Farmersgirl Kitchen: Quinoa with Summer Roasted Vegetables and Harissa Marinade and a Giveaway

Tuesday 14 July 2015

Quinoa with Summer Roasted Vegetables and Harissa Marinade and a Giveaway

I thought quinoa was going to be the grain that finally defeated me. I have tried to cook with it several times and never managed to get rid of the soapy taste. When I saw this recipe in "At home in the wholefood kitchen- celebrating the art of eating well" I thought I'd give it another chance and I'm so glad that I did as this recipe for Quinoa with Summer Roasted Vegetables and Harissa Marinade was packed with flavours and none of them were soap!

The Blurb
With her love of whole food and expertise as a chef, Amy Chaplin has written a book to entice everyone to eat well every meal, every day. She provides all the know how for creating delicious, healthy dishes based on unprocessed, unrefined food - from the basics of good eating to preparing seasonal feasts all year round.

About the Author: Amy Chaplin has worked as a vegetarian chef for over twenty years. She is the former executive chef of New York’s renowned vegan restaurant Angelica Kitchen, a recipe developer, a teacher, and a private chef whose clients include Natalie Portman and Liv Tyler. Amy’s delicious vegan and vegetarian cuisine has appeared in numerous publications, including Martha Stewart Living, Vogue, the Wall Street Journal, New York magazine, the Guardian, the Vegetarian Times, Oprah magazine and the Washington Post. A native of Australia, over the last two decades Chaplin has worked as a chef in Amsterdam, London, Sydney, and New York. She currently resides in New York City. Find more of her original recipes at amychaplin.com.

What's in the book?
This is a large book and something of a wholefood primer. My own introduction to wholefoods came about in the late 1970s and it was Gail Duff who influenced my interest in whole and healthy foods. Amy Chaplin had the benefit of growing up on a community farm by parents who cooked and ate the food that they grew there. After Amy's introduction and biography, you move on to The Pantry, which for Amy includes vegetables and fruits that sit out on the kitchen worktop. Amy introduces us to whole grains, beans and pulses, nuts and seeds, superfoods such as goji berries and help seeds; oils, vinegars, seasoning and condiments. But it doesn't stop there, we learn about seaweeds, spices, pantry vegetables and a feast of ingredients for the fridge and freezer. Natural sweeteners, bottled and canned items and I doubt if the pantry door will close!

Amy then gives us a run down on equipment we should aim to have in our kitchen, although she does recommend slowly collecting good-quality pans to last a lifetime. Two luxury items are included which Amy uses daily, a pressure cooker and a Vitamix blender.

Cooking from the Pantry, this section is divided into Grains, Beans, Nuts and Seeds and Roasting Vegetables. Before you start cooking any of the recipes, each chapter has detailed instructions on how to prepare and the ingredients. Here are a few of the recipes I liked: Simple Quinoa (this was the basic recipe I followed for the featured recipe), Lemony Marinated Lentils sounds delicious, Tamari Toasted Seeds are bound to be a hit for snacking or sprinkling on salads. The Roasted Vegetables are prepared with coconut oil and fresh herbs.

Pantry Recipes takes these basics a little further with a range of creative dishes such as Steamed Greens with zesty flaxseed dressing, Wholewheat fettucine with kale, caramelised onions and marinated goat's cheese, Dijon mustard marinated tempeh and garlic tamari-braised tofu. There are some really great Make-Ahead Condiments including the harissa, I made for my recipe, tahini sauce and toasted almond butter.

We are just about half way through 'At home in the whole food kitchen' and we are just starting with breakfast. I wouldn't refuse spelt almond waffles, blackberry cornmeal muffins or pumpkin bread with toasted walnut cinnamon swirl or coconut and quinoa pancakes.

Soup is easy to make and easy to keep healthy and whole food, I really must make pea and courgette (zuchinni) soup with dill. Miso soup was one of our 70's stand bys, Amy makes a hearty winter miso soup with adzuki beans, squash and ginger and I love the sound of the luscious spicy carrot soup with Kaffir lime leaves and coconut.

