Mexican Quinoa Salad

Happy voting day, NY-ers! I was all ready to cast my ballot when I dropped Ada off for preschool . . . only to realize the polls don't open till noon. Oops. In the meantime, I'm working on a few freelance pieces and thought I'd pop on to share this really simple dinner recipe we've been eating quite frequently.

File this beauty under hectic weeknight meals. Seriously.

ONE POT MEXICAN QUINOA SALAD

Here's the original recipe, but we've modified it to suit our pantry contents.

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1-1/2 cup water + 2 teaspoons Better than Bouillon (Veggie)*
• 1 can black or pinto beans, drained + rinsed
• 1 cup salsa of choice
• 1-1/2 cups frozen corn/onion/bell pepper mix**
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Black pepper -- to taste

* Or 1-1/2 cups veggie broth
** Or just frozen corn -- but consider adding some bell pepper

Method . . .

1. Put all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil and then drop heat to a simmer for 20 - 25 minutes.
2. Let sit another 5 minutes and then fluff before serving.
3. You can also chop up avocado and mix it in, add a squirt of lime juice, serve over a bed of arugula, and top with shredded cheese + sour cream.

I feel like this mix tastes even better the next day. We sometimes make a double batch and eat it all week for lunches. I've filled tortillas with it, too. And -- uh -- I even topped our Friday night pizza with some leftovers last week. Yum. You can also feel free to add jalapeno pepper or more spice. My heartburn these days doesn't permit me to do that. Sigh.

Enjoy!

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Kabocha + Cider Mac and Cheese

Our family loved this meal so much, I’m making it for dinner yet again tonight. This was my first time cooking with kabocha squash. I picked up one several weeks ago and it had just been taunting me on the kitchen shelf. The flavor pairs wonderfully with the sweet apple cider.

Yes. That’s apple cider in mac and cheese. I got the idea because we were nearly out of almond milk. And you know what? It was really delicious. Something new and admittedly a little crazy. Like my purple hair, I suppose. As I note below, you can also skip this somewhat strange addition and use all milk or a standard mac and cheese experience, veggie-fied.

Never tried kabocha squash? The best I can describe is that the taste and texture remind me of sweet potato.

KABOCHA + CIDER MAC AND CHEESE

What you’ll need . . .

• 1 package noodles*
• 2 tablespoons Earth Balance
• 1/2 cup kabocha squash puree**
• 2/3 cup almond milk, milk, or other substitute
• 1/3 cup apple cider***
• 1 to 2 tablespoons flour
• 8 ounces shredded cheese (I used a mix of cheddar and monteray jack)
• Pinch salt, pepper, and paprika
• Bread crumbs

* I used these quinoa elbows from Ancient Harvest.
** You’ll need to roast your kabocha squash, scoop out the flesh, and then puree it with a bit of water. Or sub canned pumpkin or other squash puree to your liking.
*** Not adventurous? It’s OK. You can use all milk. The apple cider tastes really fun, though!

Method . . .

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 inch baking dish and set aside.
• Cook your noodles to the package’s directions for al dente. You want them done but not mushy.
• While they are draining, melt your Earth Balance (or butter, etc.) in your cooking pot. Then whisk in some flour and cook for a minute or so. Whisk in your milk and apple cider until uniform. Then add the puree.
• Once that’s all smooth, start to whisk in the cheese. Keep stirring over low to medium heat until fully blended. Season with the salt, pepper, and paprika to taste.
• Fold in the noodles with a spatula. Then pour into your baking pan and top with bread crumbs.
• Bake for 30 minutes -- uncovered -- until golden brown.
• Serve with sriracha!

Enjoy!

// RELATED RECIPES

Curried Mac + Cheese with Delicata Squash
Spinach Mac + Cheese
Pumpkin Mac + Cheese

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Lentil + Quinoa Burgers // Baby Kale Pesto

I decided over the weekend that we had enough food in the fridge to skip grocery shopping this week.  I like to skip from time to time to save money and use up foods we might otherwise let go to waste. Surely I could come up with some tasty meals for us -- but (MISTAKE!) I didn't do much planning. As a result, we've had some horrible, unsatisfying dinners this week.

