http://www.care2.com/greenliving/quinoa-caviar.html
Quinoa Eggplant Caviar
Adapted from Tassajara Cookbook, by Karla Oliveira (Gibbs Smith Publisher, 2007).
What a wonderful idea to mix roasted eggplant with the rock star of grains, quinoa! When the creamy, sweet eggplant is pureed with a few zesty ingredients and stirred into the nutty grain, the result, Quinoa Caviar, is as surprising as it is delicious and nutritious.
This caviar is uniquely different and delicious. When cooked, quinoa really does resemble fish eggs, so you may get some puzzled stares or comments from your guests. As a spread, it’s an easy way to get some of this super-nutritious quinoa into your diet.
INGREDIENTS
1 eggplant
2 onions, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
Salt and pepper
¼ cup minced cilantro
¼ cup minced parsley
1½ tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1. Roast eggplant.
2. Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft. Stir in the quinoa and lightly toast for 1 minute. Stir in the water and salt to taste; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover the pan, and gently simmer the quinoa for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Uncover the pan and fluff the quinoa with a fork; transfer to a bowl and let cool.
3. Puree the eggplant with the cilantro, parsley, soy sauce, and lemon juice in a food processor. Stir this mixture into the quinoa. Adjust seasoning, adding soy sauce, pepper, or lemon juice to taste. Garnish with sprigs of cilantro and parsley, if desired.
Makes 4 cups.
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12 comments
add your comment »This recipe has a misprint - it is 2 cloves garlic minced and 1 onion chopped (I made it and saw that you have to add garlic but no garlic is listed as an ingradient) - 2 whole onions is too much - one was fine.
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Try Quinoa baked like this; a minced onion and garlic fried with a little ground meat and some soy sauce, then add this to the quinoa previously boiled and bake some more until the grain opens, then add the minced eggplant and some white cheese in little pieces, and end with some minced cilantro.Use one meat bouillon cube to add flavor and enjoy! The consistence should be creamy.It is delightfull!! Peruvian Neo Adean Cuisine.
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Quinoa uses soapoanin as a natural deterrent to animals that try and eat it. Depending on the brand you buy, you may have to soak or wash it to get rid of the bitter taste. I usually have quinoa as a sweet breakfast porridge - cook for 20 minutes, add some rice milk and honey or xylitol and you're set with a low GI, protein breakfast that cooked itself while you were in the shower!
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Thanks for the responses! I LOVE eggplant, and have read about how nutritious quinoa is. Can't wait to try this!
:)
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Oh, and great recipe! I love using quinoa and eggplant so its exciting to get more recipes for them!
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I believe I've heard this too about quinoa needing to be soaked, but I have frequently cooked it without soaking. In fact I never usually soak it and find it tastes fine.
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Did you see in the recipe how she lightly toasted it before adding the water? That should get rid of the bitter taste.
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Kristen~
I have been enjoying quinoa for years and never presoaked it.
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Regarding the quinoa, I have found that soaking it in warm water for about 10 minutes, then straining in a fine sieve and rinsing once more will serve to remove the bitter coating. When you soak it in the warm water, swirl it around with a spoon or your hands a bit too.
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Here is the method I use for roasting eggplant:
Pierce the eggplant in several places and roast it whole and unpeeled on a baking sheet at 350°F until it's quite soft and starting to collapse, This should take about 45-60 minutes
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