Tuscan Panzanella with Quinoa

 
That may seem like an ordinary blog title, but boy, it means so much more to me.  That title is a great descriptor of a fabulous birthday trip with my family.  I just celebrated a HUGE birthday (ahem....50), and we celebrated in an amazing place--Italy.  It has long been a dream of mine to go and after many years of sending children off on wonderful trips, it was finally our turn.

Being the foodies that we are, you can only imagine how excited we were to be going to a place so well known for eating, cooking, and fresh ingredients.  For those that know I follow a gluten-free diet due to having celiac disease, you may be thinking "poor thing, all that pizza and pasta and other Italian specialties she wasn't able to have!"  But no, Italians are much further along in their education gluten-free living than we in America are.  Everyone understood "senza glutine" (gluten-free in Italian) and I had tons of gluten-free pizzza, pasta, bruschetta, tiramisu, etc.  And it was all delicious!

One of the highlights of the trip was a cooking class in Florence that we greatly enjoyed.  We didn't know what to expect, and it was such a treat!  Chef Vary welcomed us into her wonderful kitchen and we made ricotta gnocchi with squash blossoms, guinea fowl with balsamic and homemade red pepper sauce, chickpea soup with pecorino cheese, limoncello tiramisu, and a very traditional Tuscan dish, panzanella, made with quinoa. It was a delightful evening. 

Panzanella is normally made with bread; it is somewhat like a "bread salad".  Since we needed to make it gluten-free, rather than simply substituting with gluten-free bread, Chef Vary decided to use quinoa instead.  This thrilled me since quinoa has quickly become a favorite dish of mine when cooking at home.
 
This panzanella was the first dish I replicated once we returned home and I got back in the kitchen.  I made it for a get together with some ladies from my church, and had several requests for the recipe, so I am happy to share!  Keep in mind that quinoa is a very versatile dish.  I have made this many different ways, and have never been disappointed.  You can add most anything you like!  Simply cook the quinoa first (according to package directions) and then add any combination of flavors.  Some of our favorites:  mixed blanched vegetables with this homemade mustard vinaigrette or black beans, tomatoes, onions, with a homemade vinaigrette and a little red cayenne pepper.  Experiment, and have fun!  I promise you won't be disappointed.  You can even use a bottled dressing if pressed for time, or just olive oil and spices.

 Chef Vary's Tuscan Panzanella with Quinoa
1 cup dry quinoa (about 3 cups cooked)
Water according to package directions (I use two cups)
Salt (to taste, but I use 2 teaspoons)

Cook quinoa according to directions on package.  The only difference for me is sometimes I use chicken or vegetable broth instead of water to add more flavor.  Also, be sure to add salt.  It is important to season in layers when cooking.  Allow to cool.


Two large tomatoes, finely diced
1/2 cucumber, peeled and finely diced
1/2 cup sweet Vidalia onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
FRESH basil, chopped (use a lot--probably 10 leaves or so)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Freshly grated ginger to taste

Mix all the above ingredients.  I drizzled olive oil, and probably wound up with 1/4-1/2 cup added.  I added very little grated ginger.  As Chef Vary says, it is the secret ingredient.  Just enough to give it a fresh taste and leave you wondering what that flavor was.

Please comment and let me know if you make this, or one of the other versions I mentioned above, or if you create something of your own! 

Chicken & Veggie Stir Fry

When cooking a boring weeknight meal, it is always nice if you can cook something that makes you happy. This is one of those meals for me. As always, it is incredibly simple, but something about all the beautiful colors makes me smile. And it doesn't hurt to know that the finished product is so delicious!
It always helps to start with a colorful cast of characters like this.
I happened to have some broccollini left in my refrigerator from late last week that I didn't use, and I added to that some red bell pepper, carrots, squash and onions. This is a good recipe to make when you have some leftover uncooked veggies in your refrigerator that you need to use. You can use anything that you like--some other good choices are broccoli, snow peas, zucchini and asparagus.

