Quinoa Veggie Dish and Potluck with Friends ...

Last night we were invited to a Potluck supper at a friend's place ... and while an invitation like this would usually be one of a lot of extra work ... this one was a delight.  All the friends invited to this potluck eat Gluten Free ... Some because of having Celiac Disease ... and others because of being mates or friends of those with Celiac Disease.  It was simply a delightful evening ... good friends, good food ... sharing recipes and experiences ... a most relaxing evening. 

I do feel comfortable when I have supper in my own home as well and invite people over, but the difference being that I control the menu and make it all.  It can make for a hectic evening and I find we don't entertain as much as I would like ... this was certainly a refreshing experience ... and the meal was simple but awesome.  I realize I do likely overthink when I have people over and it has given me a new perspective on entertaining ... So thank you Abisaac and Amanda for that. 

Our awesome menu consisted of:
Chicken Schwarma with magic sauce (evening and recipe dedicated to the memory of Daniel Saraga)
Quinoa/Rice Veggie Dish (warm) - below - and veggie, crackers, sausage snack plate with dip
Bean and Cheese Enchiladas
Corn and Bean Salad
Lovely Lemon Cupcakes and Shortbread jelly cookies

Now though I make dishes I do not often follow a recipe and therefore I have a hard time writing up a recipe - so below is "guideline" on how to make Quinoa Rice Veggie Dish :)



Quinoa and Rice Veggie Dish (warm)

QUINOA AND RICE VEGGIE DISH

1 to 1 1/2 cups premade Quinoa (used the Bob's Red Mill Organic whole Grain Quinoa - seasoned with nutrimax chicken flavoured soup base (gluten free and vegetarian) and a touch of Red Garlic Sansel (Epicure)

1 to 1 1/2 cups premade Rice (for this batch we used Texana Natural Thai Jasmine Rice) seasoned with a little herb and spice Sea salt, black peppercorn mix and dried dill (Epicure) - a bit of Becel vegan margerine as well (gluten and lactose free)

Both of these set aside ... then depending on the vegetables available in your stash I cut up a cup to a cup and a half of each (this makes a huge batch so plan accordingly - though this dish heats up well the next day and also is tasty cold) - I used snap pea, yellow pepper, carrot (used mini carrots and julienned), broccoli, zucchini, and kale.  We have a large non stick pan with high sides that is good for stir frying, a wok would also be a good choice.  Heat some olive oil on just a bit higher than medium heat for a couple minutes, be very careful not to overheat your oil as this will cause a lot of spitting of hot oil and for your vegetables to char quickly rather than carmelize. 

I put in my broccoli stalks (cut to smaller pieces) in first and give them a few minutes (they have a tougher outer layer and take a bit more time to soften.  Then I added the snap peas, carrots, and peppers to the pan - stir frying until just starting to soften (approximately 5 mins) and then added the broccoli heads - stirfrying for another 5 minutes or so before adding the kale.

As the kale starts to wilt - I add some soy sauce (used a VH Soy Sauce) and some Becel Vegan margerine to the pan - just to give a bit of a smooth asian glaze.  Give a good toss, then start to add the quinoa and rice to the dish about a cup at a time to be able to mix well (this is where the large pan or wok works well) until the mixture is all mixed together.  And then ready to serve.  :)

Just to note that before we bought the big non stick pan (it is a 12" pan with 3 1/2 inch sides) I made sure all my components - the quinoa (rice if I added) and veggies were all hot and then mixed them in a large bowl or pot - it also worked.  :)

So that is my write up of the Quinoa and Rice Veggie Dish I made last night for our awesome Potluck with friends ... I think it was a perfect compliment to the delicious Chicken Schwarma made as the main dish ...

Good Friends,  Good Food and Good Conversation ... a delightful evening all around.
Cheers