My husband Lulu picked buckets full of vegetables from the garden this weekend. Lulu gathered a huge bunch of Babette and Bolero Nantes carrots and Lolita zucchini, and I used them as garnish for a delightful quinoa side dish.
I wanted to give the dish a burst of flavor and I remembered that I had a bottle of ginger syrup that our friend Laura recently brought us from her last trip to Hawai. She told us how delicious this amber-colored elixir was. She met with the owner and was very impressed with how passionate the proprietor was about her product.
Ever since I started PhamFatale.com, friends and family bring me all sorts of unique, out-of-the-ordinary food products and I have to admit I love it! Thanks!
1. Info for Quinoa with Carrots and Zucchini
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 8
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Quinoa with Carrots and Zucchini
- 2 cups quinoa
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 quart vegetable stock, warm
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 pound carrots, cut into 2″ pieces
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1½ teaspoons ground coriander
- ¼ cup ginger syrup
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
- ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- ½ cup zesty marinated hand braided fresh mozzarella cheese, diced
3. Directions:
- For the zucchini: In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add the garlic, cook until slightly golden and add the zucchini. Toss frequently and cook for 5 minutes over high heat. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate.
- Cooking the carrots In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons oil. Add the carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Add the onions and cook over low heat for 8 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the onion from burning, until the color is evenly golden brown. Add ground coriander, 2 tablespoons ginger syrup and 1½ cups vegetable stock. Cook for 10 minutes until the liquid is almost evaporated (leaving about 2 tablespoons). Add the remaining ginger syrup. Season with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons parsley. Transfer to a plate.
- For the quinoa: In the same pan, add the quinoa and the remaining vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Salt the liquid half-way through the cooking process and keep stirring every now and then so that the quinoa does not stick to the bottom and sides of the pan. You want to make sure the heat is on low. Top the quinoa with the carrots, onions and zucchini. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.This might take longer than the cooking instructions on the package but this way, the quinoa will be nice and tender. Gently fluff the quinoa using long chopsticks (or a fork). Set aside.
- Assembly time: Check the doneness of the quinoa. Add more vegetable stock (if necessary; I didn’t). Add the remaining parsley, cover and let sit for about 5-10 minutes. Adjust seasoning.
- Garnish with the diced mozzarella.
- Bon appétit!