The first thing to do is chop all of your
vegetables. I usually try to get all of mine approximately the same size.
The amounts in the recipe are approximations. Have fun with this and add more or take away anything you want!

Go ahead and get a pot of rice going--white or brown, whatever you prefer. I usually make two cups of uncooked rice.



Next, I cut up one boneless chicken breast into bite sized pieces. If you prefer to have a vegetarian meal, of course you may leave this out. Or, you could substitute another kind of meat.

Now you have all of your prep work done and you are ready to fire up your wok!

Now don't worry--if you don't have a wok, you can do this in a saute pan. It just might get a little messy, so be careful. Heat up 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil on high until good and hot. Then put all your veggies into the oil.

Beautiful, huh? Stir all this then add 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce and cook until done, approximately 5 minutes. It's important to keep stirring during this cooking process because it is done over high heat. When done, I transfer them to a medium bowl. Next, I add one tablespoon vegetable oil and cook the chicken the same way.
You're probably wondering why I don't just cook it all together. I have found that I am able to control the amount of "doneness" more if I cook them separately. Sometimes the veggies get overcooked if I cook them with the chicken. Add one tablespoon soy sauce and a little freshly ground pepper on the chicken; cook until done (approximately five to seven minutes). Then I add the chicken to the bowl of veggies.

Next, I put the rice in the hot wok with one tablespoon oil and add three tablespoons of soy sauce. Stir it until thoroughly mixed and heated through (especially if the rice is cool). You can add one to two tablespoons butter at this point if you would like. A little butter always makes it taste better, right?

Now it's time to put it all together. Pour the vegetables and chicken back into the wok with the rice and stir it all together. Continue to stir for a minute or two until you are sure everything is very hot. Also, taste and add anything you think it needs--salt, pepper, additional soy sauce. Sometimes I add a little ground red pepper, maybe 1/4 teaspoon or so.



Now, who wouldn't be excited to eat this in the middle of a hectic week?


Delicious and healthy, and a little out of the ordinary from the way you might usually serve chicken and vegetables. Have fun with it, and smile!
Chicken & Veggie Stir Fry
1 medium yellow squash
2 medium carrots
1/2 package broccollini
1/2 red bell pepper
1 medium onion
1 boneless chicken breast
5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
6 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, divided
2 cups uncooked rice
3 1/2 cups water
salt
pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (or more if desired)

Chop all the vegetables and the chicken breast into bite sized pieces. Heat 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok over high heat. Add the chopped vegetables and 2 tablespoons soy sauce; stir and cook until tender, approximately 5 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a medium bowl and set aside. Add another tablespoon of oil and the chicken to the wok. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper to taste. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and stir until done, approximately five to eight minutes. Transfer the chicken to the bowl with the vegetables. Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok along with the rice and 3 tablespoons soy sauce. Stir well until heated through. Pour the chicken and vegetables into the wok on top of the rice and stir to combine. Add ground red pepper. Stir well.

Simple Sunday Supper

Sundays are lazy days at my house. After church and lunch, the goal is to get comfy on a chair or sofa and fall asleep while watching tv. After a good nap, we sometimes try to get something accomplished so the entire day doesn't feel wasted, but it is definitely a day of rest for us.

Therefore, when it is time to come up with something for supper, I usually look for quick and easy. I never have anything planned, it's just whatever is in the fridge or pantry. Often we will have breakfast for supper. But tonight I wanted something different. I had some leftover homemade marinara sauce (I'll tell you about that another day), but we weren't in the mood for pasta. So, I pulled some cans out of the pantry and put together black beans and rice. Delicious! So easy, yet healthy and filling.

Black Beans and Rice

1 medium onion, diced
3 gloves garlic, minced (fresh, please!)
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cans black beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can original Ro-Tel
salt and pepper to taste
4-6 servings of rice, cooked

Saute onions in olive oil 2-3 minutes on medium low heat; add garlic and saute 2 minutes more. Add the beans, tomatoes, Ro-Tel and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or so. Serve over hot rice.

Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!