Second night of cooking since we have been back from our 2 1/2 week vacay. While I enjoyed getting a break from cooking, it sure has been nice to start getting my kitchen messy again! As usual, my kids were just not interested in dinner or don't like the vegetarian fare! I am thinking they just don't like dinner since they never devoured dinner while we were on vacay either.
Our menu this week consists of some "back on track" meals...these are meals that are quick, easy, and vegetarian to get ourselves readjusted to the dietary changes we had adapted before we left. On the menu tonight was Fusilli Col Buco with Braised Spring Vegetables, a recipe I found in one of my new vegetarian magazines I have been getting. We made a few changes, and I will write the recipe out the way we made it. I wanted a quick and easy side dish, so I whipped up some Quinoa with a drizzle of olive oil, black olives, tomato, and feta cheese. I didn't have a recipe to go by for this, so I went off of a picture that one of my Facebook friends posted on her wall a couple of days ago. The Quinoa was my favorite part of the dinner! I buy these super sweet, organic, on the vine cherry tomatoes from my local health food store, and they absolutely MADE the dish!
Alright, enough talk, here are the rcipes; and because I usually only use recipes that have a picture of the dish, I am throwing in a couple pictures too!
Fusilli Col Buco with Braised Spring Vegetables
2 cups chopped frozen onion
4 cloves (4 tsp) minced garlic
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cups dry white wine
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 can artichoke hearts, halved or quartered
3 medium carrots, diced
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
8 oz. Fusilli Col Buco pasta
parmesan cheese, to taste
* Heat a large dutch oven or pan to medium high heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and saute the onion and garlic for about 3-5 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes, white wine, vegetable broth and lemon juice. Stir in the artichokes, mushrooms, and carrots. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium low and simmer about 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add the peas and cook another 3-5 minutes.
*Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a pot of salted water according to package directions and drain. Return the pasta to the pot.
* Using a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables and combine with the pasta. If you prefer a more dry pasta, do not add any of the vegetable braising liquid. If you prefer a bit os sauciness, add a ladle or two of the braising liquid (the whine, broth, and lemon juice mixture) to the pasta and vegetables. Add salt, pepper, and parmesan to taste.
MY NOTES
Overall, this was a good dinner! It was light, refreshing, and full of vegetables. I would probably not add the red pepper flakes, it gave it a bit of a kick that I didn't like in this dish. I added two ladles full of the braising liquid and I found that the combo of the wine, vegetable broth, and lemon juice gave the pasta a somewhat vinegar taste that I really didn't care for. If I make tis again, I will not add any of the braising liquid to the pasta.
Quinoa with Olives, Tomatoes, and Feta
1 cup Quinoa
extra virgin olive oil
5-6 large cherry tomatoes
black olives, sliced (add as many as you like)
crumbled feta cheese (again, add as much as you like)
* Follow package directions for preparation of Quinoa; otherwise a typical way to prepare is 1-2 cups of water per 1 cup of Quinoa. I added 1.5 cups water and 1 cup Quinoa and brought to a boil. Once brought to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the germ separates from the seed.
* Once cooked, add a drizzle of olive oil, sliced tomatoes, sliced olives, and feta cheese.
Quinoa Fun Facts
1. Has a protein content of 18%
2. A source of complete protein, which means it has adequate proportions of the eight essential amino acids which are necessary dietetic requirements for humans and animals
3. Good source of fiber, magnesium, and iron
looks good, tastes good, and easy to prepare!
Thanks for reading and good eats!
