Roasted Vegetable Orzo

When you have a lot of vegetables and are not sure what to do with them, try this recipe.  The orzo reminds me of a rice based dish, but in reality it is more like a pasta salad.  You can mix up any kinds of vegetables to get a different taste or feel.  I meant to put kale into this salad, but once the roasted leaves came out of my oven, I devoured them.  If you can resist try them in this salad.  Roasting the vegetables sweetens the vegetables which makes this salad.  If you haven't cooked with orzo before, you should try it.  It cooks up easily and mixes well with any variety of vegetables and dressings.  The inspiration for this salad came from 101 cookbooks author Heidi Swanson.  If you haven't checked out her blog you should.

Roasted Veggie Orzo Salad
Roasted vegetables (I used brussel sprouts, broccoli, leeks, garlic and onions)
olive oil
salt
1 1/4 cups orzo (uncooked)
plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 400F.  Line  1-2 baking sheets with parchment paper (depends on how many vegetables you are roasting).  Cut all the vegetables (about 5-6 cloves of garlic) into similar sized pieces so they will all roast at the same rate.  Toss all the vegetables with olive oil and salt.  Bake for about 30 minutes.  Toss once or twice to make sure everything is roasted evenly.

Put water on to boil to cook the orzo.  Add salt.  When boiling add the orzo and cook according to package instructions.  Remove and run under cool water.  Toss with a little olive oil.  For dressing, remove the shell from the roasted garlic and mash it with a little salt and yogurt.  Add more yogurt (about a half cup in total) and add more garlic to taste.

When ready to serve, toss the orzo, roasted vegetables and yogurt (start with half and adjust for taste).  For topping you can use toasted sesame or pumpkin seeds, and/or scallions.

Red Quinoa Pancakes

I think I have mentioned that I have been on a whole grain kick recently.  I also love to eat breakfast...if I could I would cook and eat breakfast every morning over a leisurely glass of orange juice, coffee or tea.  So combining the love of breakfast and whole grains, I wanted to try Andrew Wiel's quinoa johnny cakes from True Food.  This is also a restaurant which I have only been to once, but everything I ate and drank there was delicious.  The kicker for this whole grain pancake is the toppings....plain yogurt and just a little real maple syrup.  The down side is that the batter needs to sit an hour....and who wants to wait an hour to cook up quick pancakes?  I think it was worth it.  I am going to try to reheat them tomorrow for breakfast since it makes quite a lot of pancakes.  Note: Reheating worked well.  They were almost as good as the morning I had made them.

Quinoa Pancakes
1 cup red quinoa (though you could use any color)
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons light brown sugar or cane sugar
1 tablespoon plus 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup milk (I usually use 2%)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup blueberries
greek yogurt  and maple syrup for serving

Bring a medium saucepan to boil with 2 cups of water and a pinch or two of salt.  Once boiling add the quinoa and stir. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until all the water has evaporated and the quinoa is fluffy.  Set aside to cool.  Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.  Whisk to combine.  In another bowl combine the milk, eggs, vanilla extract and oil.  Stir to combine all ingredients.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients just until combined.  Add the quinoa and gently mixed.  Set aside for about an hour.

Brush the cooking surface with oil.  Once hot add the batter in about 1/3 cup increments.  Add the blueberries and press them in gently.  When bubbles form and lightly browned, flip and cook until lightly browned.  Serve with yogurt and maple syrup.

Tzatziki

Tzatziki

For anyone who has tried tzatziki and wanted to make it at home, you should know that it is very simple.  There are several different variations out there, but this is the version I have been making for many years now.  It was based off a recipe from Greece that a friend gave me long ago.  It is great as a dressing on salad or just with warmed up pita bread.  It is nice and refreshing on a hot day.

Tzatziki
greek yogurt (1-2 cups)
cucumber - seedless is preferable, but not necessary
dill
garlic
salt and pepper

This is the basic recipe I use.  I did not include amounts because it depends on what you get for ingredients.  The thicker the yogurt, the more cucumber I add. (The cucumber should be shredded.  I use a box grater.  You can use the size you like, but I like the thicker pieces in mine.) I stir until I get the consistency that I like.  Dill - buy fresh and it will add such a refreshing flavor to the yogurt. I usually finely chop or press if I am being lazy 2-3 cloves of garlic, but add as much or as little as you like.  Add salt and pepper to taste once everything else has been added.