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