Zizi's Adventures - Real Food, Real Stories

Globe Zucchinis Stuffed with Pesto Quinoa

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After I  had posted this recipe on my Hungarian blog I noticed another globe zucchini recipe on Béa’s blog. It was funny. She also stuffed her zucchinis with grain but with millet not with quinoa. 
I also love millet but right now my favourite grain is quinoa. It’s not difficult to find out if you follow my blog. 🙂 I cooked the quinoa and seasoned with home made pesto. To make the pesto I used lemon basil. Lemon basil, known for its strong lemon scent, is very popular in a variety of cuisines, especially Thai and Italian.

It’s so easy to make this dish. It’s full of flavour.

Globe Zucchinis Filled with Pesto Quinoa

Ingredients

– 4 small globe zucchinis
– 1 cup cooked quinoa
– 2 handful of lemon basil leaves
– 4 cloves garlic
– 1 tablespoon pine nuts
– 1/2 lemon’s juice
– 50 g goat cream cheese (optional)
– 100-200 ml olive oil
– salt, pepper

Method

Wash the zucchinis then cut a small top for each one. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh, makin sure not to puncture the outer skin. Set aside.
To make the pesto put all the ingredients: basil leaves, garlic cloves, pine nuts, olive oil, salt and pepper in a kitchen blender and mix everthing until combine (incorporated). Pour the pesto over the cooked quinoa and mix well. This time you can stir in the goat cream cheese.
Stuff the zucchinis with this pesto quinoa then top each with its hat. Place them in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and bake the zucchinis for 30 minutes on 170-180C (350F). Serve with green salad.


Moroccan Quinoa Salad

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I came home from London from Food Blogger Connect and I brought the sunshine with me. The weather actually turned out to be very hot in the last two weeks of August and it is still warm. I hope there will be indian summer in September and October especially because my lovely friends – Krista, Sarka and Giulia – will come and visit me (in different weeks). I’m already planning their foodie and sightseeing programs and I’m so looking forward to welcoming them in my country! 🙂

The recipe I made is vegan and very nutritious. I told you before I love quinoa but did you know that quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance by maize? In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), and like oats, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it a complete protein source, unusual among plant foods. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest.

At the moment only the white quinoa can be bought in Hungary. I hope one day I can buy the red and black ones too because I really would like to make different kind of  meals from them. The recipe comes from one of my favourite healthy vegetarian blogs, Green Kitchen Stories.

Moroccan Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
– 2 smaller zucchini, cut in 3 mm thick slices
– 1 eggplant, cut in 3 mm thick slices
– 2 cloves garlic, chopped
– 1 cup quinoa
– 1/2 lemon’s freshly squeezed juice
– 2 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1 small (6 pieces) bunch of coriander, leaves chopped
– 1 small (6 pieces) bunch of mint, leaves chopped
– 2 tablepsoon raisins
– 1 cup almond, divided in half (lengthwise)
– 2 avocados, pitted, peeled and cut into 2 cm squares
– 4 pieces of spring onions, chopped
– salt, pepper
– olive oil

Method
Start by roasting the eggplant and zucchini slices. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and roast the slices at 170C (350F) for 3-4 minutes on each side. Put them in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, add garlic and salt and set aside.
Roast the almonds in a dry pan on medium heat for 8 minutes. Turn off the heat, salt the almonds and set aside.
Cook the 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups salted water. Also add the cinnamon to the water. When it’s done, drain if it’s necessary, and set aside to cool off. Add lemon juice, raisins, chopped coriander, mint and toss it around until everything is mixed. Serve the dish in bowls: quinoa with marinated vegetables, spring onions, avocado and roasted almonds. Drizzle with olive oil and more lemon juice.

Lemon Quinoa with Zucchini and Chickpeas

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The main wave of emotions after the amazing Food Blogger Connect weekend still keeps me going and makes my head spinning! I don’t even know where to start so I need to calm down first than I can write my post about the event.

Anyway… until then I have a couple of recipes to share with you. I’m a bit behind with the translations (from Hungarian to English) so this and a couple of more recipes’ (that to come) photos were taken with my old camera. Lemon quinoa with zucchini and chickpeas is an easy summer dish that can be your  delicious lunch or dinner anytime.

Lemon Quinoa with Zucchini and Chickpeas

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

– 1 cup quinoa
– 4 small zucchinis (yellow and green), sliced
– 1 can (240 g) chickpeas, drained
– 1 onion, peeled and chopped
– 3 branches fresh thyme
– 1/2 lemon’s grated zest and juice
– salt, pepper
– coconut or olive oil

Method

Bring the quinoa, water and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil in a pot. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the quinoa opens up revealing a little spiral and is soft and pleasant to chew. Set aside.
Heat a splash of coconut oil in a pan and saute the onion. After 5 minutes add zucchini and saute for another 5-6 minutes, then add the chickpeas. Season with salt, pepper and the leaves of thyme branches. Add lemon juice and cooked quinoa and turn off the heat. When serve sprinkle with lemon zest.

Quinoa Falafel Hamburger

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Even if I’m vegetarian I sometimes feel like eating a good hamburger with fries. That’s why I decided to make it at home because finding a tasty vegetarian hamburger in Hungary is a big deal. Restaurants only think of the meat eathers. 🙁 I realized that vegetarians, particularly vegans, often have to find creative solutions to meal dilemmas.

Be creative in your kitchen!

I adapted the recipe from Sara, I only changed a few things.

Quinoa Falafel Hamburger

Ingredients (serves 8-10)

For the quinoa-bean falafel (18-20 pieces)
– 1/2 cup quinoa
– 240 g (1 can) kidney beans, drained and mashed with a fork
– 3 spring onion, chopped
– 2 cloves garlic, chopped
– 2 carrots, finely grated
– 1 bunch of parsley, chopped
– 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, roasted
– 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
– 1 teaspoon cumin
– 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
– 6 tablespoons breadcrumbs + more
– 1 egg
– salt, pepper
– coconut or olive oil

For the sour cream tahini sauce
– 1 cup sour cream
– 2 teaspoon tahini
– 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
– salt, pepper

For the hamburger
– 8-10 hamburger buns
– mustard
– salad leaves
– sprouts
– anything you would like 🙂

Method

Cook the 1/2 cup quinoa in 1 cup salted water. Let it cool and set aside.

In a dry non-stick pan roast the sesame seeds for 5-6 minutes then set aside.

In a big bowl mix together quinoa, beans, spring onions, garlic, carrots, parsley, sesame seeds, cumin, coriander seeds, lemon juice, egg and breadcrumbs. Season generously with salt and pepper. With a wooden spoon mix everything together (if you find the mixture too soft and a bit more breadcrumbs). Allow to set in the fridge for at least an hour.

Scoop the mixture out in about 2 tablespoons size portions, roll and flatten into patties. Place them on a tray.

Heat 2-3 tablepsoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Roast (or sear) the patties for 3-4 minutes on each side.

In a small bowl mix together sour cream with tahini, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 170C (338F). Cut the hamburger buns in half (horizontally) and on a baking tray toast them for 5 minutes.

Assemble the hamburger: spread each buns with the sour cream tahini sauce, then add fillings: salad leaves, quinoa falafels (sauce again on the top), sprouts and the top of the bun.

Serve with French fries and enjoy!