Like one night we were going to do breakfast for dinner. We both like our eggs over-easy and only 1 of the 4 eggs didn't break into a hot mess on the stove. And then one night I was grumpy and hadn't eaten well all day, so I made myself a pitiful grilled cheese with a bruised apple on the side. Another night, we got takeout and the takeout place forgot half our order.

Here's how I made up for it last night:

CURRIED LENTIL + QUINOA BURGERS
makes 10-12 generously sized burgers

What You'll Need . . . 

• 1 cup red lentils (uncooked) + 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup red quinoa (uncooked) + 3/4 cup water
• 1 can white beans (or any, really), drained + rinsed + mashed
• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 2 large white mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup dry roasted almonds, pulsed into coarse flour
• 1/2 cup golden flax meal
• salt + pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon curry powder

Method . . .

1. Cook your red lentils (or any lentils) in the water until softened. Like 30-45 minutes or so. Do the same with the quinoa, but it only takes around 15 minutes. For both, simply put in the water and boil until water is absorbed. Then combine the two and set aside.
2. Smash your beans with a fork and set aside with your pot of lentils + quinoa.
3. Then in a large pot over medium-high heat, sauté your onion, pepper, and mushrooms with some olive oil. Long enough to soften and lightly brown them. The smaller you chop the veggies the better.
4. Let everything cool a bit until it's warm, but not too hot to handle. Then combine everything together by hand until well mixed.
5. Divide into 10-12 patties -- I used a 1/2 cup measure to scoop the to-be "burgers" into my palm and then shaped/flattened them.
6. Place on a plate or cookie sheet and put in your fridge for around an hour to set.
7. Then in a pan over medium-high heat, cook on each side in a little olive oil until golden brown and warmed the whole way through.
8. You may also follow the directions in my Freezer Veggie Burgers post to freeze some of this batch for later consumption.

// FIXINGS

• I topped each burger with a slice of cheese and let melt for a few minutes by covering the pan I fried in the burgers in with a lid.
• Sriracha. Enough said.
• I made my own buns (6 of them in all) in just 40 minutes by adapting this easy bun recipe -- instead of an egg, I used 1 tablespoon golden flax meal + 3 tablespoons hot water. Instead of regular flour, I used mostly whole wheat with a little white mixed in.
• I also topped with some homemade pesto, using a variation of our simple Spinach Pesto recipe, as I'll detail below.

// BABY KALE PESTO

Combine the following ingredients in your food processor until smooth.

• 2 (heaping) cups fresh baby kale
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• salt + pepper, to taste
• Water -- to achieve desired consistency

I plan to freeze some burgers for a future night when we're stuck wondering what to make. I love that this burger doesn't have flour in it to make up the bulk -- you get enough flour with the bun, right? And it's easily adaptable to whatever's on hand.

Like I said, we didn't shop this week, so I dug deep into our cupboard to mix these guys up. I'm sure they'd taste great with black beans, and any color quinoa or lentils under the rainbow. The taste and theme could be considerably changed by exchanging, say, curry for chipotle seasoning, etc.

Quite a redemption dinner!

// MORE SANDWICHES + BURGERS:

• Black Bean-Tempeh Burgers*
• Vegan Churchkey New Luther MEGA Sandwich*
• Black Bean-Spinach Burgers*
• Caprese Sandwich
• Moosewood Asparagus Melt
• The Ultimate Vegetarian Sandwich
• The Ultimate Stuffed Veggie Burger
• Open-Face Portabella Sandwich
• Vegan Sloppy Joes*
• Green Hummus Sandwich
• Apple-Cheese Bagel Sandwich
• Chickpea Burgers*
• Vegetarian Juicy Lucy
• Veggie Behemoth: The Lover Sandwich
• High Maintenance Melt
• Mayo-Less Egg Salad
• Black Bean Burgers*
• Fire-Grilled Camp Sandwich
• Gourmet Grilled Pizza
• Hummus Melts
• Seitan Dogs, Part I: The Dogs*
• Seitan Dogs, Part II: Toppings

* means VEGAN

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8 Vegetarian Proteins Perfect for Breakfast

As a long-time vegetarian, I must admit I struggle with adding enough protein to my diet. Over the last several months, I've been making strides toward getting my act together. When I eat more protein, I undeniably feel fuller for longer and have a distinct sense of mental clarity that usually gets lost in all my shameless carb-consumption.

