The versatility of quinoa

I'm just starting to cook with quinoa, and so far I've done a stew and a Spanish-style side dish.  This recipe is for a salad - which looks delish!  I usually soak my quinoa in cold water for 20 minutes before cooking.

Quinoa Salad with Strawberries, Crispy Prosciutto, Toasted Pecans & Feta

Ingredients:

For the Dressing:

1/3 cup red onion, finely minced

3 Tbsp. grapeseed oil

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp. lemon zest

A pinch of salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Salad:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

1 Tbsp butter

4 oz. prosciutto, torn into small pieces

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 cup pecans, shelled (or you could do candied pecans!)

1/2 cup arugula

1 cup quartered strawberries

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Add all of the dressing ingredients to a small bowl, and whisk well to combine.  Set to the side.

Combine 1 cup quinoa with 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Add 1 tablespoon of butter and stir well.  Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking, add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the prosciutto and sauté for approximately 3 - 4 minutes, or until the prosciutto becomes slightly crispy.  Remove to a paper towel -lined plate.

Next, lightly spritz a baking sheet with cooking spray and spread the pecans on the baking sheet in a single layer.  Place on the middle rack in the preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes, or until the pecans become aromatic.  Keep a close eye on the pecans, as they will burn quickly.

Fluff the quinoa with a fork and pour into a large bowl.  Add the arugula while the quinoa is still warm and stir well, allowing the arugula to wilt slightly.  Next, add the prepared dressing, sautéed prosciutto, toasted pecans and strawberries.  Carefully fold in the feta cheese, and serve immediately.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of attending a cooking class with 11 of my girlfriends.  I always love learning new techniques and discovering new recipes, tastes, etc.  Here's the menu and my thoughts on each dish, along with a recipe.  I'd be glad to share others as well...

Salad
Seared Tuna Niçoise Salad with a Lemon Vinaigrette
Seared Market Tuna, Baby Greens, Green Beans, Fingerling Potatoes, Kalamata Olives,
Soft cooked Eggs and Roasted Tomatoes
**This was delicious!  I'm normally not a fan of green beans, but dredge them in this dressing and I'm in.  We used a very fresh tuna tenderloin (your local Asian grocer will have the freshest) and cooked it to  medium/medium-well

Small Plate
Pan Roasted Market Sole
Caper-Meyer Lemon Brown Butter, Roasted Brussels Sprouts
**I don't like brussels sprouts but I went into this with the expectation that I would try everything.  I still don't like brussels sprouts - I'd go so far as to say they are GROSS.  But the fish was delightful!

Main Course
Dungeness Crab and Ricotta Gnocchi Ricotta Gnocchi, Oregon Dungeness Crab, Meyer Lemon Brown Butter and Herbs
**YUM

Dessert
Chocolate Lava Cakes
Dark Chocolate Molten Cakes with Salted Caramel Ice Cream
**The chef over-baked the lava cakes, so they were less than fabulous - use Mona's recipe instead.
The ice cream on the other hand was AMAZING.  So much so that I made it at home the next day.  I had problems with my caramel seizing up, but I will try again for sure.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream Makes 1 ½ quarts Caramel Sauce
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, such as Maldon
1 cup heavy cream, hot Ice Cream Base 6 egg yolks
¼ brown cup sugar
¾ cup heavy cream
1 ¼ cups whole milk
1 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup sour cream

1. To make the caramel sauce heat a medium size sauté pan over low heat until it is warm, but not hot. Add the sugar and spread in out evenly over the surface of the pan. Increase the heat to medium high and wait for the sugar to start to melt on the edges. Stir the sugar with a heat proof spatula until most of the sugar has dissolved. Any leftover clumps will melt as the sugar cooks. Cook the sugar, swirling it in the pan as is cooks, until it has a deep amber color. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add the salt and the hot cream and whisk until smooth.

2. To make the ice cream base combine the egg yolks and brown sugar together in a large mixing bowl and whisk until they are pale and fluffy.

3. Place the cream and milk in a sauce pan. Add the vanilla and salt and bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat.

4. Slowly add the hot cream to the egg yolks while whisking. The goal is to temper the eggs without coagulating them. Return the custard to the sauce pan and continue to cook over medium heat until it reaches 180˚F, constantly stirring the custard with a heat resistant rubber spatula to avoid cooking the eggs.

5. Whisk in the sour cream and caramel sauce. Strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer and cool the mixture in a mixing bowl over an ice bath.

6. Once the ice cream base is cool make the churn according to the ice cream maker manufacturer’s directions.