Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts

November 6, 2013 by 11 Comments

As my next dish as I count down to Thanksgiving, I made this meal this past weekend to celebrate fall flavors. And it only takes one pot and one pan! While you are making the quinoa, you can essentially finish off the rest of the stuff and just mix together- or do everything but the apple and fresh sage which you can add while re-heating the rest. You can also serve it cold too! It’s a great vegetarian (and gluten-free) option instead of stuffing, but also is a great side dish for any entree. I filled a 2 1/2 quart dish with this, so can serve a nice group!

This dish is inspired by the Webicurean’s Harvest Rice with Apples and Pecans, but I changed out the rice for quinoa and swapped pecans for walnuts (basically because F ate all the pecans so all I had were walnuts)! I also really upped the amount of apple, and added sage.  If you’d like, you can throw in some extra brightness with cranberries, or pomegranate seeds, etc. I mention walnuts or pecans, but hazelnuts would work, or you could roast some chestnuts to add a more earthy base, and/or add celery with the onions for crunch.

Recipe for a Thanksgiving that is vegetarian and gluten-free: sub stuffing with Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts Recipe for a Thanksgiving that is vegetarian and gluten-free: sub stuffing with Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts

This is the second of a series of posts of recipes I am going to cover on dishes to consider for Thanksgiving! They will all be vegetarian, so you might consider it for a side dish or if you have a vegetarian at your table like I do, be a way to provide something more hearty than the usual sides of rolls, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Check out my Recipes Index page for other dishes that I have covered in the past.

Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts

Recipe for a Thanksgiving that is vegetarian and gluten-free: sub stuffing with Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts

Ingredients::

  • 2 1/2 cups broth – for my purposes I used vegetarian broth
  • 2 cups quinoa – or you can choose to use wild rice if you’d like
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts or whatever nut you’d like
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion (approximately 1/2 an onion)
  • 3 cups chopped granny smith or any kind of apple- sweet, or tart, or mix up both?! (approximately 2 apples)
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped sage (optional)

Directions:

  1. In a large pot, bring broth to a boil. Add quinoa and salt and simmer for 40-45 minutes, or until done per whatever package might instruct (I like TruRoots quinoa because it is organic, gluten-free, and . The one I used is from Costco and is a sprouted wild rice, brown rice and red rice and quinoa blend. Besides being good for you and tasty, their Enray Foundation works to educate and invest with quinoa growers in Bolivia. I am going to ignore the debate that because quinoa is in demand that the global economy is pricing South Americans out of eating it themselves because it’s such a good living – quinoa is hard to grow and perfect for their environment. At least the foundation helps make sure that this new boom in agriculture does not come at the price of their ecosystem. The idea of driving down the price of quinoa by us eating less to drive down demand so they can eat it but then they have less financial and economic growth sounds idiotic to me. Ok, off the soapbox.)
    TruRoots sprouted wild rice, brown rice and red rice and quinoa blend
  2. Anyway, while the quinoa is in progress, in a pan, melt the butter, then sauté the nuts in the butter until the nuts are golden brown. Remove your warm, golden brown nuts from the pan and set aside. Don’t turn your back on them because you don’t want burnt nuts!
    Recipe for Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts, toasting walnuts
  3. In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and sauté the chopped onion until the onions are translucent. Remove and set aside.
    Recipe for Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts, Caramelizing some onion
  4. In the same pan, add the last tablespoon of the olive oil and sauté the cut apple. Sprinkle with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
    Apples and Nutmeg for the Harvest Quinoa with apples and nuts Apples and Nutmeg for the Harvest Quinoa with apples and nuts
  5. When the quinoa is done, stir in the apple/onion mixture as well as the nuts and the tablespoon of fresh chopped sage.
    Recipe- Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts Recipe- Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts

Recipe for a Thanksgiving that is vegetarian and gluten-free: sub stuffing with Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts Recipe for a Thanksgiving that is vegetarian and gluten-free: sub stuffing with Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts Recipe for a Thanksgiving that is vegetarian and gluten-free: sub stuffing with Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts Recipe for a Thanksgiving that is vegetarian and gluten-free: sub stuffing with Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts

Summary of the Vegetarian Thanksgiving Sides Series 2013:

Thanks for reading!