Good or bad or, perhaps, lazy,  what I make for breakfast sets the tone for how my day of eating might go. So, I've been focusing on protein-rich foods -- or, rather, I had planned to. But how much should we really start the day with? Apparently I wasn't getting nearly enough!

Exerts seem to agree that runners need "1.0 to 1.6 grams per kilogram a day (or .45 to .72 grams per pound)" each day. So, for me, a 130 pound woman, this means roughly 75 grams daily if I want to hit that goal dead center. Divided by three meals (and maybe a snack or two), I should be shooting for around 20-25 grams at breakfast.

That sounds like a lot.

Solid protein sources that go well with breakfast recipes:

// 1. An EGG contains roughly 6 grams of protein, so if you eat two of them for breakfast, you're already getting in a good chunk of your daily goal!

// 2. 6 ounces of nonfat GREEK YOGURT is just 100 calories, but boasts 18 grams of protein in a neat little container. I avoid flavored varieties, though, which contain an alarming amount of sugar and cost more than a big tub of plain!

// 3. A serving of packaged TOFU comes in at 8 grams of protein, though I often eat a double serving -- 16 grams, yahoo!

// 4. 2 tablespoons of NUT BUTTER contains as much as 8 grams of protein. But be sure to choose varieties with low sugar, no hydrogenated oils or consider making your own.

// 5. A cup of low-fat COTTAGE CHEESE packs an impressive 28 grams of protein, and it's quickly becoming my new favorite snack.

// 6. A half cup of BLACK BEANS will give you 8 grams of protein. Kidney beans, 9 grams. Garbanzos, 7 grams. White beans, 8 grams.

// 7. A cup of SOY MILK provides 8 grams of protein. Skim milk also comes in at 8 grams.

// 8. Each cup of QUINOA has 8 grams of protein. A great substitution for rolled oats, which have an impressive 5 grams per 1/2 dry cup, on more savory days.

+     +     +      +      +     +     +

Having a handy guide for which foods to choose is only half the battle. Stay tuned! In my next post on this topic, I'll be offering up 15 recipe-lite breakfasts incorporating these foods (and others) to total my protein requirement.

Do you care much about protein for breakfast? What foods do you like?

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New Leaf: First Morning

In the spirit of my New Leaf plan, I thought I'd do less formal blog posting this week. Sort of an up-to-the minute report of what I'm eating or doing, etc. We'll see if that works out with my schedule, but it's what I'd like to do. I think it might help me stay on track.

For example, all I have to say right now is that Monday is going well. I woke up and drank a large mug of White Tea.

I am super sore from yesterday's half marathon (recap soon -- Stephen came in 3rd overall!), which included over 800 feet of climbing. I've often read that white tea is anti-inflammatory. Hoping it helps me both inside and out.

Then I got in a late breakfast. Starting with eggs.


Two of them from our lovely farm (you may remember that we visited and even met these chickens not terribly long ago). Over easy and slathered in hot sauce.

Served with quinoa and broccoli.


GOAL #1: Find time to make breakfast each day. OK. I already DO that, but I want to make it earlier so it isn't after 10 AM. Between getting my work done and taking care of Ada, I usually don't eat until at least 10 AM when she goes down for a nap. If I make it the night before or do something simple like frying eggs, it should be easier.

This point has been a major downfall with my eating. Like if I had to name one thing that was my biggest problem, breakfast would be it. I'm still learning the at-home mom with a part-time job balance. I'd grab some bread or even a cookie, and it would start my day off on a bad note. Already I've noticed my head feels clearer having put emphasis on protein so early in the day.

And I'd like to elaborate more on why this plan isn't a detox. You'll see that I am eating very detox-y foods. However, I don't want to cut out all bread, sugar, dairy, etc. I am hoping instead to incorporate more plant-based meals to refocus my attention on veggies, protein, and a wider variety of carbs. You know. Stuff besides delicious, crusty breads.

It's trial and error.

I find when I go all or nothing with anything in my life -- especially diet -- I set myself up for failure, both mentally/emotionally and physically. I am considering racing running another half marathon in two weeks, so I need to eat a good mix of proteins, carbs, fats, fruits, and veggies. But hopefully less carbs and fats than I have been, since I've been relying on them almost entirely.

