Keen on Quinoa

For lunch leftovers this week, I made the Quinoa and Sweet Potato Salad from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. This is one of my absolute favorite recipes, but I'd forgotten about it because I haven't thought to make it in quite a while. When I was making out my dinner schedule/shopping list Friday night, I was thumbing through Bittman's book and came across this recipe again. It's simple, but incredibly delicious! Cooked quinoa, diced sweet potatoes, red bell pepper in a basic balsamic vinaigrette. His recipe calls for you to boil the sweet potatoes - I roast the dices in the oven for better flavor and texture. I also doubled the red bell pepper because they were so deep red and sweet. Then I added some fresh asparagus, cut into inch-long pieces and roasted along with the sweet potatoes. I ate it warm for dinner last night, but it is best served cold the next day. I can't wait for lunch!

Along side, I sauteed shreds of plain old green cabbage in a little bit of canola oil, then added a bit of melted Earth Balance. One of my favorite side dishes. When I was a kid, my mom would boil cabbage and serve it with butter. She and I were the only ones in our house who liked it - more for us! I've tried boiling it myself like she used to do, but I find I prefer the flavor and texture when the cabbage is sauteed.

(NOTE - I recently edited this post because I accidentally said that I used melted butter on my cabbage. Uh, hello - not accurate and certainly not vegan! I used Earth Balance. My bad.)

Trying Something New

At the grocery store today, I picked up a couple parsnips. I've never had them before, but they seemed like a good winter root vegetable to try. Also, everything I've read or heard about them said they taste like carrots, but sweeter. Well, I love carrots, so how bad could they be?

Um...pretty bad. I oven-roasted them along with some sweet potato, but the parsnips weren't sweet. They were actually pretty bitter, although they did, indeed, taste a lot like carrots. Well, I give myself some credit for trying a new vegetable. And maybe if they were prepared in a different way I'd like them. For now, though, I won't be buying anymore any time soon.

I did get a pretty good recipe out of my experiment, though. Here it is, but with the parsnips omitted – the bites I had without the parsnips and with the sweet potatoes were wonderful! (You can see the parsnips in the picture, above. Along with this salad, I had a portobello mushroom cap marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and then baked in the oven at the same time as the parsnips and sweet potatoes. It kinda looks like a steak in the picture.)

Sweet Potato Bulgar Salad
1 lg. sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, separated
1 tsp. black pepper
1 cup quick-cooking bulgar (I used Bob's Red Mill brand)
2 cup water
1 1/2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Toss the cubed sweet potato with 2 tbsp. olive oil and the black pepper. Spread on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until soft.

While the sweet potato bakes, put the bulgar and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.

While the bulgar cooks, make a dressing by wisking together the remaining 1/4 c. olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and garlic powder.

When the sweet potatoes and bulgar are done and slightly cooled, toss them both together, along with the dressing. Serve warm. Enjoy!