Quinoa 365 (25 page)

Strawberry Banana Muffins

Strawberries and bananas make these muffins moist and full of wholesome goodness.
Makes 12.

¼ cup (60 mL) white or golden quinoa

½ cup (125 mL) water

1 cup (250 mL) whole wheat flour

1½ tsp (7.5 mL) baking powder

1 tsp (5 mL) salt

1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon

¾ cup (185 mL) packed brown sugar

¼ cup (60 mL) vegetable oil

½ cup (125 mL) plain yogurt or light sour cream

1 large egg

1 tsp (5 mL) pure vanilla extract

1 cup (250 mL) mashed ripe banana

1 cup (250 mL) diced frozen strawberries

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for another 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add the cooked quinoa to the flour mixture and blend well. Set aside.

Combine the sugar and oil in a large bowl. Mix in the yogurt, egg, vanilla and ripe banana.

Stir the frozen strawberries into the flour mixture. Gently stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just blended, being careful not to overmix. Use a large spoon to divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake on the center oven rack for 28 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in the pan. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container or freeze for up to 1 month.

Healthy Cookies

This is one healthy cookie, and a great snack to keep you going until your next meal.
Makes 5 dozen.

2/3 cup (160 mL) water

1/3 cup (80 mL) quinoa

1 cup (250 mL) butter, softened

1 1/3 cups (330 mL) packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1½ tsp (7.5 mL) pure vanilla extract

2 cups (500 mL) whole wheat flour

1½ tsp (7.5 mL) baking powder

1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda

1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon

¼ tsp (1 mL) salt

1¼ cups (310 mL) quick-cooking rolled oats

1 cup (250 mL) flaked unsweetened coconut

1/3 cup (80 mL) sunflower seeds, unsalted

1/3 cup (80 mL) flax (ground or whole seeds)

1/3 cup (80 mL) sesame seeds

Bring the water and quinoa to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for an additional 6 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a large baking sheet, or line it with parchment paper.

Cream the butter with the brown sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Add the oats, cooked quinoa, coconut, sunflower seeds, flax and sesame seeds to the flour mixture and stir until well blended. Combine with the butter mixture and stir until well mixed. Roll the dough into 1½-inch (4 cm) balls. Place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten each cookie slightly with the palm of your hand. Bake on the center oven rack for 8 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms are light brown. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet. Store the cookies in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Quinoa Shortbread

This shortbread has the nutritious advantage of quinoa but still has that melt-in-your-mouth goodness. These cookies look great decorated for the holidays. An easy method for shaping the cookies is to form the dough into a log, chill it in the refrigerator and slice perfect rounds.
Makes 2½ dozen.

1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour

¾ cup (185 mL) quinoa flour

1 cup (250 mL) butter, softened

1 cup (250 mL) superfine sugar (or white sugar)

¼ cup (60 mL) chocolate chunks or chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C).

Sift the flours together and evenly spread the mixture onto a large baking sheet. Place on the top oven rack for 4 to 5 minutes, until the flour has a lightly toasted appearance. Remove the pan from the oven, gently stir the flour and toast for another 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 1 to 2 minutes. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C).

Cream the butter and sugar in a separate bowl. Slowly add the flour, mixing well. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

Roll the dough into 2-inch (5 cm) balls and place them at least 2 inches (5 cm) apart on a large baking sheet. Gently press a small chocolate chunk (or several chocolate chips) into the middle of each cookie.

Place on the center rack of the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes. Store the cookies in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Double Chocolate Cookies

The recipe for these absolutely delicious, chewy and soft cookies was a closely guarded secret for years! Guaranteed they will not last long! (Pictured on page 142.)
Makes 3 dozen.

1 cup (250 mL) butter, softened

1½ cups (375 mL) white or cane sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp (5 mL) pure vanilla extract

2 cups (500 mL) quinoa flour (or 1 cup/250 mL quinoa flour and 1 cup/250 mL all-purpose flour)

¾ cup (185 mL) unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda

½ tsp (2 mL) salt

1 cup (250 mL) semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Blend in the eggs and vanilla and stir until the mixture has a smooth consistency.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and blend well. Stir in the chocolate chips. Roll into 1¼-inch (3 cm) balls. (If the dough is too soft to roll, place in the freezer for about 20 minutes.)

Place the balls 2 inches (5 cm) apart on a large, ungreased baking sheet and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Bake on the center oven rack for 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies will be puffy and soft when removed from the oven but will flatten when cool. Allow the cookies to set for at least 1 minute on the baking sheet before removing to cool on a rack. Store in a sealed container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month. You can also freeze rolled unbaked cookies in a sealed container or plastic bag until needed; simply thaw before baking.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Speedy and easy! The smooth taste of macadamia nuts with white chocolate is a popular cookie combination.
Makes 2 dozen.

½ cup (125 mL) quinoa flour

½ cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour

¼ tsp (1 mL) baking soda

½ cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar

½ cup (125 mL) butter, softened

1 large egg

½ tsp (2 mL) pure vanilla extract

1 cup (250 mL) white chocolate chunks

¾ cup (185 mL) coarsely chopped macadamia nuts

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

In a medium bowl, combine the quinoa and all-purpose flours with the baking soda.

In a separate bowl, cream the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg and vanilla, combining well. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and blend well. Add the chocolate and nuts and mix well. Drop by 2-inch (5 cm) tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, leaving 2 inches (5 cm) between cookies. Bake on the center oven rack for 12 minutes. Cool on the pan and serve. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze them for up to 6 weeks.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Homemade sugar cookies are a seasonal favorite in many families and can be decorated for any season. In a sealed container, these cookies will stay fresh for up to ten days in the refrigerator or eight weeks in the freezer.
Makes 2 dozen.

2/3 cup (160 mL) butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 cup (250 mL) sugar

1/3 cup (80 mL) unsweetened cocoa powder