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Bamboo Sushi Happy Hour

November 4, 2013 by 4 Comments

Food porn from a happy hour at Bamboo Sushi. My intention that day was to go to Salt & Straw for their monthly special ice cream, and by combining forces with my friend, try all the flavors of the month. The friend I was meeting was a little late (say, leaving at the time she said she would meet me there :P) And it was a day where it was raining super hard too, which is unusual for Portland even with its reputation for Pacific NW rain because it usually is “misting” not full on rain that soaks you in a minute. Usually I might walk up and down window shopping, but with the rain, I wanted shelter. I already sort of anticipated and was even slightly hoping for both of these reasons, because I know Bamboo Sushi is right next door to the Salt & Straw on NW 23rd, and it was happy hour time. Now I had 3 reasons to go in to add to the knowledge of Bamboo’s reputation!

Bamboo Sushi Cocktail of the day and complimentary edamam

3? Right. Besides, rain, and happy hour, there’s Bamboo being a business with a conscience. You probably have already heard all the accolades about how Bamboo Sushi not only offers delicious food, but also focuses on sustainability, and has been for about 5 years now. The founder of the two locations of Bamboo Sushi (one in NW 23rd that I went to, the other at SE 28th) Kristofor Lofgren has a background in environmental science, and besides operating the two restaurants, also works to partner with others and promote environmental responsibility in policy.

They know where all their seafood comes from, how it came to them including how their vendors operate, and all their seafood menu items are chosen according to the Seafood Watch list from the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Blue Ocean Institute then certified by The Marine Stewardship Council. This miniature video film at 4 minutes, the Story of Sushi, made splashy news last year in marketing the importance of making smart choices as a seafood diner, especially of sushi.


The Story of Sushi from Bamboo Sushi on Vimeo.

So how could you not be a fan? Especially, if you can make happy hour, which included for my friend and I

  • Daily Hand Roll and cocktail of the day… what you don’t see is that I already consumed the complimentary edamame bowl. Shh don’t tell my friend.
  • From their signature cocktail menu, the drink Purple Haze. with fresh blackberry puree shaken with vodka and lemon-lime juice, served on the rocks
  • Imo koroshi—“potato killer” roasted yam press box, garlic-soy-butter, sesame chili powder, $4 instead of $6 at happy hour. Tastes as wonderful as it looks.
  • From House Signature Roll section: Green Machine Roll (vegetarian) of tempura fried asparagus and green onions topped with avocado and cilantro sweet chili aioli. Amazing.
  • $6 instead of $10 at Bamboo Sushi Happy Hour: “karashi” hanger, a marinated and grilled St Helens hanger steak with asian mustard mushrooms and puffed rice
  • Also on the happy hour menu, char grilled shishito peppers tossed with miso butter and bacon and topped with bonito flakes, $4 instead of $6 at happy hour
  • Okonomiyaki, a traditional Japanese savory pancake with shrimp and mushrooms, topped with fried oysters, drizzled with aioli and eel sauce, $5 instead of $8 at happy hour

Bamboo Sushi in Portland happy hour, Daily Hand Roll and cocktail of the day From the Bamboo Sushi signature cocktail menu, the drink Purple Haze. with fresh blackberry puree shaken with vodka and lemon-lime juice, served on the rocks Bamboo Sushi in Portland happy hour, Imo koroshi— 'potato killer' a roasted yam press box, garlic-soy-bu From Bamboo Sushi's House Signature Roll section: Green Machine Roll (vegetarian) of tempura fried asparagus and green onions topped with avocado and cilantro sweet chili aioli. Amazing. $6 instead of $10 at Bamboo Sushi Happy Hour: “karashi” hanger, a marinated and grilled St Helens hanger steak with asian mustard mushrooms and puffed rice Also on the Bamboo Sushi happy hour menu, char grilled shishito peppers tossed with miso butter and bacon and topped with bonito flakes, $4 instead of $6 at happy hour Okonomiyaki, a traditional Japanese savory pancake with shrimp and mushrooms, topped with fried oysters, drizzled with aioli and eel sauce, $5 instead of $8 at Bamboo Sushi's happy hour

I also had from the signature cocktail menu a sample sip of the Sparkling Blossom (prosecco, shiso schochu, elderblossom nectar, rhubarb & lemon bitters, lemon juice, with a toschi cherry in a flute, as delicate and beautiful as it sounds), a sip of the super refreshing Shiso Serious (muddled cucumber, shisho infused shochu, lemon-lime juice and soda, garnished with a cucumber), and Sempai Mojito (muddled red grapes, mint and sage, with rum, lemongrass rum and sage simple syrup- very dangerous as it comes in a pint glass and took me over the line in my happy hour libations, oops! The hazards of a happy hour review!).

