If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will know that I love quinoa. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks- I love it! I also love pumpkin and I decided to combine the two in a yummy fall-inspired dish. I caramelized some onions, candied some pecans, and cooked up some quinoa. Ooh! I also threw in some fresh sage from my garden. My garden is still giving me sweet strawberries, tomatoes, and I see some squash growing, along with all sorts of amazing herbs. I made a quick apple cider vinaigrette to go with it for extra flavaaaaaaa.

Pumpkin Quinoa

• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup organic pumpkin puree
• fresh sage, finely chopped
• candied pecans
• caramelized onions
• apple cider vinaigrette, to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste

Candied Pecans

• 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

Heat a pan on medium heat and add the pecans, toast for about five minutes (until fragrant), tossing frequently. Add olive oil and salt, stir. Add maple syrup and stir continuously for about 30 seconds as it bubbles. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and let cool.

Caramelized Onions

• 1/2 sweet onion, sliced
• olive oil, to coat pan
• drizzle of red wine vinegar

Coat the bottom of a pan with olive oil, and heat to medium high heat. Add the onions and turn down the heat to low. Stir the onions every few minutes, as they begin to brown and eventually caramelize. This is a slow process….be patient!! At the end, add a tiny splash of red wine vinegar to deglaze the pan as you stir.

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• salt and pepper

Whisk all the ingredients together.

This dish is just completely delicious- I had to share it. It’s easy to make, and it’s healthy. I really think it is the best sauteed spinach I have had. Spinach has nearly 2 mg of iron per cup and only 15 calories. It’s full of fiber, vitamin A, and plenty of minerals, like calcium, potassium, and magnesium.

Sauteed Spinach and Tomatoes (adapted from Veganomicon)

• 1 bunch spinach (about 6 cups), washed well and roots discarded
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped finely
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp grated ginger (*I keep my fresh ginger in the freezer- it’s so easy to grate this way.)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onion in the oil for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and salt. Saute for 30 seconds or so. Add the tomatoes and saute until moisture begins to release- about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, add the lemon juice and serve.

If you can recall my last post, I made pita bread as part of a Middle Eastern meal…well, I still had a ton of light whole wheat dough leftover from that. I decided to make a pizza/flatbread, using whatever I could find in the fridge! I had recently seen a pizza that used caramelized onions as a base, and I thought that was great, flavourful idea. My onions were burnt extra caramelized! It still turned out fantastic, and like my mom said ‘it’s like a fiesta in your mouth!’ *hides head in shame* Just so corny! Regardless, the comment is true. Try it for yourself!

Light Whole Wheat Dough (adapted from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day)

• 3 cups lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 tbsp granulated yeast (2 packs)
• 1 1/2 tbsp Kosher salt
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Mix the yeast and salt with the water in a stand mixer bowl. Mix in the remaining ingredients, without kneading, using the dough hook on your mixer. Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature approximately 2 hours. Use the dough immediately after this, or, refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container for up to 14 days.

I made one batch of this dough, and got some pita bread, and 3 pizzas out of it. Each pizza will take one grapefruit sized piece of dough.

Fiesta Flatbread

• 1 grapefruit sized piece of light whole wheat dough
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/3 cup salsa
• chilli powder
• dried basil
• mozzarella cheese
• cheddar cheese

With a baking stone in your oven, preheat your oven to 500 degrees F. Dust your table surface, rolling pin, and the top of your dough with flour. Stretch your dough into a round ball. Roll out your dough to 1/4 inch thick. Grease a pizza peel, and place your dough on top.

Drizzle olive oil in frying pan and heat, toss in onions and balsamic vinegar and caramelize. Put the onions onto the dough, add the other ingredients on top. Top with a sprinkle of chilli powder, dried basil, mozzarella and cheddar cheese. *Keep in mind that I estimated the amounts that I used, and if you make your pizza larger, add more toppings! If you want this to be vegan, simply exclude the cheese and it will still taste delicious! I was making this with my cheese-eating family in mind.

Bake on the pizza peel on top of the baking stone for 10 minutes, until crust no longer feels doughy.