Salads doesn't herbed spelt berry salad with peas and feta sound good? As does shaved fennel beetroot salad with blood orange and crushed hazelnuts and, of course, the quinoa with roasted summer vegtables and harissa marinade (recipe below).

Everyone loves snacks, nibbles and drinks and this chapter doesn't disappoint, rustic pea spread, roasted red pepper macadamia pate, black sesame rice crackers and to wash it down rhubarb rose infusion or turmeric lemonade.

We are by no means finished yet, Whole Meals serves up dill roasted plum tomato tart with pine nut crust, tempeh portobello burgers, butternut squash lasagne with wholewheat noodles and sage tofu ricotta and heirloom bean bourguignon with celeriac mash.

Desserts can be whole food too, there is a range of tarts including fresh peach with walnut crust, coconut custard tart with toasted coconut crust, date pistachio praline tart and dark chocolate truffle tart with Brazil nut crust. Other sweet treats include apricot coconut bars, pistachio sultana cookies with cardamom and earl grey fruit cake.

At home in the whole food kitchen finishes with a little essay on tea, in all it's forms, Amy's thoughts on cleansing and healing with whole foods, some guidelines and menu suggestions and finally why we should eat organic foods.

Who is it for?
This book would suit both the novice whole foodie and experienced vegetarian and vegan cooks. The extensive information about ingredients, and how to prepare them, is well written and, so far, the recipes have worked for me. The recipes themselves are interesting and varied, with some rather different combinations of ingredients to satisfy the most adventurous cook.

Pros
Well written recipes including instructions on how to prepare various pantry ingredients. Lots of well styled clear photographs.

Cons
It is a big heavy tome of a book, certainly not for reading in bed! When I first looked at the recipes I was a bit put off by some of the ingredients, but on closer inspection most are easily available and there are only a few that I would struggle to source.

The Verdict
If you want to eat more healthily or simply explore some different recipes, then this is a great place to start. You will learn the how and why of whole foods as well as having recipes to follow, allowing you to create your own healthy vegetarian and vegan recipes. I was so impressed by the recipe, not only was the quinoa perfectly cooked, the harissa was the best I've ever tasted with the combination of the ingredients making a fabulous meal.

Quinoa with Summer Roasted Vegetables and Harissa Marinade
Serves 4 - 6

2 courgettes (zucchinis), roll cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
2 red peppers (capsicums), deseeded and cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
300g (10 1/2 oz/2cups) cherry tomatoes, large ones cut in half
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea Salt
1 red onion cut into 1.2 com (1/2 in) wedges
720g (1lb 9oz/4 cups) cooked quinoa, cooled (see below)
80ml (3fl oz/1/2 cup) homemade harissa (see below)
40g (1 1/2 oz/1 cup) chopped flat-leaf parsley
140g (5oz) goat's milk feta, drained and crumbled
Olives, to garnish

Pre-heat oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment. Place courgette (zucchini), peppers (capsicum) and cherry tomatoes in a bowl and toss with 3 tbsp of the olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt. Divide vegetables between baking trays and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 25 minutes. Gently stir vegetables, rotate trays and roast 10 minutes more or until browning, Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Warm remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add red onion and saute for 5 minutes. Lower heat a little and cook for 15 minutes longer, stirring every minute or so, until soft and caramelised. Stir in a pinch of salt remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Transfer quinoa to a large bowl, fluff with a fork, add harissa and mix well. Add roasted vegetables, caramelised onions and parsley; toss gently to combine and season to taste with additional salt. Crumble feta over top and serve garnished with olives.

Harissa
Makes about 80ml (3fl oz/1/3 cup)

1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp ground paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/8 tsp sea salt
60ml (2 fl oz/1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Warm a small to medium frying pan over medium heat. Add cumin, coriander and caraway seeds, toast seeds, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Transfer to an electric spice grinder and grind until fine. Place ground spices in a bowl then add paprika, cayenne, garlic, salt, olive oil and lemon juice. Stir until smooth. Store in a sealed glass jar in the fridge for up to two months, or as mentioned above leave out the lemon for storing indefinitely.

