Coffee & Quinoa

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Links
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Archives for Home / Side Dishes

Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash with Figs and Sage

September 25, 2013 by Erica

Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash with Figs and Sage

Don’t you love the crossover seasons? When you can drive with your seat heater on and the windows down, wear boots with no jacket, and stuff winter squash with figs. It’s the best of both worlds!

Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash with Figs and Sage

I didn’t really discover figs until this year. Previously, despite my childhood love of Fig Newtons, I thought that fresh figs had 1) a scary texture and 2) a scary price. I liked them only when caramelized to a juicy perfection on top of a pizza at the aptly named Figs, my favorite pizza place in Boston. Then, naturally, I discovered that the blogosphere goes crazy over figs just at the same time that Whole Foods had a giant gorgeous display of them… on sale. Whole Foods 1, Erica 0. More like Whole Foods 20,000, Erica 0 when you calculate the amount I’ve probably spent there this year. In any case, I bought them, was introduced to the glory of fresh figs, and have never looked back.

Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash with Figs and Sage

A few of the ways I’ve been loving figs are:

– Just taking bites out of them! Usually right when I get home from the grocery store :)

– On my oatmeal with cinnamon and honey

– On pizza (although mine will never be as good as Figs’…)

– And finally, sauteed with onions and celery, mixed with quinoa and fresh sage, and stuffed into these adorable little squash bowls.

… 

Read More »

Filed Under: Main Dishes, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian Tagged With: figs, quinoa, squash, vegan, vegetarian

German Potato Salad (Kartoffelsalat)

August 28, 2013 by Erica

German Potato Salad (Kartoffelsalat)

The time has come to tell you about my job at Karl’s Sausage Kitchen.

Yes, during summers and holidays all throughout college, I worked at a store called Karl’s Sausage Kitchen. It wasn’t some raunchy late-night gig, as my guy friends liked to rib me about, but a little family-owned German sausage shop (Metzgerei). Karl’s son owned it during my time there and made all the sausages in the gleaming kitchen that took up the entire back of the building. In the kitschy storefront, a few older German ladies and I wrapped up those sausages, sliced up bacon and bologna, and rang them up for customers along with imported German goodies like Haribo and Ritter Sport.

… 

Read More »

Filed Under: Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: german, potatoes, vegan, vegetarian

Orzo with Zucchini and Sweet Corn

August 14, 2013 by Erica

Orzo with Zucchini and Sweet Corn

I’m just going to say it: I am nowhere near ready for fall.

You might think it’s jumping the gun to start thinking about cooler temperatures when it’s still August (and I couldn’t agree with you more). But if you live in Utah, you know that anticipation for ski season – forget fall altogether – is already mounting by August. (This I will never understand.) And even the non-ski bums around me are starting to mention looking forward to fall boots, colorful leaves, etc.

Stop it! It’s just wrong.

Orzo with Zucchini and Sweet Corn

Though I’ve never been a fan of the very hot weather, I do love all the things that come with summer – most notably sundresses, summer produce, walking out of the house without bundling up, and the lack of impending winter doom. I intend to cling to all of those things for as long as possible and hope I don’t get hypothermia.

So let’s embrace that summer produce while we still can with this orzo recipe: a warm pasta salad-y dish with lots of yummy texture from zucchini matchsticks and corn kernels, not to mention the orzo. It’s all just barely heated up together, so it’s full of bright, fresh flavor in addition to all those great textures.

… 

Read More »

Filed Under: Pasta, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: corn, pasta, squash, vegan, vegetarian, zucchini

Copycat Near East Rice Pilaf

July 17, 2013 by Erica

Copycat Near East Rice Pilaf

A pretty piece of salmon deserves a great side dish.

Growing up, we almost always ate Near East rice pilaf with our salmon. It was a staple that I never really appreciated until I went to college. I remember coming home for vacation during my freshman year and eating my mom’s home cooking again (the best part of coming home, even better than showering with no flip flops on!). We were eating salmon, rice pilaf, and probably string beans, and all the sudden I loved rice pilaf. It was pure nostalgia! Funny how I still remember that moment.

Crispy Pan-Seared Salmon with Rhubarb Sauce

Recently I got a craving for Near East again and decided I’d try to recreate it on my own rather than stocking up on the boxes. (They’re expensive!) Some rice, orzo (little rice-shaped pasta), and spices, and I was in business! My favorite part is the yellow color the turmeric lends the rice. I don’t know what I thought turned it yellow before… magic, I guess!

… 

Read More »

Filed Under: Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: copycat, rice, vegan, vegetarian

Roasted Cauliflower with Truffle Oil, Mint and Almonds

July 3, 2013 by Erica

Roasted Cauliflower with Truffle Oil, Mint and Almonds

We have a great tradition at work of going out to lunch on Fridays. Our office is a few miles from downtown Salt Lake, and without a lot of options nearby, lunches out aren’t really an option everyday. Plus, with all the food I cook, I could hardly justify that! But on Fridays, we’re in the habit of venturing downtown (or to other neighborhoods) for long lunches. It’s a great way to start off the weekend, and a great way to find new favorite restaurants.

This simple dish is inspired by an appetizer I had recently at Vinto, one of my favorite casual Salt Lake spots. We ordered it as an afterthought during one of our Friday lunches, mostly because I’m unable to pass up any dish with truffle oil. The flavor combination was just as interesting as it sounded, and being so simple, I knew I had to recreate it for you immediately.

… 

Read More »

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Filed Under: Appetizers, Vegetables Tagged With: cauliflower, vegan, vegetarian

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • Next Page »

Welcome

Hi, I'm Erica! I'm a lover of all types of food, although I’m mostly vegetarian these days. I like salad, but I LOVE chocolate. This blog is a place where I try to balance the two.
Read More…

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 

Subscribe via email

Get new posts delivered straight to your inbox!

Recipes by Category

Chocolate Cranberry-Walnut Clusters
Chai Latte Ice Cream // Coffee & Quinoa
Three-Ingredient Mint Meringues (Gluten-Free)
Raw Lemon Bar Bites
Butternut Squash Ricotta Cheesecake | coffeeandquinoa.com

Archives

my foodgawker gallery
my healthy aperture gallery
View my Tasty Kitchen Profile

Connect

Hi, I'm Erica! I'm a lover of all types of food, although I’m mostly vegetarian these days. I like salad, but I LOVE chocolate. This blog is a place where I try to balance the two.

My Ultimate Avocado Toast | coffeeandquinoa.com
Herbed Tomato Soup with Cornbread Croutons | coffeeandquinoa.com
Our Wedding - Part Two | coffeeandquinoa.com
Blueberry Kale Stem Smoothie | coffeeandquinoa.com
Shredded Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad | coffeeandquinoa.com
Our Wedding 9.20.14 | coffeeandquinoa.com
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 

Copyright © 2025 · Coffee & Quinoa · Site Design by Heather Mackan · Built on GenesisWP