Quinoa Black Bean Taco Filling

Beef tacos? Yes. Make these instead and it'll be our little secret.

Quinoa Black Bean Taco Filling

1 cup inca red quinoa (regular quinoa would work too)
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large carrot, shredded
1 cup water
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons salsa
1 cup garbanzo beans
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1- Rinse the quinoa on a strainer under running cold water for a couple of minutes.

2- In medium pot, heat oil and sautee onion and garlic for 5 minutes on medium-low heat. Add carrot and continue to sautee for another 5 minutes, or until the carrot is tender.

3- Add quinoa, water, broth, salsa, cumin, and paprika. Simmer covered for 20 minutes on med-low heat, until all the liquid is absorbed.

4- Toss in the beans, corn, oil, and cheese. Mix well.

Vegetarian "Chorizo" Hash

Convenient pantry and freezer ingredients make this a good weeknight meal, or a hearty entree for any meal of the day. Double the "chorizo" hash recipe, and enjoy the leftovers as taco fillings or scrambled egg add-ins. Quinoa has a natural pest repellent that can be bitter when cooked, so be sure to rinse it well in a colander under running water for a couple of minutes.

For the "chorizo":
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well and drained
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup medium salsa
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
1/2 cup choppped fresh cilantro

For the hash:
2 cups frozen hash-brown potato cubes, thawed
1 tablespoon canola oil
salt and pepper to taste

5 large Eggland's Best eggs
1 tablespoon water

1- In a medium pot, combine the quinoa, water and salt. Cover and bring to a simmer. Cook covered on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, or until quinoa has absorbed all the liquid. The resulting cooked grains should be loose, like couscous.

2- Add the remaining "chorizo" ingredients to the cooked quinoa. Toss well to combine and cook until heated through. Remove from heat.

3- With a potato masher or fork, roughly mash the "chorizo". Add the potatoes and toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4- In a large skillet, brush the canola oil and heat on medium heat. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and pour into the pan. Pour water over the eggs, cover, and cook for 1 minute, or until the eggs are cooked through.

5- In each plate, shape the hash into a 1-cup mound (a ramekin serves as a mold for a pretty presentation), and top each mound with 1 egg.

Makes five 1-cup servings.

Vegetable Mole Tacos

Long-time family friend and fellow hopeless foodie Jon "The Geek" Harmon recently caused a culinary stir here in Austin when he ate and blogged about the entire menu at a local favorite taco dive, Tacodeli. As a token for his efforts, the restaurant named a delicious taco after him and allowed him to design it. This past week was Jon The Geek Week at Tacodeli, and I got to eat the Jon the Geek special. It was so scrumptious, I wish I had ordered two! Dan, unfortunately, could not try it because Tacodeli's mole sauce has cashews in it (which he may be allergic to).

I had been wanting to make a mushroom mole dish for a while, and Jon's creation inspired me to make some mole tacos Dan could eat. These came out very yummy, and to add my joy, Daniela helped me make them. She jumped right in, declaring her love for sauteing vegetables. I never thought I would say this, but I have Nintendo's Cooking Mama to thank for this. :-)

The first time I made these, I used storebought mole sauce (La Coste~na brand) and really liked them. But, I have since then updated the recipe to use my homemade crockpot mole. As all things from scratch, that was even better.

Vegetable Mole Tacos
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 large onion, cut into thin strips
1 green bell peppers, cut into thin strips
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 small eggplant, cut into thin strips
1 lb assorted mushrooms (I used a mix of portabellas and cremini), thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup mole sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 avocado, sliced
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
8 warm tortillas (I prefer corn)

1- Heat oil in a large pan. Saute all vegetables until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper.

2- Add mole and water and mix well. Cook on medium until heated through.

3- Divide the mixture among the tortillas, and top with avocado and cheese.

Quinoa Chickpea Taco Filling

Try these if you are in the mood for chicken tacos.

Because of its granular consistency and the fact that it is a complete protein, quinoa makes a great stand-in for lean ground beef or turkey in tacos. The combination of corn and garbanzo beans adds more protein, just in case you didn't get enough with the quinoa. For more variety you could also use lentils, peas, corn, or beans instead of the chickpeas. This filling is also good in enchiladas, burritos, chimichangas, sloppy joes, etc.

I prefer my tacos on soft corn tortillas, with lettuce, tomatoes, and a little sour cream.

Quinoa Chickpea Taco Filling

1 cup quinoa
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large carrot, shredded
1 cup water
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons salsa
1 cup garbanzo beans
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1- Rinse the quinoa on a strainer under running cold water for a couple of minutes. This is very important. Quinoa grains are covered with some kind of natural insect repellent, and that coating can be bitter if not removed before cooking. I rinsed mine on a fine strainer with the water sprayer on my sink and the resulting dish was not bitter at all.

2- In medium pot, heat oil and sautee onion and garlic for 5 minutes on medium-low heat. Add carrot and continue to sautee for another 5 minutes, or until the carrot is tender.

3- Add quinoa, water, broth, salsa, cumin, and paprika. Simmer covered for 20 minutes on med-low heat, until all the liquid is absorbed.

4- Toss in the garbanzos, corn, oil, and cheese. Mix well.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 59 g (about 1/4 cup)
Calories 146
Calories from Fat 35
Total Fat 3.9g 6%
Saturated Fat 1.2g 6%
Cholesterol 6mg 2%
Sodium 92mg 4%
Total Carbohydrates 22.0g 7%
Dietary Fiber 4.3g 17%
Sugars 2.9g
Protein 6.5g
Vitamin A 1% • Vitamin C 3%
Calcium 6% • Iron 10%
Nutrition Grade A
* Based on a 2000 calorie diet