This Week's Menu

I've recently been playing around with various combinations of colorful quinoa after discovering a box of black quinoa at my local health food store recently.  The black quinoa look similar in size and color to poppy seeds, which is slightly smaller than the more common white quinoa.  They take a little longer to cook (otherwise, you end up with a slightly crunchy pop when you bite into them).... but I'm liking them.  This week I decided to try mixing black and white quinoa for a paella.

I sauteed some sliced Tofurky Italian sausage in a pan, then added chopped onion, carrots, and mushrooms.  I finished it off with a can of Muir Glen fire-roasted tomatoes, some sliced kalamata olives, green peas, and a squeeze of lemon.  The flavor combination was slightly smoky and savory.  I topped the dish with a fan of steamed asparagus which made a nice color contrast.

The second meal this week was Black Bean and Garnet Yam Enchiladas since a client requested something Mexican.  I topped the enchilada with some homemade sauce spiced with chili powder, paprika, onion powder and cayenne pepper, and paired it with Cumin Spiced Zucchini which had been broiled in the oven.

The final entree was a simple tofu tir-fry since I found some baby bok choy at my health food store and thought it would be perfect with the plump snap peas that are coming into season soon.  Sesame seeds make a nice garnish for this dish.