Pineapple + Cashew Quinoa Curry Bowl

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Looking for something to spice up your week? This curry bowl is your answer! *hehe* A delicious bowlful of fresh veggies and healthy quinoa infused with mildly spicy curry topped with crunchy cashews and fresh pineapple. Mmm! This is seriously one of the yummiest dishes I have tried in a long time. And even though the ingredient list may seem lengthly, it is a really easy meal to throw together. The quinoa can be cooked days in advance and you can use canned pineapple if you don’t have time to slice up a fresh one (…the ARE a bit intimidating!)
Feel free to swap in your favourite veggies. And if you are not a fan of pineapple, you can easily add raisins instead. However, I must note, the pineapple and cashew combination really makes this dish. It can be served a protein-packed vegetarian main course or as a side dish. It can also be served at room temperature as a salad for summer picnics or BBQs.
Speaking of BBQs, Jesse and I had a BBQ with his sister Robyn and her boyfriend Louis on Monday. Robyn made a fantastic strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert. Yum!!! And I served up veggie kabobs and my favourite potato salad – Spring Potato Salad with Fresh Dill. I’ll be posting the recipe for the veggie kabobs later this week. They were delicious, especially when served topped with some homemade chimichurri sauce. Along with the veggie kabob recipe, I’ll be doing my first cookbook giveaway! So excited! :)
In my last post, I hinted about an announcement in regards to the blog. Nothing too major here folks :) I have just been thinking that I need to align my work on this blog with some personal goals. Therefore, starting next week, I’m planning on doing two special features per week!
The first feature is relating to my goal to eat more vegan meals on a weekly basis. You already all know about Meatless Mondays, right? Well, The Fig Tree will be hosting Vegan Tuesdays starting next week. I’ll be showcasing vegan recipes of both the savoury and sweet variety.
The second feature has to do with my love of travelling and trying new foods. Everything Thursday, I’ll be showcasing recipes with “global inspiration”. We are going to travel the world together and sample food from each + every country.
 I am really looking forward to focusing on these two new features and hope you’ll tune in :) I appreciate all of you who take the time to visit The Fig Tree on a regular basis. I’d like to know what you think! Please feel free to comment :)
Please contact me if you’d like to participate in either feature with a guest post.
 I’d love to have some contributors to mix things up a bit on the blog. If things go well with these two features, I’d like to add another one or two in the near future. In the end, it comes down to what you, my lovely readers want…and how motivated I am. *hah*
Hope you are all having a wonderful week! I know many places across Canada and the US are hitting extreme temperatures. What are you doing to stay cool?
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Pineapple + Cashew Quinoa Curry Bowl

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of uncooked quinoa; rinsed well
  • 1 and 1/2 cups of water
  • 1 tablespoon of canola oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 large zucchini, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of good quality curry powder
  • 1 heaping teaspoon of chile-garlic sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
  • 1 cup of diced paneer or 1 block pressed tofu; diced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup of fresh (or canned) diced pineapple
  • 1/2 cup of vegetable broth
  • 3/4 cup of unsalted roasted cashews
  • 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley or cilantro

Method

  1. In a medium saucepan, bring the water and rinsed quinoa to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook on low heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow quinoa to sit for 5 minutes covered. Remove lid and fluff with a fork.
  2. In a large saucepan, heat oil on medium-high heat. Sauté onions until they are soft and lightly browned. Add garlic and sauté for a minute or so. Add the peppers, zucchini and carrots. Sweat the vegetables for 5 minutes and then add the curry powder, coriander powder, and chile-garlic sauce. Add the vegetable broth to create a sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Add the quinoa, pineapple pieces, cashews and tofu or paneer. Mix well. Heat everything through for 5 minutes at a simmer. Allow mixture to sit for about 10 minutes before serving. This will allow the flavours to develop. Note: Add more vegetable broth if the curry begins to get too dry. You want a consistency like a risotto, not a soup.
  4. Garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro. Enjoy! :)
Source: loosely adapted from Chloe’s Kitchen by Chloe Coscarelli

Banana Bread Brownies

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Last October, Jesse and I went to New York City for a fantastic 10 day vacation/adventure. During our trip, I dragged him to way too many food stores, kitchen gadget shops, restaurants, cafes and so so so many bakeries. I don’t think he minded in the least, but he certainly likes to bug me about my obsession with food and cooking. One of the bakeries I dragged him to was Fat Witch Bakery in Chelsea Market. What a cool place! They serve every type of brownie you could possibly imagine. Row after row of delicious bars – lemon bars, coconut bars and the richest of rich chocolate brownies. Yum! 