So we definitely… or maybe me as I pre-ordered everything but the rolls before she arrived to get happy hour prices… over-ordered. But at the same time, I was pleased to see the variety of items on the happy hour menu and could have easily ordered more. I didn’t even get any sashimi because I was so tempted by all these other options!

For happy hour there were 17 options there for food, of which more than half were vegetarian or could be vegetarian by omitting bonito flakes, one choice can even be made gluten free! The rest of the menu includes more of the same so that anyone with any diet can dine at Bamboo Sushi happily. It does get busy and has a hip, trendy vibe, so prepare your arrival/eating time accordingly. It’s obviously not going to be priced like a conveyor belt sushi place- but I think their cause is worth it. If you have the opportunity, come support this great local business with a conscience and enjoy incredible food for happy hour and dinner!

Do you like sushi and/or sashimi? During your visit would you go the raw route with sushi and sashimi and hand rolls, or go with the alternate options like I did during this happy hour? How much does a business with a conscience factor into how you select it as a destination?

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NFCA GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial

November 1, 2013 by 4 Comments

Disclosure: This meal was complimentary, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

I was very fortunate a few days ago to be invited to attend a five-course gluten-free chef’s table dinner with Chef Jehangir Mehta and Portland’s Chef Vitaly Paley of Paley’s Place, Imperial, and Portland Penny Diner. Both have been on Food Network: Chef Mehta may be recognizable from being runner up on Next Iron Chef and competing on Iron Chef America (Battle Coconut), and Chef Paley also has done battle on Iron Chef America (Battle Radish. BTW if you come here, make yourself order the Radish Walks Into A Bar cocktail with radish gastrique, it is stunning and super delicious).

Chef Jehangir Mehta Portland’s Chef Vitaly Paley of Paley's Place, Imperial, and Portland Penny Diner

The event was part of the GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Chef’s Table Tour (#gfchefstable), sponsored by the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA). After kicking off in New York City last week, the second stop on the 10-city national educational tour was our very own Portland for a few days! Earlier that day Chef Mehta hosted a meal with Chef Naomi Pomeroy at Beast, and marathon-ed on to join with Paley at  Imperial, and then the next day he worked with Portland State University to speak to students and work with dining staff.

Chef Jehangir Mehta, NFCA chef ambassador: “We hope to educate chefs across the country about the need for gluten-free menu items and open up a new culinary world for those who must avoid gluten.”

The goal of the gfchefstable is to educate restaurants and schools on how to provide safe gluten-free dining experiences. The tour also include Chefs Mehta partnering with local chefs to demonstrate gluten-free restaurant dining experiences.  Of course the initiative also raises awareness for celiac disease, which affect an estimated three million Americans or 1% of the general population – and that’s not counting other gluten-related disorders even if you do not have celiac disease (an estimated 18 million or 6% of the population). 30 percent of Americans are avoiding or eliminating gluten from their diet because of gluten sensitivity.

National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, NFCA

About Gluten-Free

Gluten can be found in wheat, rye, barley, and triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye) and oats (because of how they are processed). Avoiding gluten can be more difficult than just avoiding foods with flour- baked goods, anything with dough like bread, pasta, pizza, and beer being the most obvious. For instance gluten can also show up in processed food, varying from sauces (soy sauce, ketchup, salad dressing for example) and seasonings to candy! So asking about specific ingredients and handling is important for a gluten-free diet, which can be hard because those working in the service industry may not know all details if not all everything is made from scratch themselves, and/or there might be mistakes in cross-contamination (like using the same cutting board as gluten products).