What healthy decisions have you made already this morning?

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Quinoa Salad with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

Did I ever tell you what we ended up doing with our garden? We had some grand plans, but life certainly got in the way. Most years at this time, we'd have far too much squash.Tons of tomatoes. And strange, unknown items readying for a fall harvest.

This year?

A weedy wasteland. There's some mint. Note to you all: Never plant mint. We took some from our neighbors a few years ago (they were desperately chopping it OUT of their gardens), and it's been plaguing us ever since.

Just a few feet away from our barren dirt patch, our other neighbors (our surrogate grandparents) have this:


I've never asked why, but they only ever plant tomatoes. That's all. But they're awesome at it. Their secret for growth? M.a.n.u.r.e. Just a little bit. Every spring, I see Jack, the husband, turning the soil. I guess that's what he's putting in there!

Speaking of tomatoes . . .


We posted a delicious slow-roasted tomato method over the weekend. If you haven't checked it out yet -- now's the perfect time. You'll need between 2 and 3 hours. But it's totally worth it.

They taste incredible on their own. But I promised you a recipe using them. So, here it is!


The Jaws book is to celebrate Shark Week. Stephen actually found this 1st edition copy at a thrift shop over the weekend for $1. One dollar. Yeah. Anyway, this mix isn't exactly difficult to make. It's a simple, quinoa salad with tofu, tomatoes, and a basil dressing.

You'll need the following:

• Slow roasted tomatoes 
• 1 block tofu, pressed, cubed, and fried 
• 1/2 cup dry quinoa (cooked with 1 cup water)

Once you have prepared all of that, toss it in a large bowl. You can also feel free to add whatever else you might like. Roasted squash. Chickpeas. Sliced almonds. Cranberries. Whatever. That's what I like about meals like these.

No rules.


Not-so Secret Sauce:

• 1/4 cup canola oil 
• 1/2 cup white vinegar 
• 1 tablespoons brown mustard 
• 1 clove garlic, chopped 
• 1 to 2 handfuls fresh basil 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Then pour however much you'd like into the quinoa mixture. Save the rest. Or use it all. Also feel free to add other things to adjust it to your tastes. Like Vegenaise for creaminess. Or avocado. Or nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan.

In case you missed it, there are many, MANY health benefits of quinoa. Especially for runners. Just check out this post.


Today on Writing Chapter Three, I'm disclosing that I am indeed pregnant. With emotion. C'mon. A Dreft commercial made me cry yesterday. Ridiculous!

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Food for Runners: Q-u-i-n-o-a

I suppose I could just call this post "Food for HEALTH" instead of making it runner-specific. But we're continuing with our series of foods that fuel activity. If you're catching up, we've covered bananas and garlic -- and included our favorite recipes from across the web.

We love quinoa because it goes with most any meal. And according to Care2.com, though we often think of quinoa as a grain, "it is actually a seed from a vegetable related to Swiss chard, spinach and beets."

So why is it so good for running? Well, it's been considered a super-food for thousands of years. In fact, "Inca warriors had more stamina and quicker recovery time by eating these quinoa seeds." (Source)

Some especially good news for vegetarian and vegan runners: "Quinoa has a higher protein content than wheat, barley or other major grains. One cup of quinoa has 9 grams, which trumps the protein-rich egg (6 grams)." (Source)

Quinoa also offers much in the way of antioxidants, "protecting the mitochondria from oxidative damage created during energy production as well as guard other cells, such as red blood cells, from injury caused by free radicals." (Source)


Here are some of our favorite recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner:

Kevin's Blueberry Quinoa Parfait
Alyssa's Maple Apple Quinoa Granola
Monique's Whole Wheat Banana Quinoa Pancakes
Tastespotting's Quinoa with Asparagus and Fava Beans
Our Quinoa Chili
Cassie's Quinoa Black Bean Burgers
Jane's Chana Masala with Quinoa
The Redhead's Green Goddess Quinoa Cakes
Our Red Quinoa Bread
Ashley's Skillet Quinoa Oat Bread
Fleeting Delight's Quinoa Sushi
Kathy's Quinoa Superfood Tacos
Our Chickpea Quinoa Salad
The NYT's Pho with Broccoli and Quinoa
Vianney's Quinoa Coconut Cookies


We usually buy quinoa in the bulk bins at Wegmans. It's readily available in most grocery stores across the country and beyond. Recently, however, Feed Adam sent some quinoa and quinoa flour (which I had never used before).


