Creative Quinoa Recipes from Eliza Cross

January 29, 2014May 16, 2017

Quinoa Pork "Fried Rice" — *Quinoa Pork “Fried Rice”* from Eliza Cross’ new cookbook, The Quinoa Quookbook.

I was honored when my friend Eliza Cross asked me to review the manuscript for her latest book, The Quinoa Quookbook: 100 Quintessential Recipes Featuring Quinoa – “The Superfood”, but I became even more excited once I opened the book.

Eliza has taken quinoa to new lengths with creative ways to incorporate quinoa into all sorts of foods from Banana Maple Quinoa Pancakes to Cheesy Quinoa, Ham and Artichoke Bites, Lentil Quinoa Soup, and Southern Fried Quinoa and Corn. She was recently featured in the Denver Post in a full page story featuring the ancient grain.

The recipe that called to me from the cookbook was Quinoa Pork “Fried Rice”. Of course, I had to deviate from the recipe just a little bit in terms of ingredients, though I followed the procedure to a T and it turned out deliciously!

What did I do differently? Instead of pork and bacon, as called for in the recipe, I used mycoprotein (made from mushrooms), and my vegetables were acorn squash, kale, and scallions. My family scarfed it down – yum!

Here is the recipe from her new cookbook if you’d like to try it.

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Quinoa Pork “Fried Rice” from The Quinoa Quookbook by Eliza Cross.

This updated take on traditional fried rice is my family’s #1 favorite way to enjoy quinoa. Serve it hot from the skillet and see if you agree.

4 strips bacon, diced
1/2 pound lean pork, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
2 stalks celery, cut in 1/2-inch diagonal slices
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 pound snow peas, trimmed and cut in 1-inch diagonal slices
3 cups cooked quinoa
1 tablespoon Tamari or low-sodium soy sauce
2 eggs, lightly beaten

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon for five minutes until it just begins to brown. Add the pork, celery and onion and continue cooking until the bacon is browned and the begetables are tender. Add the sno peas and cook for 1 minute. Add the quinoa and soy sauce and cook for three minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour the eggs over the mixture in a stream, stirring constantly, and cook just until the eggs are cooked. Remove from heat and serve at once. 6 servings.

Dairy-free and Gluten-free Cooking with Glorious One-Pot Meals

January 24, 2014

Reader question: My Dutch oven is brand new and I bought this cookbook to try cooking with it. I’m allergic to dairy and gluten. The book is on its way to me, but my Dutch oven is a 5-qt. size. Does that mean if I double the recipe I should double the cooking time? Thanks. ~ Sandy, Arizona

Hi Sandy. You’ll find in the book on page 12 a “Recipe Adjustment Chart”. This chart tells you how long you can expect to bake Glorious One-Pot Meals in various size pots. A 5-quart pot containing a doubled recipe (i.e., enough food for four adults) will take between 53 and 60 minutes to cook, probably closer to 55 minutes.

You’ll always know when your Glorious One-Pot Meal is ready if you follow your nose (see my previous post).

In terms of being allergic to dairy and gluten, no worries. Very few recipes in the cookbook actually contain dairy or gluten to begin with, and if you find you want to try one that does you can easily swap out the offending ingredients with others that are safe for you. For instance, you’ll find that Ed’s New England Fish Chowder calls for milk but you could easily use almond milk or any other milk substitute instead.

Several recipes in the cookbook call for pasta for which you could use a gluten-free pasta or another grain entirely instead. There are a list of grain options starting on page 8 and many, like quinoa, are gluten-free.

I’ve always loved how one newspaper reviewer put it (I’m paraphrasing): “Glorious One-Pot Meals are like assembling a puzzle where you choose your preferred option from each category (oil, protein, carb, veggies, flavors) and assemble them into the pot in the right order. Every single recipe can turn out exactly the way you want it.”

As I like to say in my presentations, every item in a Glorious One-Pot Meal is substitutable. Every carb can be substituted for any other carb; every protein can be substituted to any other protein; every vegetable can be swapped out for any other vegetable; and you can use any herbs, spices, or other flavorings that you like.

In fact, I don’t necessarily expect my readers to make every recipe just as written. In many ways, the recipes I offer are meant to spark inspiration for your own unique Glorious One-Pot Meals.

Glorious One-Pot Meals is indispensable in my food sensitivities practice because it offers the ultimate flexibility in cooking personalized meals. Glorious One-Pot Meals can be vegan, vegetarian, Paleo, low-carb, low-fat, allergen-free, dairy-free, gluten-free… pretty much anything you may want except for raw.