For Christmas, I received the Fat Witch Brownies recipe book. This past weekend, we were stuck at home, as poor Jesse had his wisdom teeth out and was not really up to venturing around town. Seeing as I had a few bananas turning brown on the counter and a bit of time to myself, I decided to try making these banana bread brownies. They were delicious! A true blend of moist banana bread and rich chocolate brownies. Thankfully they were soft enough that Jesse was able to test one out too. I think he was tired of eating soup and ice cream all weekend. *hehe* The brownies were a welcome treat. 

Hope you all have a fantastic week! :) I’ll be back later this week with two new recipes, a give-away and an announcement regarding the blog. 

Ingredients
  • 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) of unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup of semisweet chocolate chips 
  • 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
  • 1 and 3/4 cups of very ripe bananas, mashed (about 3 to 4 bananas)
  • 1/2 cup of granulated white sugar
  • 3 large eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1 and 3/4 cups of unbleached white flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Note: these brownies can be made vegan by substituting vegan butter, vegan chocolate chips and 3 flax eggs (or the equivalent of 3 egg replacers).

Method

1. Grease a 9 X 9-inch baking pan with butter. Dust with flour and tap out the excess. Preheat oven to 350’F.

2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat once just melted and set aside to cool.

3. In another bowl, mix the vanilla and sugar into the mashed bananas with a fork. Add the beaten eggs and continue mixing until everything is well combined.

4. Measure the flour and salt and sift together directly into the banana batter. Mix until well combined. If desired, stir in the chopped walnuts.

5. Using a spatula, fold in two-thirds of the cooled chocolate mixture into the banana batter until it is just incorporated. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking pan. Drizzle the remainder of the chocolate mixture on the top. Move the spatula in and through the batter to create streaks of chocolate.

6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean and/or only with dry crumbs. Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 1 hour. Cut just before serving.

Yield: 12 to 16 large brownies

Source: Fat Witch Brownies by Patricia Helding with Bryna Levin

Vegan Tzatziki (with cashews)

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Tonight, I am heading out to a BBQ to celebrate my sister’s fiancé’s birthday. (Happy Birthday Jonny!) One of the guests that will also be attending has recently discovered she is lactose intolerant and has asked me to help her find new ways to eat favourite dairy-filled foods. I thought a vegan tzatziki would be a great place to start. It’s a delicious appetizer to bring to a BBQ when served with fresh cut veggies. It’s also so incredibly flavourful that even dairy lovers will enjoy it.
The tzatziki is made from rich cashews pureed with grated cucumber, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and oregano. All but the cashews are classic ingredients in a perfect tzatziki. The cashews replace the yogurt in this dip, but no creaminess is lost due to the richness of the cashews themselves. The lemon creates the familiar tang found in the yogurt. I noticed that the cashews add a bit of sweetness not found normally in tzatziki, but it was a welcomed change. The fresh dill and fresh mint really enhance the dip, so I highly recommend including both when making this appetizer. Please note, this dip won’t taste exactly like the yogurt based tzatziki that you may have already tried. But it’s equally delicious and extremely addictive!

Enjoy this dip with fresh veggies, pita chips or even with lentil crisps. It’s also fantastic as a sandwich spread.
Ingredients
  • 1 and 2/3 cup of peeled and grated seedless cucumber (loosely packed)
  • 1 cup of raw cashews (unsalted)
  • 2 cloves of garlic with skin removed
  • 1 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped mint (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped dill (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
  • pinch of ground pepper

Method

1. The night before making this dip, place the cashews in a container with a lid. Pour water over the cashews just until they are immersed. Cover the cashews and let them soak overnight in the fridge.

2. Squeeze handfuls of grated cucumber over a medium bowl to remove as much liquid as possible. Set aside the cucumber juice and place the squeezed cucumber in a bowl.

3. Remove cashews from fridge and drain. In a food processor (or blender), combine the soaked cashews, garlic cloves, olive oil, lemon juice, half of the grated cucumber, oregano, salt and pepper. Blend until creamy, scraping down the sides of the food processor as required. Add 1 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved cucumber liquid and blend again. Note: you want the consistency to resemble a creamy hummus.

4. Scrape mixture out of the food pressor bowl into a nice serving bowl. Stir in the remaining grated cucumber and chopped dill and mint if using. Cover and chill until ready to use.

To Garnish: drizzle with olive oil and garnish with some kalamata olives.

To Serve: serve with chopped fresh veggies, pita chips and/or lentil chips

Source: based on a recipe from Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero