Elizabeth Yarnell, Author, Innovator, Naturopath, Speaker
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Tag: Glorious One-Pot Meals

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

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.
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!

Do You Have to Cook the Pasta Separately in a Glorious One-Pot Meal?

Reader question: Quick and probably stupid question on the mac and cheese recipe on pp 176-177…is the macaroni cooked or raw for the recipe?  Don’t really want to waste the cheese trying it wrong. Thanks. ~Matt, Maryland

Hi Matt! This is a great question because I can emphasize that Glorious One-Pot Meals never require pasta or rice to be cooked separately. You always put it in the pot raw.

When I was researching one-pot meal cookbooks, before I published Glorious One-Pot Meals, I noticed that most recipes included something along the lines of:

  • Serve with pasta cooked according to package directions.

or

  • Serve with a side salad or loaf of bread.

To me, these recipes were no longer “one-pot meals” because now you needed a second pot to boil water in and cook the pasta, or a second bowl to hold a salad, etc.

I designed Glorious One-Pot Meals to be TRUELY one pot by providing  a complete and wholesome meal in a single pot.

Orange Roughy with Pomegranate Seeds and Macadamia Nuts Recipe

 Reader comment: I received the cookbook as a gift with my Dutch oven last Christmas. Best present ever!!

 First, I just LOVE your cookbook. My family loves the meals and they are quick and easy to put together. I’m currently on maternity leave and I’ve been cooking about 2-4 GOPM each week. I just visited the website for the first time last week and signed up for the newsletter. When I saw the recipe for pomegranate fish I knew I had to make it. I already had a container of arrils in the fridge! And my husband loves macadamia nuts. So I made it last night and we really enjoyed it. I’ve been cooking with pumpkin and squash So much that this was a glorious departure. We felt like we were eating an island meal 😉 Thanks for the recipes!!! Have a wonderful thanksgiving! ~Jenn, Lansdale PA

Orange Roughy with Pomegranate and Macadamia Nuts.

Jenn- Thank you so much writing! It always brings a glow to my heart when I read a note like yours.

Something I have to confess regarding my Glorious One-Pot Meals newsletter: although I had the best of intentions to issue a newsletter on a regular bi-weekly basis, I had to face the reality that I couldn’t blog regularly and also turn out a regular newsletter along with counseling clients on anti-inflammatory diets. It has since turned into something very sporadic and kind of… annual. As in, I send out a new newsletter about once a year these days.

However, just as you found the archives of newsletter recipes when you subscribed, so can others find them simply by subscribing. The archives contain Glorious One-Pot Meal “recipes in development” and offer lots of yummy un-published GOPM recipes for newsletter subscribers to enjoy.

Like this delicious recipe for Orange Roughy with Pomegranate Seeds and Macadamia Nuts. (Hint: Click on the title to get the recipe!)

Thank you so much for writing, Jenn!

Are Glorious One-Pot Meals Similar to Using a Pressure Cooker?

Reader question: I found you through the Indigo site while looking for ways to cook healthy food. just received book yesterday and it seems to fit the bill as far as what I was looking for, will get busy and try foods.  Is the method similar to using pressure cooker as it seems infusion would be similar? ~ Barbara M., Grand Bend Ont. CanadaGlorious One-Pot Meals cover

Hi Barbara- Thanks for writing! In some ways the Glorious One-Pot Meal infusion cooking method is similar to using a pressure cooker, and in other ways it is radically different.

Both cooking methods require closed cooking vessels to keep the steam in, and both use the proximity to the hot air/steam to cook the foods, but that’s where the similarities end.

Pressure cookers are made of stainless steel, need liquid to work, and are used on the stovetop with a locking lid to hold in the pressure of the steam inside the pot. The food cooks very quickly from the exposure to the steam, often in 20 minutes or less.

They have a reputation for bursting through improperly locked lids and spraying the area with scalding water and food. Newer ones are safer to use, but there is still this danger. Typically, only one dish at a time is cooked in a pressure cooker.

Chicken Satay Glorious One-Pot Meal
A Glorious One-Pot Meal: Chicken Satay. Click the photo for the recipe.

Glorious One-Pot Meals, on the other hand, cook in a cast iron Dutch oven that is placed inside a hot oven. Adding liquid is not required for Glorious One-Pot Meals, unless you are including a dry good like rice or pasta in the meal, and then only enough liquid to hydrate the grains is used. The foods cook from the proximity to the hot air inside the pot along with the vapors from the ingredients as they release some moisture.

The internal pressure could never build to a point where it could budge the cast iron lid off the pot. A 2-quart Dutch oven will need about 45 minutes to cook a wholesome meal for two people that includes a main dish and side dishes of carbs and veggies.

Is is Good to Use Canola Oil in A Glorious One-Pot Meal?

Reader question: Hi Elizabeth, I attended your 3rd breakout session at the NMO conference in LA last Wednesday 11/6. My name is Lora, I was sitting in the front row with my pregnant sister (she asked you about pesticides after the presentation…). Anyway, all of your books had been taken by the time I attended your session, so I bought one on Amazon. I was surprised that some of recipes called for Canola Oil. I might’ve misunderstood, but I thought you mentioned that Canola Oil was created by a chemical company (the name Canola even resembled the company’s name?). Can you please clarify for me? I was telling a friend at work that Canola Oil was bad, but then when your book was delivered to me over the weekend I saw it in your recipes. As a side note, I made my first ever all-organic shopping trip with my husband over the weekend and am committed to making-over our meals! Thanks for your insight. ~ Lora E., Phoenix, AZGlorious One-Pot Meals cookbook

Hi Lora. You’re right: there is a disconnect there. I wrote the cookbook in 2000 and I’ve learned a lot about healthy eating since then that has changed my mind about things like canola oil. During my cooking demonstrations I usually mention something to this effect, that I used to cook with canola oil but no longer believe it is good for human consumption.

The copy of the cookbook you are holding was published by Clarkson-Potter in January, 2009, which means I finished the actual writing of that version in late 2007. It is still in print (more than 50,000 copies sold) which means that until I’m otherwise notified by the publisher, I cannot make any changes to the current text.

Aaahhh… the frustrations of the printed page! It’s much easier to publish e-books because you can change text at will; once the plates are pulled for a print run of a book the text is set in stone.

So, the long and the short of it is that I used to cook with canola oil but I no longer think it is a good choice because it is a GMO grain. Here’s a blog post I wrote about my disillusionment with canola oil.

Let me know if you have any troubles as you prepare Glorious One-Pot Meals and remember that your oven needs to be fully preheated to 450 F before putting the pot inside. There are video cooking demonstrations here to help get you started.

Thanks for writing and happy cooking!

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