Cheese Baked Eggplant with Warm Red Quinoa (and a sunset)

Yesterday was an incredibly busy and hard day with one thing after another. After another. After another. And a disaster caught before it did too much damage. (Thankfully, but still a headache!) I hadn't thought at all about dinner and didn't want it to be another breakfast-for-supper night because that would mean I was eating more acidic than I wanted to for another meal in a row more than I wanted to.

I scanned the pantry and refrigerator and came up with this incredibly easy meal. It was so easy and quick I didn't even jot down ingredients, and don't have much in the way of measurements for you. I didn't even spend time setting up a photo. What I can tell you is that it was good. The whole family liked it. And I felt good about eating it. Easily make it vegan and dairy-free by switching out the mozzarella with vegan cheese.

And after I got it all prepped and cooking, I ran outside a few times to catch yet another gorgeous sunset in our sky. I'm so thankful to live in a place with beautiful sunsets! If you enjoyed yesterday's post sharing my daughter's sunset photos as well as my own, I don't think the volume of sunset photos in this post will disappoint you. Enjoy the beauty, and find some in your day today!

Projected time start to finish: About 1 hour

(Printable recipe)

Eggplant:

2 small to medium eggplant

Kosher salt

Extra virgin olive oil

Approximately 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella (use vegan for vegan or dairy-free)

Italian seasoning

Quinoa:

Scant 2 cups uncooked red quinoa, rinsed thoroughly

Water

Pinch of kosher salt

Extra virgin olive oil

Half a lemon

Garlic granules or powder

Wash eggplant and chop off ends. Slice lengthwise in 1/4-inch pieces. Place on two baking sheets and sprinkle salt over top of slices. Let sit about 15-20 minutes to draw out some of the moisture.

While eggplant is sitting, rinse red quinoa thoroughly a few times in cold water. In a medium to large saucepan, add quinoa and about 2 1/2 cups water. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until almost all the water is absorbed. Turn off heat.

While quinoa is cooking, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Rinse eggplant and firmly pat dry with paper towels or clean lint-free dish towels to remove excess moisture. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Brush each side of eggplant with olive oil and place on parchment paper. Bake (top rack for gas oven) for about 15-20 minutes.

While eggplant is baking, toss shredded cheese together with a few dashes of Italian seasoning. Don't overdo it - you want just enough to give a light taste but not overwhelm.

Remove eggplant from oven and turn each slice to the other side. Sprinkle seasoned cheese over each slice and return to oven for about 10-15 minutes.

While eggplant is cooking, return to quinoa and toss with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and the juice of half a lemon. Add a dash or two of garlic granules or powder to taste (start with a small amount). There should already be enough salt in it, but add more if you need to.

Serve eggplant together with quinoa.

Enjoy!

Here are some more of the sunset photos from last night, in order of the sunset progression. When I first saw the sun setting last night, I thought it was a beautiful sky but it didn't really indicate that it was going to be a spectacular sky later. Sometimes you can tell, sometimes you can't. I was in awe more and more each time I looked out the window and stepped outside. It was just the kind of beautiful ending I needed to such a crazy day. Thankful!

It was one of those sunsets that just filled the sky, even from the side there were beautiful aqua and pink colors.

Why I'm sharing this: http://mamameglutenfree.blogspot.com/2012/02/beauty-in-eye-of-beholder.html

Spiced Quinoa Millet Hot Cereal

I'm obsessed. This breakfast became an instant second to my favorite breakfast - baked oatmeal, and may even at some point be tied in first place. And it's SO. Simple. Period.

When I read the lovely Angharad's post on her warm spiced breakfast quinoa last month, it was on my mind until I made it for myself. (If you aren't familiar with her blog, Eating for England, you really should be.) I love quinoa and I love millet, but had never put the two of them together. And before this, I'd only eaten whole quinoa in savory dishes and salads.

But after reading Angharad's description of the cereal, I thought perhaps - maybe, just maybe - I might have a hot cereal I could not only manage to eat but also actually love. You see, I love baked oatmeal and oats that aren't slimy (aka bake the slime out). I love grits (grew up eating them with salt and a pool of butter) but only if they aren't sweet. I can't stand mushy, slimy or clumpy hot cereals. Or cold. I don't even eat my cold cereal with milk because it will get soggy and mushy.

I have no idea how or when I developed such a picky attitude toward breakfast cereals, and I've tried hard not to let my kids on to this lest they become my copycats, but I can't help it. It's who I am. I watch my family eat their hot cereals and wish I could join them in that comfort food.

And now I can.

Because this hot cereal is not slimy. It's not clumpy. It's not mushy. It has crunch. It has comfort. It's delicious. And it's alkaline. (If you omit the yogurt.)

As I stated in my juice post last month, I'm trying to eat more alkaline lately. I'm not giving up all acidic foods, but I'm trying to make sure I'm balancing them out with plenty of greens and alkaline foods.

This recipe is basically the same as Angharad's mentioned above, but I don't add add extra water or milk in mine because of my breakfast cereal issues. Add them if you want. It is so easy to make. I like to make it in the evening and then refrigerate it in an airtight container (after cool - if it's still hot I just stick the pot in the fridge til morning). Scoop some into a bowl, warm it up and spice (or not) and sweeten as desired directly in the bowl. You're done.

I like to flavor mine with a little ground ginger and cinnamon with some maple syrup (like she suggests in her recipe), then sometimes top it with a little vanilla yogurt. It's also fantastic with no spices and just maple syrup.

The flavor combinations in this cereal are limitless. For these photos, I added baked apple slices with a little vanilla yogurt and cinnamon sprinkles. Try it with bananas. Berries and cream. Go tropical with some pineapple and coconut, maybe some macadamia nuts. Try pecans. Almonds. Make it savory. Take this cereal to whatever flavor you want, just make it.

Healthy, alkaline, filling. High in protein, fiber, iron and more. You can't lose!

Projected cook time: 20-25 minutes; Projected prep time: Under 5 minutes
(Printable Recipe)

1 cup whole quinoa (it's easier if you get a brand like Bob's Red Mill that pre-rinses the bitter off)
1 cup millet
4 1/2 cups water
Pinch of kosher salt or sea salt
Spices, as desired (see above for suggestions)
Maple syrup or preferred sweetener, sweeten to taste (two spoonfuls is usually sufficient with the maple syrup)
Yogurt (optional)
Butter, if desired

Rinse grains off first if you don't have a brand that pre-rinsed the quinoa. Place quinoa, millet, water and salt in saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the water is absorbed (takes about 20-25 minutes).

Serve hot or let cool in pan and then place in an airtight container and refrigerate until use. Spice, sweeten and fruit it up as desired (see suggestions in paragraph above recipe).

Enjoy!

And I'll also share my photo of beauty I found here in this post. I loved the color of this dove against the white bark of the tree:

Why I'm sharing this: http://mamameglutenfree.blogspot.com/2012/02/beauty-in-eye-of-beholder.html

Blue Corn Quinoa Waffles

These waffles have an amazing flavor. It's one you aren't expecting, but it's good. Very unique, with a nutty flavor. Almost like peanut, but not quite. It's one of those flavors where you say, "That's different," but it's good so you keep eating it and you like it more. At least that's how it was with me. My family members had mixed opinions.

I served them with maple syrup (organic, Grade B). I loved them, my husband liked them. My oldest daughter thought they were great, my youngest didn't hate them but they weren't her favorite. I did, however, get her to gobble them up a second morning when I put nutella on top. So I guess what I'm saying is, if you like different tastes, you'll probably like these. It's worth a try.

The texture, though. The texture is really great. Perfect crumb.

I usually use Pamela's baking and pancake mix when I make waffles, and follow the recipe on the bag, with the addition of a few spoonfuls of milled flax seed. I made blue corn waffles several times before we were gluten-free, but hadn't tried them since. I wondered how they would taste with quinoa flour, and I'm glad I tried it.

I adapted this recipe from one found in The Blue Corn Cookbook by Celine-Marie Pascale.

Projected prep time: 5 minutes; projected cook time: 1 1/2 minutes per waffle, give or take some time
1 1/2 c. blue cornmeal (gluten-free)
1 1/2 c. quinoa flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. packed pure dark brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten lightly
1 1/4 c. milk (will probably need more later)
1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted

Melt butter.

In large bowl combine your blue cornmeal

with the rest of the dry ingredients and mix together well.

Combine eggs and milk

and then make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and pour liquids into it, mixing well.

Stir in melted butter.

The batter will thicken as it stands, so you may need to add a little more milk periodically to thin it a little.

Bake in a preheated waffle iron until done. I have a Cuisinart waffle iron and 1/3 cup of batter is just about the perfect amount per waffle. Other irons may need more or less.

Serve with your favorite toppings.

Enjoy!