I am not a gluten-free diner, but I am certainly aware of limiting my intake- I don’t usually have much gluten (I don’t eat many baked goods- things like bread, pasta, and pizza I might have every few weeks. My carb vice is rice.). Because of how often it is in food though, I would be kidding myself if I didn’t admit I am probably having some every day. Most noticeably for me, though I have not had it officially tested, the affect I see is from drinking beer, which I do a couple times a week. I have noticed in the past few years how it has nothing to do with the alcohol but it gives me consistent digestive issues and I get quickly fatigued if I have more than 1.5 pints (yet, give me a half bottle of wine and I’m fine!), so I might have a sort of gluten sensitivity. I’m very fortunate that it seems I can have some gluten and not notice much, with one possible exception.

But there’s no official definition for gluten sensitivity, or diagnosis – there is a blood test for celiac disease though it still remains undiagnosed for many people!

I certainly sympathize with the cause, and support the NFCA campaign. Going to a gluten-free diet is very difficult- there isn’t much labeling on processed foods or in restaurant menus, and cross-contamination is a common mistake. For someone with celiac disease, the consequences can be disastrous- even a small amount can affect them for more than a month, and not be out of their system for half a year. It’s serious stuff- some people need to avoid gluten as seriously as those with nut or dairy allergies since it can lead to infertility, reduced bone density aka getting osteoporosis and broken bones, neurological disorders, and some cancers. Yet there is not a lot of awareness because the effects build, rather than the immediate reaction you visibly see to allergies, even though the person can feel quite sick from the gluten.

One new learning I walked away with is that the NFCA has Gluten-Free Resource Education and Awareness training available via GREAT Kitchens, and has recently added online training modules for food service professionals. If they complete all the courses they get a special sticker to place in the restaurant so you know they have gone through training on gluten-free food preparation and cross-contamination avoidance. It also puts them as a listed resource here if you are gluten-free and traveling/looking for a safe gluten-free eating place. Sadly, you can see that this is a program that is not being taken advantage of, which is how you encounter common problems such as contamination where a gluten free bread is created, but then cut with the same knife as other breads! So thank goodness for this Table Tour! During the Gluten-Free dinner at Imperial, Chef Paley, whose wife is gluten-free, pledged that he and his staff are going to take this training!

Gluten Free Resource Education and Awareness Training via GREAT Kitchens Program of NFCA

Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial Recap

But now let’s look at the food right? What a fabulous meal this Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial was, and it’s all gluten free, all these courses, all! And I love that Imperial has lighting so you can enjoy the colors and presentation of the food! I was at a table full of other PDX bloggers, and it was fun as we all pulled out and snapped photos with every single dish!

First, we kicked off with a cocktail called the Rickshaw. It included a special Paley’s sorghum whiskey with bonal quinquina, cocchi americano rose, and hibiscus rose bitters. The sorghum whiskey was a very special bottle for Vitaly Paley that was distilled from Bob’s Red Mill sorghum and prepared at the gluten free brewery facility Harvester Brewery (I love their chestnut gluten free beer) and then fermented, distilled and bottled by Clear Creek Distilling. Essentially, this sorghum whiskey is an American version of Baijiu, which is a Chinese alcohol. Go teamwork! Unfortunately, this is his last bottle because it was a one time thing… unless we create demand for them to make more!

NFCA GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial. We started with a cocktail called the Rickshaw. It included a special Paley's sorghum whiskey with bonal quinquina, cocchi americano rose, and hibiscus rose bitters NFCA GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial. Inspired by Vitaly Paley and distilled from Bob's Red Mill sorghum and prepared at the gluten free brewery facility Harvester Brewery (I love their chestnut gluten free beer) and then fermented, distilled and bottled by Clear Creek Distilling. Go teamwork!

Then, we shared several appetizers

  • Spiced Popped Sorghum- fun little bites like popcorn, but more flavorful and healthier!
  • Shrimp and Chickpea Pancake
  • Curried Squash and Goat Cheese Fritters with a green goddess sauce. This was my favorite of the three- so often at a restaurant the batter for fried foods is not going to be gluten-free, but this was so delicious! I may have had 3.

