Grains

Caprese Grain Salad with Spelt

June 24, 2013 by Erica

Caprese Grain Salad with Spelt

Caprese salad is one of my summertime favorites. I love how the fresh flavors somehow make red, white and green seem not at all Christmas-y!

I usually make a layered version, with big slices of vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh mozzarella sprinkled with sliced basil leaves, salt and pepper, and drizzled with olive oil. But I also have a soft spot for mini things (I think this is hard-wired into females of all species?), and little baby balls of mozzarella are no exception. So this time I decided to make a mini caprese, focusing on the awesome textures.

Caprese Grain Salad with Spelt

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Warm Quinoa and Arugula Salad with Lemon Dressing

May 3, 2013 by Erica

Warm Quinoa and Arugula Salad with Lemon Dressing

Hello, beautiful.

Warm Quinoa and Arugula Salad with Lemon Dressing

You should know that I’ve been wanting to post about this salad for a looong time. Ever since I started this blog, in fact. It’s a copycat of my favorite salad at (probably) my favorite restaurant in Salt Lake, Caffe Niche. But every time I’ve made it, it hasn’t quite lived up to the restaurant version, and I had to get it juuust right. But I think I finally did!

Warm Quinoa and Arugula Salad with Lemon Dressing

Warm red quinoa, roasted tomatoes and onions, and lemon dressing served over a bed of arugula. It is just as good as it sounds – the nutty flavor of the quinoa, the sweetness of the roasted vegetables, and the bite of the lemon and arugula all combine to make my perfect salad.

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Spelt Berry Sushi Bowl with Roasted Cauliflower

April 10, 2013 by Erica

Spelt Berry Sushi Bowl

Good morning and happy Wednesday!

I wouldn’t be so chipper (I feel morning chipperness is generally uncalled-for), but just look at all these colors. Food like this makes me happy to be alive.

(If you’re still half asleep and don’t feel like eating sushi yet… I apologize. I kind of have a thing for colorful food.)

Spelt Berry Sushi Bowl

In case you missed it, this is Pantry Week here at Coffee & Quinoa: a week of me attempting to simultaneously clean out my cabinets and teach myself to put a meal together without a trip to the store.

This dish is a random weeknight creation that truly belongs in my pantry series. Pawing through the fridge after work one night, I found some leftover veggies and cooked spelt, plus some cauliflower with only a few more days of life left in it. For some reason my sweet potato sushi bowl came to mind. I decided to go for it, but was pretty doubtful as I whipped up the dressing… an Asian dish with cauliflower and spelt, really?

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Quinoa Parfait with Sumo Orange and Cinnamon

March 15, 2013 by Erica

Quinoa Parfait with Sumo Orange and Cinnamon

Hello Friday! I am so glad to see you.

The first week of daylight savings time has been a little rough. Everyone at work is cranky – myself included! – and I think we all need a few days of sleeping in to remind ourselves that springtime is good, and lighter evenings are worth a few weeks of dark wake-ups in March.

Spring is definitely in the air – you can tell because my morning bowl of oatmeal has been replaced with something cold! A sure sign that things are warming up.

Quinoa Parfait with Sumo Orange and Cinnamon

I’m really digging the quinoa-for-breakfast thing. It’s a nice little change from oatmeal, while still getting to use all the fun toppings. I was pretty excited when I saw Ashley’s post a few weeks ago with blood orange quinoa parfaits. I didn’t know quinoa parfaits were a “thing” and I had to try them immediately! Did I mention that besides oatmeal, parfaits are my favorite breakfast?

Quinoa Parfait with Sumo Orange and Cinnamon

Anyway, it turns out that quinoa parfaits are indeed a “thing,” and I couldn’t be happier. I just mix up my quinoa with some plain Greek yogurt, agave, and cinnamon, and top with a chopped orange and more cinnamon. Some toasted pecans would be great here too!

If you’d like, you don’t have to mix the quinoa and yogurt together – you could layer the quinoa/agave/cinnamon mixture and yogurt separately. Just another fun little variation!

I topped my parfait with a sumo orange. Have you seen these?

Quinoa Parfait with Sumo Orange and Cinnamon

They are basically giant tangerines – sweet and easy to peel. They are so funny-looking, and so delicious – I can’t get enough! I am pretty much an unofficial sumo orange ambassador at this point, making everyone at work try them and now posting about them here. You know how some products tend to do that to you? Actually, my bagger at Whole Foods started it – she gave me one for free a few weeks ago when I was buying some other oranges, insisting that I try it. She said they tasted like candy, and she wasn’t wrong! Of course, the whole free sample thing worked out beautifully for Whole Foods, because I returned and bought about $10 of them the next week, and the week after. They are not cheap. But if you get a kick out of funny-looking produce and sweet oranges, you have to try them!