Simple Quinoa
Makes 720g (1lb 9oz/4 cups) cooked quinoa

170g (6oz/1 cup) quinoa
240ml (8fl oz/ 1 cup) filtered water, plus more for soaking
pinch of sea salt

Wash and soak the quinoa in at least 720ml (24fl oz /3 cups) water for 8 to 24 hours. Drain and rinse the quinoa. Place in a 2 litre (3 1/2 pint) pan and add filtered water and salt. Bring to the boil over high heat, cover pan, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside, covered, for 5 - 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork and serving. Once cool, quinoa can be stored n the fridge for up to four days.

At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen Celebrating the Art of Eating Well by Amy Chaplin

Published by Jacqui Small Publishing
Hardback RRP £25.00

I have a copy of At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: Celebrating the Art of Eating Well to GIVEAWAY, simply follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget.

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Labels: amy chaplin, at home in the whole food kitchen, cook, cookbook review, Harissa, quinoa, review, roasted vegetables, Vegan, Vegetables, vegetarian, whole food

98 Comments:

At 14 July 2015 at 21:12 , Foodie Laura said...: I have being really enjoying the trend for vegan cookbooks recently, I always get plenty of new ideas from them.
At 14 July 2015 at 21:25 , Deon said...: This looks like a great book and I love Harissa too! Thanks for a wonderful review.
At 14 July 2015 at 21:57 , Wise Ways said...: Rice, you can make so many different meals with it xxx
At 14 July 2015 at 22:07 , Keep Calm and Fanny On said...: My favourite whole food is Bulghar Wheat, love it!
At 14 July 2015 at 22:32 , Roz said...: I would say quinoa, but that is because i dont have that much experience with whole foods
At 15 July 2015 at 06:23 , Tracy Nixon said...: I love lentils!
At 15 July 2015 at 09:01 , Ruth Harwood said...: Love Quinoa xx
At 15 July 2015 at 09:27 , Paula Readings said...: Nut & fruit mix. love that.
At 15 July 2015 at 10:01 , Chris said...: What's your favourite whole food ingredient? . . . . . . lentils (if they count) they are so versatile
At 15 July 2015 at 10:30 , Kerry locke said...: The Humble Chickpea can be made into so many wonderful things .. it is top of my list
At 15 July 2015 at 19:26 , Katrina | ChatterFox said...: My favourite ingredient is a simple red pepper, it can be used in so many things and is so versatile, delicious and good for you!

Katrina | thechatterfox.com
At 15 July 2015 at 21:21 , clairew137 said...: rice.
At 16 July 2015 at 08:36 , Jacqueline Meldrum said...: It's a fabulous book, isn't it? Your salad looks amazing and the harissa sounds good, although I've never seen it made without chilli peppers before.
At 16 July 2015 at 11:00 , Sarah Fawcett said...: There are so many whole foods to chose from that I don't think I could pick a single one, anything that hasn't been chemically messed around with is a big hit in my book, can I just chose Vegetables as my favourite whole food :)
At 16 July 2015 at 11:09 , Unknown said...: Quinoa.x
At 16 July 2015 at 11:23 , lauralights said...: I'm obsessed with avocado just now
At 16 July 2015 at 11:23 , pauline hill said...: ONIONS can not do without
At 16 July 2015 at 11:38 , faith76 said...: My favourite are Lentils
At 16 July 2015 at 11:42 , sophie2002 said...: I love Lentils. I add them into lots of meals. I love them in Shepherds pies.
At 16 July 2015 at 11:49 , Emma Hogg said...: Quinoa
At 16 July 2015 at 11:53 , Ritchie said...: I love chickpeas - so versatile - falafel, houmous and the new vegan magic ingredient aquafaba.
At 16 July 2015 at 12:29 , Unknown said...: Quinoa for me - using it in so many things that I cook now!
At 16 July 2015 at 12:36 , dorsetsgem said...: lentils. so versatile
At 16 July 2015 at 14:13 , clairebears30 said...: Quinoa xx
At 16 July 2015 at 14:22 , Elizabeth Hinds said...: Definitely chickpeas for me - I use them in everything :)
At 16 July 2015 at 14:29 , Emmyw said...: Quinoa...soapy taste?! Oh no! That isn't good!!! To be honest I've only ever had it in a hot casserole type dish so never had that problem but that doesn't sound great. This recipe looks lovely though :)
At 16 July 2015 at 16:21 , Crown86 said...: Apple
At 16 July 2015 at 17:10 , Milly said...: I love lentils, you can do so much with them!
At 16 July 2015 at 17:13 , Unknown said...: I love brown rice and pearl barley
At 16 July 2015 at 17:39 , Stepping Into Sixty said...: Lentils - love them hot or cold
At 16 July 2015 at 18:29 , Leanne W said...: Love Quinoa or cous cous xx - leanne w
At 16 July 2015 at 19:41 , Unknown said...: Quinoa. Now that I know how to prepare it properly, I love it.
At 16 July 2015 at 20:04 , Unknown said...: Chick peas!
At 16 July 2015 at 20:04 , Lucy Bakingqueen74 said...: The book looks great, must check it out. That quinoa salad sounds delicious!
At 16 July 2015 at 20:58 , Janice said...: Thanks Deon, I do love to review cookbooks.
At 16 July 2015 at 21:55 , Kristy Brown said...: Lentils are my fave
At 16 July 2015 at 23:51 , pete c said...: it`s rice for me
At 16 July 2015 at 23:53 , Fozia said...: Chick peas
At 17 July 2015 at 09:10 , Anonymous said...: My favourite whole food is a Mars bar ;o)

No just kidding, I eat a lot of seeds especially Sunflower seeds and Pumpkin seeds
At 17 July 2015 at 09:33 , helen tovell said...: wholemeal pasta
At 17 July 2015 at 10:52 , Anonymous said...: Chickpeas. They are always soaking in the kitchen, for curries and aquafaba...
At 17 July 2015 at 13:48 , Unknown said...: Quinoa
At 17 July 2015 at 18:52 , Megan Kinsey said...: chickpeas yum yum yum!
At 17 July 2015 at 21:56 , mummy24 said...: lentils!

Ashleigh
At 19 July 2015 at 08:21 , Unknown said...: Ooooh another cookbook to go on my list.
At 19 July 2015 at 14:04 , TRACYSB said...: Definitely onions, can do so many things with them. :) I love cheese and onion on toast with a dash of Worcestershire sauce as well. :)
At 19 July 2015 at 14:11 , Unknown said...: I know i've said it before but I LOVE your book reviews, so brilliantly practical and always with a stunning recipe and pictures. I adore quinoa but like you had not really had much chance to cook with it. This looks like an excellent and very tasty salad.
At 19 July 2015 at 15:37 , Foodie Quine said...: I love Quinoa but struggle to cook it without it turning to mush! I hereby confess to buying it ready cooked in packets.
At 19 July 2015 at 17:29 , Shaheen said...: Chickpeas, I love them - very versatile as a flour, for pakoras and in curries.
At 19 July 2015 at 17:35 , Anonymous said...: I love quinoa
At 19 July 2015 at 18:04 , Caroline said...: I think my favourite is barley - it's great in soups and stews but also makes a great alternative to rice and is fab with a spicy tagine.
At 19 July 2015 at 19:48 , Choclette said...: Glad someone finally convinced you that quinoa was worth eating. I have the book and I'm really enjoying READING IT IN BED :-)
At 19 July 2015 at 21:26 , Janice said...: It has cayenne pepper in it, which is a form of chilli, nice and subtle heat.
At 19 July 2015 at 21:30 , Janice said...: You need to really rinse the grains, to get rid of the coating which gives the soapy taste. Now I know how to do it there will be no stopping me
At 19 July 2015 at 21:32 , Janice said...: Thanks Lucy, it was really good.
At 19 July 2015 at 21:33 , Janice said...: You should check out my Salted Caramel Peach Sundae
At 19 July 2015 at 21:35 , Janice said...: Thanks Dom, hope you enjoy cooking more quinoa soon.
At 19 July 2015 at 21:38 , Janice said...: Ha ha! I don't like to be beaten by a foodstuff, good luck reading this book in bed, hope you don't nod off and give yourself concussion!
At 20 July 2015 at 09:05 , Jane Willis said...: Red lentils, they are so versatile!
At 23 July 2015 at 20:21 , Linzi_Barrow said...: chickpeas
At 25 July 2015 at 15:10 , Unknown said...: Lentils, my boyfriend reCently started using them when making hummus and it's so gorgeous!! :)
At 26 July 2015 at 07:20 , Unknown said...: Quinoa!
At 26 July 2015 at 16:00 , Samantha S said...: Rice, very versitile
At 31 July 2015 at 12:41 , Rich Tyler said...: Quinoa or Rice :)
At 2 August 2015 at 12:00 , sallyc06 said...: Nuts!!
At 3 August 2015 at 12:42 , Sylvia said...: rice!
At 3 August 2015 at 15:49 , janine atkin said...: I like lentils
At 3 August 2015 at 18:02 , Laura nice said...: Its rice for me :)
At 4 August 2015 at 12:01 , Unknown said...: My favourite is Chapati flour to make Roti's
At 4 August 2015 at 14:31 , Donna caldwell said...: It has to be rice
At 4 August 2015 at 19:21 , sheridarby said...: I love lentils
At 5 August 2015 at 00:34 , Anonymous said...: Quinoa

