Roasted Cauliflower Quinoa and Spiced Chickpeas

I recently read a piece on Food Republic's site called "10 Things You Didn't Know About Quinoa."  Well, most of the list I already knew because I've recently done lots of research on the plant.  Particularly #10: "Rinse and Repeat," which briefly and nonchalantly reports about the natural saponins coating unrinsed Quinoa which protects it from predators.  Strange how they fail to mention that the saponins also cause quinoa allergies in human beings, unless, of course, you rinse them off first.  Just some water will do.

RINSE OFF THE SAPONINS, PEOPLE!  

I'm going to completely spare you the details, but I have sadly developed the quinoa allergy after eating an unwashed batch over a year ago.  I made this recipe (and it was delicious) because I thought perhaps I had gotten over my aversion since I ate the Cranberry Quinoa Chicken Salad and was just fine.  It must just be that small amounts are OK.

Sadly, this will probably be my last quinoa post ever.  All I can tell you is that I'm glad my last quinoa dish was a good one.  I mean, I ate so much of this recipe that - let's put it this way - I really understood the extent of my allergy.  No need to fear, just rinse your quinoa and you'll be just fine. 

Garrett's Smoky Chili

So, its Saturday night and I'm posting on the blog.

I feel like I can get away with this barring the loss of much social capital.  Garrett got home form the office at 2:30 AM.  He's been rendering the graphic designs for a Saudi subway system, which required hours each week staring at aerial views of desert.  Also, hockey is up and running again.  I'm not going to suggest we leave the house.

But I will request that he make dinner.

Disclaimer: This is not the chili recipe you want if you intend to win any chili cook-offs.  There are no microbrews, coffees, or secret hot sauces involved.  It's just good chili done with lean ingredients and a smoky spice combination.

Max & Sam's Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Saturday night I had the pleasure of babysitting my nephews.  I especially wanted to make dinner with them after many conversations this past week at work sparked by the new blog.  I can only imagine the challenge of finding time to cook and eat as a family with young children, so I wanted to do this partially as a tribute to all the wonderful teachers I know with young kids at home.

These cauliflower crust pizzas are trending, so I took on the challenge to cook something healthy with kids (but still "Pizza!").  Of course, I was curious to see if they would like it.  We had a traditional dough as backup, just in case.  With a bit of help from my brother and sister-in-law still needed, it was a success all around.  The adults liked it, too.