Feed Adam quinoa is planted, harvested, and processed by an indigenous Ecuadorian non-profit women's foundation called Randimpak.

Anyway, I know lots of you buy bulk ingredients online, so the next time you order, consider giving them a try. They offer bags of quinoa and quinoa flour up to 25 pounds! Here's a link to their shop. $1 per pound of their food sold and 50% of the profits from bulk sales is donated to help "eat away" at poverty.

Food for Runners: B-A-N-A-N-A-S
Food for Runners: G-A-R-L-I-C


OTHER STUFF:

• You can check out a Typical Tuesday in our life -- with lots of pictures -- over on Writing Chapter Three today.
• And don't forget to enter the Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook giveaway.
• And be sure to tell us how you deal with getting older to score a chance to win a $500 SpaFinder gift card.

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(Tea)ser: Roasted Red Quinoa "Tea"

Even I think I'm a little crazy for doing this. So, keep that in mind as you feast your eyes on my latest drink invention: Roasted Quinoa "Tea" -- that's right. It's what you get when you roast red quinoa on your stove-top . . . pulverize it in your food processor . . . and run it through your espresso machine.

Would you like a taste?

Roasted quinoa turns such a rich, beautiful, d.e.e.p. shade of red . . . it's a shame to turn it into powder, really. But necessary.

At least I think . . .


My decision to run it through the espresso machine was made purely by smell. Yeah -- roasted quinoa smells somewhat like ground coffee. Plus, I was in a rush -- it was the fastest way to turn the grinds into a warm beverage.


It sure looks convincing. And it tastes pretty great, too!


Just add almond milk and a spoonful of maple syrup -- it's sort of like chai minus the spice . . . with some added nutty flavor, but totally caffeine-free.


Then, package the rest to save for another day.


No recipe for this concoction -- yet.

I'm waiting to have Stephen try it . . . to make sure I'm not just a crazy person. And then more taste-testing by me, of course. Plus, I'm interested to see if the turning-it-into-powder and espresso-madness are necessary. One of our favorite drinks -- roasted corn tea -- can be made with the kernels left whole.

What's your favorite warm beverage? Of course, I love my chai lattes -- especially since I came up with my own, top-secret blend of the stuff. Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Quinoa Ginger Snaps

The Matcha-Sunflower Seedsters were actually my second experiment of the day on Sunday. First came the Quinoa Ginger Snaps. Spicy. Warm. The slightest bit crisp. They have a hearty dose of coriander in them, too.

Makes this cookie a unique and healthy holiday treat -- and the recipe is super easy!


What's the secret? Well, it's basically the same stuff that I use to make the Matcha cookies . . . but with different spices. If you compare the two side-by-side . . . you start to see how easy it is to manipulate recipes. I try to make different flavor combinations whenever I bake. Not only because we like to have fresh content on the blog, but also because it's just plain fun.

Of all my experiments, though, I'm particularly happy with how these turned out.


You may be wondering about the quinoa. Why include it? Uh. I don't really know. I just got the urge. We have baked quinoa into bread before, and I love its nutrition profile, so I figured: Why not?


QUINOA GINGER SNAPS

What you'll need . . .

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
• 1/4 cup almond milk (or substitute)
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 to 1 cup red and/or white quinoa (not cooked, just rinsed)

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, ginger, coriander, and cloves.
3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the oil, molasses, almond milk, and sugar.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until incorporated. Stir in the quinoa (again -- use it dry, not cooked -- and rinse before adding it in!).
5. Spoon tablespoon- sized amounts of dough onto the cookie sheet and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. (They will expand somewhat during baking, so keep about 1-1/2 inches between cookies.)
6. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned.
7. Let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. Then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack. Store for a week in an air-tight container (we like ours in the fridge!).

This recipe makes 24-ish cookies (if you abide by the 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie instructions). I made a half batch at first, but these will disappear faster than you'd think. Plus, you'll want to send 'em to your friends.


