Book of Yum

The other day I was thumbing through one of my favorite cooking magazines and came across a recipe for a cold quinoa summer salad, with tomatoes and italian herbs. It sounded lovely, but somehow I just wasn’t in the mood for an Italian quinoa salad. Instead, I was in the mood for something distinctly more… Japanese. It may have been because earlier that day I’d gone with my Father to a Japanese restaurant and watched him eat a tasty bento while I sipped on a Jamba Juice (all fruit, no dairy, no soy, bless them). But whatever the reason, I wanted sesame in the saltiest, most umami way. Thank goodness Baby Yum seems to be doing well with the inclusion of sesame in my diet. I’d excluded it for many long months because sesame is a rising allergen, recognized as one of the top eleven allergens in Canada and other countries where it is a common ingredient. I thought about cold Japanese noodle dishes, popular in the summer, with their sesame infused soy and vinegar sauces. It was a day earmarked for quinoa, and so I thought perhaps I could make a sesame quinoa salad that broke from the Italian mold and ran straight for the island of Japan, fusion style. This lovely and light salad was the result. I think it could give any noodle salad a run for its money, with a good amount more protein and whole grain goodness. I added avocado in a nod to my favorite vegan fusion roll- the avocado roll. Ah, how I love you with rice, avocado. But it turns out, I also love you with quinoa.

For more creative “Japanese” takes on quinoa, try my Quinoa Sushi Roll Recipe

Still looking for the perfect, gluten and soy-free quinoa recipe? Try these.
Quinoa Tahini Mint Salad Recipe
Japanese Inspired Quinoa Recipe
Crockpot Quinoa Recipe
Black Bean and Quinoa Chili Recipe
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Red Quinoa with Butternut Squash Recipe
Lime Quinoa Salad with Mint Recipe
Quinoa with Summer Vegetables Recipe
Quinoa Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Recipe
Quinoa Salad with Yellow Tomatoes Recipe
Quinoa Black Bean and Butternut Squash Recipe
Lemon Quinoa Salad Recipe
Big Bowl of Quinoa Recipe
Italian Quinoa Salad Recipe
San Antonio Quinoa Recipe
Quinoa Parsley and Pepper Salad Recipe

*I use Coconut Secret for my soy-free gluten-free un-soy sauce.

Quinoa Avocado Sesame Chirashi Salad Recipe Main Course  Alternative Grains  Japanese

Ingredients Serving of Cooked Quinoa 1/2 fresh avocado, cubed Black sesame seeds Dressing: 1/2 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp. agave or simple syrup 2 tsp. coconut amino un-soy sauce (or, if soy is ok, a wheat free tamari like San-J Low sodium) 2 tbsp. vinegar (you can use rice, red or white wine) 3 tbsp. canola oil Directions Put your cooked quinoa in a bowl and top with avocado to taste. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Drizzle dressing over quinoa. Enjoy!

Rating:  8 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1509 Added:  July 25, 2010 Last Modified:  July 27, 2010

I can’t lie to you. Dealing with a gluten-free and top 8 allergen free diet plus some can be really tough. Gluten-free doesn’t even make me blink, but you start talking soy-free, egg-free, and even rice-free (my latest effort for Baby Yum), and some key dishes start getting to be a real challenge. Take sushi. There is nothing I love more than an avocado sushi roll, dipped in gluten-free soy sauce. But now both the sushi rice and the soy sauce are (temporarily) off the menu, what is a Japanese-food-loving girl to do? Get serious about thinking outside the box! I’ve been playing with the idea of a quinoa based sushi “rice” for a while now, but the soy sauce had me stumped. Usually I would sprinkle the sushi with sesame seeds and salt for a good soy sauce substitute for my soy-free friends… but right now I’m avoiding sesame seeds! Luckily I was in my local Cupertino Whole Foods the other day and found a miracle staring me right in the face- a bottle of gluten-free and soy-free soy sauce! This miracle potion is called Coconut Secret Raw Amino Acids and is compatible with a gluten-free as well as a raw foods diet. The price tag, unfortunately, is steep. In fact, I think I bought it in a delirious haze of joy and didn’t notice the price until later, at which point I gulped and felt (some) buyers remorse. But this stuff is so awesome and works perfectly in Japanese and Chinese recipes as a straight substitute for soy sauce that I didn’t feel bad for long. And it was the perfect partner to my quinoa sushi rolls! The week I made this, my father was visiting, and it passed the glutenoid test with flying colors. It’s not quite vegetarian sushi without rice, but this quinoa sushi satisfied my sushi craving nicely, and is a fun and new way to use a very healthful “grain.” I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

*If you don’t have nori you can make a chirashi “zushi” by sprinkling the filling over a nice bowl of the seasoned quinoa. Quick and easy, especially for leftover quinoa!

Gluten free Rice Free Quinoa Vegetarian Sushi Recipe Main Course  Alternative Grains  Japanese

Ingredients 2 cups quinoa 4 cups water sushi vinegar: 1/4 cup of neutral vinegar (i used a filtered apple vinegar) 1 tablespoon of sugar 1 teaspoon of sea salt 2 green onions, quartered horizontally 2 carrots, peeled,sliced into long pieces and blanched 1/2 avocado, sliced Unseasoned nori sheets *A large recipe- you will have enough leftover quinoa for several servings of quinoa “chirashi” with vegetables sprinkled on top, unless you are cooking for a large group very hungry for “sushi” rolls. Directions Toast quinoa in a skillet on medium low, stirring to prevent burning. When quinoa is nicely toasted, move to a fine wire strainer and rinse. Pour into pan with water and bring to boil. Cover and lower heat and leave for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pan on low and let the sugar and salt dissolve into the liquid. Put your quinoa in a large, glass bowl and drizzle your sushi vinegar mixture over the quinoa. Fold it in for even distribution. Once quinoa has cooled, you can begin to make your sushi. To prepare your sushi, get your nori sheet and place on a bamboo rolling mat. Cover the entire sheet with quinoa “sushi-rice” except for a horizontal strip at the bottom. Choose a line about 1 or two inches above the bare strip of nori and create a strip on top of the quinoa of filling ingredients. Make sure a small strip or two of green onions,blanched, thin carrot and a slice of avocado will be in every bite. Gently roll your nori together to form a cylinder and moisten the bare nori strip with water. Seal together and let rest while you make your desired number of sushi rolls. When ready to serve, gently slice cylinders into bite size rolls. You may want to cut a wider roll at the ends where the quinoa mixture is the loosest. Serve on a plate. If allergies don’t prohibit it, you can sprinkle the rolls with sesame seeds, but it is not necessary. Enjoy with your favorite wheat-free soy sauce or one of the new soy-free sauces on the market like Coconut Secret’s Raw Coconut Aminos. (Yummy!)

Rating:  8 Original Source:  The contents of my brain. Do not replicate without my permission. Thanks! Recipe ID:  1480 Added:  January 15, 2010 Last Modified:  February 6, 2010