"NFCA NFCA GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial. Shrimp and Chickpea Pancake NFCA GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial. Shrimp and Chickpea Pancake  NFCA GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial. Shrimp and Chickpea Pancake NFCA GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial. Curried Squash and Goat Cheese Fritters with a green goddess sauce NFCA GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial. Curried Squash and Goat Cheese Fritters with a green goddess sauce

For the First Course, we enjoyed a refreshing delicate Oregon Albacore Tuna Sashimi with orange yogurt and tapioca scales and chips. The tapioca was cooked down with chili and cumin, and the two presentations of soft “eggs” and crispy scales gave us great textures of the soft melt in your mouth sashimi contrasting the crunch. This was paired with a crisp white wine, which I took a photo of the bottle but apparently the cameraphone was still “processing” even after the snap so all I have is a motion blur! I am trying to find out what it was. And what poor design is that to have the camera not have taken the photo but giving all other feedback like it has except for a processing text and a progress bar… GRR. The wine was delicious.

Helioterra Mourvedre 2011 from Columbia Valley Washington NFCA GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial. For the First Course, we enjoyed a refreshing delicate Oregon Albacore Tuna Sashimi with orange yogurt and tapioca scales and chips.

Next, the Entree Course was a Slow Roasted Breast of Veal with beef fat roasted sweet potatoes, bordelaise, smoked marrow butter, and grilled frisee, paired with a Helioterra Mourvedre 2011 from Columbia Valley Washington.

Helioterra Mourvedre 2011 from Columbia Valley Washington NFCA GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial. Entree Course was a Slow Roasted Breast of Veal with beef fat roasted sweet potatoes, bordelaise, smoked marrow butter, and grilled frisee, paired with a Helioterra Mourvedre 2011 from Columbia Valley Washington  NFCA GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial. Entree Course was a Slow Roasted Breast of Veal with beef fat roasted sweet potatoes, bordelaise, smoked marrow butter, and grilled frisee, paired with a Helioterra Mourvedre 2011 from Columbia Valley Washington NFCA GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial. Entree Course was a Slow Roasted Breast of Veal with beef fat roasted sweet potatoes, bordelaise, smoked marrow butter, and grilled frisee, paired with a Helioterra Mourvedre 2011 from Columbia Valley Washington NFCA GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial. Entree Course was a Slow Roasted Breast of Veal with beef fat roasted sweet potatoes, bordelaise, smoked marrow butter, and grilled frisee, paired with a Helioterra Mourvedre 2011 from Columbia Valley Washington

The Dessert Course was spectacular. It included this Milk Chocolate Icebox Cake with roasted banana, walnuts and toasted meringue, as well as macaroons plus little mini date and almond cakes. That Icebox cake was marvelous, and undeniable proof that you can have delicious and gluten-free food, even in commonly conceived courses like dessert which have traditionally been an area generalized that gluten-free versions are like rocks.

NFCA GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial. Milk Chocolate Icebox Cake with roasted banana, walnuts and toasted meringue NFCA GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial. Milk Chocolate Icebox Cake with roasted banana, walnuts and toasted meringue NFCA GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial, macaroons plus little mini date and almond cakes NFCA GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial, macaroons NFCA GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial, little mini date and almond cakes

The Fall tour continues with them in Seattle until Nov 1 (today), then off Nov 11-12 in San Francisco, and Nov 13-14 in LA, and more dates to come for the other cities!

To find out more:

  • National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) for a celiac symptoms checklist as well as  helpful tools, guides and lists to help you live gluten-free or learn to be more aware of your gluten intake. The NFCA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that drives diagnoses of celiac disease and other gluten-related disorders and improves quality of life for those on a lifelong gluten-free diet.  NFCA owns and operates GREAT Kitchens, a web-based gluten-free training program for foodservice professionals.
  • Jehangier Mehta and his restaurants in New York, Graffiti Food Wine Bar and Mehtaphor
  • Vitaly Paley and his restaurants Paley’s Place, Imperial, and Portland Penny Diner
  • Follow NFCA’s Gluten-Free Chef’s Table Tour and join the gluten-free conversation on Twitter through @CeliacAwareness and @jehangir_mehta or by tweeting #GFChefsTable or #GREATKitchens.

I should also plug in that this weekend, on November 2, if you want to find out more there is a  Healthy Living and Gluten Free Expo at the Salem Conference Center in downtown Salem that includes 9 expert speakers and over 50 vendors. You may also want to join the local Facebook group, Gluten Intolerance Group. There is also coming up on Nov 11-17 an online free Gluten Summit.

Chef Mehta and me at the NFCA GREAT Kitchens Gluten-Free Dinner at Imperial!
Disclosure: This meal was complimentary, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

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