Photography trick-o-the-day: Buy a few cheap-o swatches of fabric at the store (I got this one at WalMart for $1.99). Then, use them as backdrops/settings of your photos. If you use a light colored weave -- it can help with bouncing light. Overall, though, it adds interest to your shot.

And stay tuned for our light box tutorial later today. I took the following photo in the dark. So, though I don't like using the light box as much as I love snapping pics in natural light, I'll take it over the alternative!


On an unrelated note: I PAID OFF MY CAR TODAY! Five. Long. Years. I just slipped the bill in the mail, so its on its way. She's all mine. One major financial burden down. Student loans and a mortgage to go . . .

What's something GOOD that's happened to you lately? Between the blogiversary, 3,000 awesome subscribers, and paying off my car -- I am trying to focus on the positives in my life versus the bad stuff. Like my knee. Ugh. Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Red Quinoa Bread

Stephen and I are in love with red quinoa. We've been eating it with every meal -- and when we had the opportunity to get some more this weekend (we can't find it where we live, so we had to trek to Greenstar in Ithaca, NY) . . . we stocked up on it. Big time. In fact, we have so much, we hardly know what to do with it all.


But then I got the idea to make (protein-packed) bread with it. After all, we've been buying far less bread during our grocery trips -- we thought it might be nice to have some around for a change. You may wonder -- why RED quinoa versus white? There's really no different in the nutrition. It's just flavor. Red quinoa has an earthier flavor, I guess is the best way to describe it. So, if you're not a fan, just use your favorite of the two grains in the bread (there's also black quinoa, but I've never seen it in stores).


I also wanted to create a recipe that could use some of the premium agave nectar the kind folks at Xagave sent me to take for a spin. Though I didn't use it in a raw recipe, the agave is both raw and organic (produced at a temperature less than 118F). Now, I know we've had some discussions on the blog about whether or not agave is a good way to go. If you're interested in checking out more -- the "truth" about agave, check out this page for more information.


They even put a handy chart on their bottles with exchange information for cooking, baking, etc. -- as well as how many calories you're saving in the switch. I think that's kind of cool.


RED QUINOA BREAD

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup raw quinoa (we used red quinoa, but any kind will do)
• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 cup raw walnuts, chopped
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup water, wrist temperature
• 1/3 cup agave nectar (again, we used Xagave)
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil (or canola)
• 2 tablespoons flax meal
• 3 tablespoons grainy mustard
• 2 cups unbleached white bread flour
• 1 cup whole wheat bread flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method . . .

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the 2 cups of water with the red quinoa. Cook over medium to high heat -- stirring as necessary -- for between 10 and 15 minutes. It's "done" when all the water is absorbed. Set aside to cool.
2. Whisk together your 3/4 cup warm water with the yeast (I did this in the bowl of an electric mixer). Let sit until frothy -- about 5 minutes.
3. Add the agave, oil, flax meal, and mustard to the yeast mixture and stir to combine.
4. Using a dough hook, stir in 1 cup of the unbleached white bread flour. Add the salt, too.
5. Now add the quinoa and walnuts. Continue stirring until well combined.
6. Now add the whole wheat bread flour and the other cup of the white bread flour. Continue mixing with your dough hook for about 5 minutes. You may wish to just knead yourself on a lightly floured work surface.
7. Dough is "ready" when it is smooth and elastic. So work in more flour if it's sticky. Add water if it's dry.
8. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel for 2 hours -- until doubled in bulk.
9. Then oil a large loaf pan. Shape the dough into an oval, smoothing the top, and place inside the pan. Cover with your plastic wrap and let rise again for 1 hour.
10. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a pie pan with an inch or so of water in it at the bottom of your oven when you're ready to place your loaf inside.
11. Bake for 30 minutes -- routinely checking to see if the top is browning too much -- and then cover with tin foil and bake for another 15 (or so) minutes until the loaf is done.
12. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes . . . and then remove to let cool completely on a wire rack.

Bread should stay fresh for up to 4 days if sealed in an air-tight container (we put ours in a freezer bag and popped it into the fridge. Top with anything you like. The mustard makes the bread better for more savory toppings -- and we absolutely heart this red pepper jelly (thanks for telling us about it, Nancy!).



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