Trevor Linvell
At 5 August 2015 at 07:48 , zoe somerfield said...: Rice
At 5 August 2015 at 09:31 , Unknown said...: Chick Peas.....nom nom
At 5 August 2015 at 10:23 , Susan Barrie said...: I like the idea of the quinoa salad. I really like wheatberries, great in salads!
At 5 August 2015 at 10:29 , UKJILL said...: Black Beans versatile and healthy!
At 5 August 2015 at 10:44 , Victoria Prince said...: Brown rice - can do so much with it from hot comfort food to cold salads and everything in between :-)

Quinoa is one of those things that I've heard so much about and keep meaning to try but haven't got round to it yet...
At 5 August 2015 at 14:10 , Unknown said...: I love the texture of chickpeas
At 5 August 2015 at 15:36 , sidwales said...: lentils help me keep cooking simple and cheap.
At 5 August 2015 at 16:19 , Lyndsey Beckford said...: I love lentils :-)
At 5 August 2015 at 16:22 , Lyndsey Beckford said...: I like lentils :-)
At 5 August 2015 at 19:54 , Unknown said...: Onions for me.
At 5 August 2015 at 21:01 , Unknown said...: Short grain brown rice is my favourite!
At 5 August 2015 at 21:07 , Hannah Igoe said...: Chickpeas
At 5 August 2015 at 22:16 , aaron milne said...: chickpeas - so versatile
At 5 August 2015 at 22:27 , SmileySarahs said...: Lentils :D
At 5 August 2015 at 22:56 , Nett said...: I discovered Freekeh the other day. I like that!
At 5 August 2015 at 23:07 , Anonymous said...: chickpeas
At 6 August 2015 at 09:35 , donna l jones said...: rice
At 6 August 2015 at 12:41 , Bextow said...: Pinto beans
At 6 August 2015 at 16:03 , Unknown said...: love bulgar wheat, both in salads and as an accompaniment
At 6 August 2015 at 16:30 , Andrea A said...: Lentils
At 6 August 2015 at 19:03 , Unknown said...: Any grains, I use them all the time
At 6 August 2015 at 21:11 , Unknown said...: Mmmmmm has to be rice or cous cous as you can pack as little or as much flavour into them as you want xx
At 6 August 2015 at 21:53 , WeeWillieWilkie said...: Chick peas
At 6 August 2015 at 22:27 , Natalie Crossan said...: Lentils x
At 6 August 2015 at 22:28 , Robyn Clarke said...: Chick peas
At 6 August 2015 at 23:59 , Solange said...: Rice

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Tuesday 14 July 2015

Quinoa with Summer Roasted Vegetables and Harissa Marinade and a Giveaway

98 Comments:

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