Breakfast Quinoa with fruit

 Presoaking quinoa seems like it's a good idea for digestive reasons, but I dislike having too much fuss in an everyday recipe. I was looking through Thrive Magazine Vol. 37 and saw two things that sparked the following jam. I also like that the fruit gets cooked, easier on the gut when things are no fun in there, and since I should eat the skins, they get cooked a bit too. I tried cooking the grains in 100% coconut milk and while it was good and very porridge-like, I found it to be too much oil. Perhaps half almond, half coconut would be a nice choice sometimes?

Put 1/4 cup white quinoa into a fine strainer, rinse the quinoa for a few moments, then set the strainer into the small cooking pot and let the grains soak while you...

Cut up a small apple/peach/pear, whatever. Drop into a small non-stick frying pan with a nice little pat of butter. After a moment sprinkle a bit of cinnamon/cardamom/clove/nutmeg and a slight drizzle of maple/molasses/honey. Let that stew just a few moments, then set aside to...

Drain the grains, add 1/2 cup almond milk, add a small pinch of salt and put onto the heat. Turn it up real high, stirring and watching it get up to a simmer-ish thing. Pop on the lid, drop the heat to a really low setting, set a timer for 8 minutes and when it goes off, stir the grains to get all the stuff that climbed the sides back into the mix. 

I tend to just eat from the pot because less dishes, but I have been working harder to try to do my esthetic sense a favor and put the grains into a pretty bowl and drop the fruit on top like a civilized person.

Recipe update-Every Day Oatmeal

I found a couple of keepers and a couple of losers.  Chicken en papilotte was a loser, at least the way I made it.  However, I have two new super-fast, easy recipes that I want to recommend, and my every day oatmeal recipe to share.  First is the Spicy Cioppino, which I made with frozen haddock and no scallops--so I added the frozen chunks of fish to the pan right after starting the onions and just kept adding the rest of the ingredients.  Gnocchi with Zucchini and Parsley Brown Butter was also really good--cut everything up first, because the rest goes so fast!  I also added a splash of balsamic vinegar and probably doubled the parsley, after halving everything first down to one serving, of course, as my son won't touch any vegetables.

Every Day Oatmeal
I call it that because I eat it every day.  Well, except weekends, I suppose.  I can even eat it on days when my stomach is somehow angry with me.  This is for one serving.  I make it up before I leave for work, then after I get settled there, it has been soaking for about 45 minutes.  I prefer my oatmeal to be a little chewy, so if you're someone who likes the creamy wall-paper-paste-like consistency of instant oatmeal, this is not for you!  I make this with a multi-grain mix from Trader Joe's.  I also use plain Activia because I don't want this too sweet.  You could use juice instead of water, and flavored yogurt instead of plain, but this is what works for me, and doesn't leave me with a brown-out an hour later.

1/3 cup multi grain mix (old fashioned oats)
2-3 T dried cranberries
7 dried cherries
just barely enough tap water to soak these
1/4-1/2 granny smith, diced
3-4 T plain Activia

I layer this into a small lidded cup (the yogurt on top helps keep the apple from browning) and stir it just before I eat it.  Chewy and a little sweet and oh-so-good for me!

Firecrackers - Spicy Pickled Carrots

I like the hot giardiniera served on sandwiches, but the pepper skins don't agree with my stomach, so I wanted to make my own.  My favorite part are the carrots, so I started with Alton Brown's recipe.  I first dropped some of those incredibly hot little Thai peppers in there, but they didn't release their heat through the skins very much, so I added 8-10 that had been slit - WOW!  The next batch will get the same peppers, slit, but not nearly as many, or else I will get more of a less-hot variety - it just depends on what's available and look fresh at the produce market.
Firecrackers from here
1 c water
1 c sugar
1-1/2 c cider vinegar
1 t onion powder
1/2 t mustard seeds
1-1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 lb mini carrots
peppers to taste

Bring the ingredients (except the carrots and peppers) to boil in a saucepan and simmer 4 minutes.  Put the carrots and peppers in a large jar, pour brine over.  Store in the fridge.