Quinoa Parfait with Sumo Orange and Cinnamon

Such a light but satisfying breakfast. I’m looking forward to enjoying this parfait as spring and summer arrive, and despite my current orange obsession, can’t wait to top it with berries in the warmer weather.

Quinoa Parfait with Sumo Orange and Cinnamon

5.0 from 1 reviews

Quinoa Parfait with Sumo Orange and Cinnamon

Hands-on time

2 mins

Total time

2 mins

Author: Erica

Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients

1/2 cup cooked quinoa, chilled
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I like Fage)
1 Tbsp agave
sprinkle of cinnamon
1 orange, peeled and chopped
small handful of toasted chopped pecans (optional)

Instructions

Mix together quinoa, yogurt, agave, and cinnamon. Top with oranges, another sprinkle of cinnamon, and optional pecans.

Notes

Inspired by Edible Perspective.

Quinoa Parfait with Sumo Orange and Cinnamon

Tropical Oatmeal

March 4, 2013 by Erica

tropical oatmeal

Good morning! I know on Friday I laid out my grand plans for a big weekend of cooking. And it happened! But I just can’t get back to the regularly scheduled program until I stop everything and tell you about this oatmeal.

I’m going through a bit of a coconut phase. I blame the rest of the blog world, which is also in love with coconut.

In the last few weeks alone, I’ve posted lentil, banana bread, and salad recipes containing coconut. What I didn’t tell you is that I’ve been starting every morning with coconut, too!

tropical oatmeal

I’m always thinking about posting my breakfasts here, but let’s face it… they’re not too exciting. Oatmeal in the winter, Cheerios in the summer, with the occasional quinoa thrown in.

In the winter months, I go through phases with my oatmeal toppings (like everyone), and I always end up craving them so much. Some favorites lately: Frozen berries and brown sugar; peanut butter, banana, and chocolate chips; and now, coconut butter and mango. And even if it is just oatmeal, let me tell you that I think this coconut + mango combination is blog-worthy.

tropical oatmeal

Have you tried coconut butter yet? I just bought my first jar a few weeks ago and am loving it. Rather than just extracting the oil from the coconut, coconut butter is the entire flesh of the coconut, ground up. It’s very rich and has amazing coconut flavor. This oatmeal is my favorite use for it, but it’s also amazing spread on toast, and I’m excited to find more ways to use it, too. Whatever you do, let it melt before you eat it. YUM.

I’ll be honest: coconut butter breaks the bank a little. Artisana, the brand I bought, is $11.99 for a 16-oz jar. Yikes – that’s more than Justin’s almond butter! I did just see a 15-oz. Maranatha jar for $7.99 at the grocery store, so I’ll probably try that out next time. The good news is that a little goes a long way. In addition to being rich, it’s pretty brittle, so I usually microwave the whole jar for 15-30 seconds before scraping any out. Having to scrape it out, rather than being able to dip in and come out with a big ol’ scoop, stretches that jar quite a bit. If you like using coconut oil in cooking or baking, I definitely recommend trying out a jar of coconut butter.

tropical oatmeal

It’s still very much wintertime in Utah, and when I wake up on a cold and dark morning, this is my new favorite way of denying reality for 5 more minutes. Now it’s obviously not really a “recipe” – you can make your oatmeal any way you’d like or even use these toppings on any other breakfast cereal. No matter how many times I eat this combo, though, it just feels so luxurious! One more way to trick myself into getting through the winter (and the workweek).

tropical oatmeal

Tropical Oatmeal

Hands-on time

2 mins

Cook time

3 mins

Total time

5 mins

Author: Erica

Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients

1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 Tbsp ground flax seeds
1/2 cup cold water
sprinkle of cinnamon
1 Tbsp coconut butter
1 Tbsp sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 mango, peeled and chopped (or substitute 1/2 orange or 1/2 cup of fresh chopped pineapple)

Instructions

Combine oats and flax in a microwave-safe bowl. Add water, stir to combine, and microwave on high for 3 minutes.
Remove from microwave (careful, the bowl might be hot!), sprinkle with cinnamon, and top with remaining ingredients. Wait a minute or two for coconut butter to melt, then dig in!

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