How Long Does It Take To Cook Quinoa in a Glorious One-Pot Meal?

January 23, 2014

Reader question: I came to the Book Signing at The Bookworm in Edwards. I would like to sign up for MRT testing, and also have a recipe question – I am cooking lots of veggies and quinoa in a 5.5 qt dutch oven for tonight. No meat. Do I really cook them for an hour? ~Lorie, Colorado

A Glorious One-Pot Meals book signing at The Bookworm in Edwards, CO on 1-20-2014.

Thanks for coming to the book signing, Lorie! I’m always happy to talk about MRT food sensitivity testing and will contact you directly to schedule a free initial phone consultation.

As for the question about how long to cook just veggies and quinoa using the Glorious One-Pot Meal method, the main thing to remember is that dry goods including dry quinoa will always take the full amount of time to cook regardless of if the rest of the meal includes meat or not.

If you are using a 5.5-quart Dutch oven but you are only cooking for 2 people, then use the amount of quinoa (3/4 cup) and liquid (1 cup) called for on page 9 in the common measurements section and plan on around 45 minutes of cooking time.

If you are using a 5.5-quart Dutch oven and cooking for 5-6 people and filling the pot to the brim with vegetables along with three times the amount of quinoa and liquid, then it will indeed take about an hour to cook.

Remember, too, that you will always know when your Glorious One-Pot Meal is ready because the aroma of a fully-cooked meal will escape your oven and waft through your house.

Happy cooking!

Vitamin D Can Help Prevent and Recover From Flu

January 14, 2014

Vitamin D is not a vitamin after all. Turns out it’s a “steroid precursor” with direct effects on our immune systems.

Personally, I prefer taking Vitamin D-3 in a liquid form as it is easy to control the dosage.

Maybe we should have taken our cue from the ability of the human body to produce “Vitamin D” from sunshine alone whereas we must take in other vitamins and minerals through food sources. Science is still figuring out so much about how the human body works that we are in a constant state of catch-up in our knowledge about nutrition.

A recent double-blind, randomized study in Tokyo, Japan, of over 300 schoolchildren aged six to 15 years found that those with higher levels of Vitamin D in their blood experienced a 50% or greater reduction in flu infections. Only one in ten children given Vitamin D during the study came down with flu, while one in five of the children given a placebo got the flu.

During the 2012-2013 flu season, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) credit the flu vaccine for reducing doctor’s visits for flu by one-half, or about 50%. This efficacy rate varies each year as vaccine makers have to guess which flu strains might be common months ahead of the actual flu season.

“Mitsuyoshi Urashima, the Japanese doctor who led the trial, told The Times that vitamin D was more effective than vaccines in preventing flu,” reports PreventDisease.com.

Since Vitamin D increases the body’s production of anti-microbial peptides (AMP), it makes sense to increase Vitamin D supplements during times of infection from cold and flu viruses. Research suggests that the correct dosage of Vitamin D3 is as much as 5,000 IUs (International Units)/day for adults, particularly those with impaired immune function, and perhaps even higher doses during times of health crises.

As with any supplements, be careful as over-supplementing can sometimes bring harmful effects.

Come See Elizabeth Yarnell in January 2014

January 10, 2014

Reader question: I found you on Amazon. Do you have any speaking or demonstrations events scheduled for 2014? None seem to be on the website calendar. ~ Susan A., Evergreen, CO

Hi Susan. So nice to meet you, and thank you for noticing that I had not yet updated my online calendar to reflect my January engagements.

It has now been done and you’ll see that I have a book-signing at the Bookworm bookstore in Edwards, Colorado (outside of Vail) on January 20th (Martin Luther King Day), as well as a lecture on eating healthily in our toxic world in Denver on January 26th. Both events are open to the public and I would love to see you there!

If any of my readers would like me to come speak at an event, please feel free to contact me directly or suggest my services to the event organizer. I love speaking to groups of all sizes and demographics as long as they are interested in how they can improve their health through better eating.

And really, who isn’t?

Creative Quinoa Recipes from Eliza Cross

Quinoa Pork “Fried Rice” from The Quinoa Quookbook by Eliza Cross.

Dairy-free and Gluten-free Cooking with Glorious One-Pot Meals

How Long Does It Take To Cook Quinoa in a Glorious One-Pot Meal?

Vitamin D Can Help Prevent and Recover From Flu

Come See Elizabeth Yarnell in January 2014

Check out my Book!

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