Cantaloupe Jam

Well, turns out that the Cantaloupe Jam was a HUGE hit with those folks who love cantaloupe.  I also discovered that the Can Jam ingredient of the month of July includes melons.
 
While I am not a participant of said Can Jam, I have been inspired by the whole canvolution.  I now have far more jams than I could eat in several years, so I'm expecting to give some to folks at work, and perhaps even raffle a few off to support my favorite charity.  The problem is, that the more I make and the more I read, the more other things I want to try.  For example, someone recommended a book that focused primarily on jamming with liquid pectin, something I had been sort-of avoiding, and now want to try.  Then I got to thinking about the fact that "traditional" jam is really liquid candy in a jar, so I've starting wondering about trying the no-sugar-needed pectin, so I can cut the sugar content down to something I can be happy about (perhaps nothing?) depending on the main ingredient.  And we're entering the pickles and then apples seasons, so maybe the jam tinkering will have to wait a year???  We'll see what the next ad brings at the fruit market.

Cantaloupe Jam from here
Cantaloupe
3/4 lb sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t cardamon
1/2 t apple pie spice
     all ingredients are per pound of chopped cantaloupe
Measure all in large pot, with a touch of water.  Cook slowly until the cantaoupe is soft and the desired consistency is reached.

Strawberry Jalapeno Jam

This is a nice strawberry jam, with not too much jalapeno heat.  I would actually like a little more heat, as the peppers I used were quite large and very mild.  I'm also considering peeling the peppers next time to make them less chewy and also easier on my digestive system.

Strawberry Jalapeno Jam adapted from here
1/3 c minced jalapenos
1-1/2 c chopped strawberries
3 c sugar
3/4 c cider vinegar
3 oz liquid pectin

Place all but pectin in a large pot.  Bring to a boil, stirring, and boil one full minute.  Cool 5 minutes, then stir in pectin.  Ladle into approximately 3 half-pint jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

Fig Jam

I've never used figs before, but I was very impressed with the jam from these.  They were black figs, about 2 pints, and made the best pink delicate jam!

Fig Jam from here
1-1/2 lb (2 pints) ripe, black figs, roughly chopped
1/4 c lemon juice
1/2 t lemon rind
1/4 c H2O
1/2 box Sure-Jell (powdered pectin)
3-1/2 c sugar

Stir everything except the sugar together and heat to a hard boil, stirring.  Add the sugar, stirring, to a rolling boil.  Boil hard one minute while stirring.  Cool 5 minutes, skimming as necessary.  Fill approximately 6 half-pint jars with jam leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

Blueberry Curd

I'm not sure why I tried this recipe, as I'm not that much of a blueberry fan, but WOW!  Every night, on a toasted english muffin.  My scale isn't happy, but I just concentrate on the anti-oxidant boost instead.  I keep finding good berries at low prices, so I keep making more and stashing them in the freezer in one-cup containers.  I cook the whole lemon in there because I like that flavor including the bitter undertones from the pith.  If you don't want that, you can just do the juice and the zest, and skip the cheesecloth part (although I would probably put in an extra half lemon just 'cause I'm like that!)

Blueberry Curd from here
1-1/2 pint blueberries, washed
2 lemons, chopped (zest, pith, seeds and all), tied in cheesecloth
1-3/4 c sugar
6T unsalted butter, cubed
3 eggs, beaten

Cook the berries a few minutes until they get soft, then add in the lemons in cheesecloth.  Cook them for another 10-15 minutes (the longer you cook, the stronger the lemon flavor).  Cool the mixture (perhaps overnight in the fridge?) and then squeeze the juice and pulp out of the cheesecloth- the longer and harder you squeeze, the stronger the lemon flavor.  This goes into the top of a double-boiler, with the sugar.  Heat them together until the sugar is dissolved.  Add the butter and stir until it is melted.  Add the beaten eggs while stirring, and cook for about 20 minutes, until thick and completely cooked through.  Let it cool slightly and strain through a sieve.  This curd will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks, or in the freezer for 6 months (and is not suitable for boiling water canning).