Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Quinoa Pilaf with Yellow Squash and Corn

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I have a selfish wish today.

Next year when Barbara of Winos and Foodies hosts A Taste of Yellow, I hope that no one that I know is touched by cancer. I hope this wish not just for me and mine but also for everyone. 

Sadly, between last year’s Yellow and this one, the world lost a wonderful human being, my friend’s father. He was kind and thoughtful, considerate and considered. He was the special sort of man who adores being a father to daughters. It is very sad to everyone that he is not in the world any more.

When I was in middle school, he was told to cut down drastically on fat after problems with his heart. Dinner was changed immediately. It was the first time I remember eating chappatis dry without butter. So, I thought for him, I would make a heart-healthy and colorful quinoa pilaf. I wish I could invite him over to enjoy it.

Recipe
Quinoa Pilaf

Cook:
1.5 cups quinoa in 2 cups vegetable broth

When the quinoa is still warm add:
Raw corn from 3 ears of corn
½ cup steamed yellow squash; I used tiny ones that were an impulse buy.
½ cup diced wax beans (raw) ; I had purple at home but yellow would better
1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes; each cut in ½
¼ cup raw carrots, diced; again, yellow would be cool but I had orange
½ cup parsley, chopped coarsely
¼ cup basil, chopped coarsely
¼-1/2 cup cider vinaigrette made with shallots, garlic, cider vinegar, mustard, and grapeseed or olive oil
¼ cup nutritional yeast
plenty of freshly cracked black pepper
Toss and let sit for 1 hour. Serve at room temperature.

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13 comments:

Unknown said...

That is a good wish MM. I'm sorry for your friend's father. Thank you for supporting A Taste of Yellow.

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

My uncle is dying from cancer and I will not have a chance to say goodbye because I live thousand of miles away from him. What a great cause.

Johanna GGG said...

I am sorry to hear about the loss of a father and husband and friend - I am sure he would have loved to share the quinoa pilaf with you

Joanne said...

I am so sorry for the loss of your friend's father. Cancer touches the lives of so many and so it is quite imperative that a cure be found. This is why I am running my marathon with and raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and also why I want to do cancer research - so that no one else will have to suffer.

This quinoa salad looks delicious. So much of cancer treatment now is nutrition-based and this would be a great recipe to put someone on the track to recovery.

Bombay-Bruxelles said...

This is a very inspiring dish! You really have a wonderful sense of color and your dishes are always so beautiful!

Thistlemoon said...

I like your wish! :) I wish for the same! I love your quinoa dish, and I think it is beautiful tribute to your friend's father! Have you tried red quinoa? I recently made a pilaf with it and it was delicious!

Chou said...

I second your wish, and love that you made a dish in his memory.

grace said...

that's not a selfish wish at all--in fact, it's entirely unselfish! this is a stunning and impressive dish for what i think is the best food blogging event period. good on you!

Soma said...

I wish the same Amen. My mom is gone, the disease took her away too early, now it is my aunt fighting it.

Love the recipe & the vinaigrette. I love quinoa.

farida said...

So sorry about your friend's father.

I like your quiona pilaf recipe. I made quinoa a couple of months ago, for the first time and loved it. Squash and corn must boost its flavor nicely. Great recipe for such a great cause.

lisaiscooking said...

I like your wish. I hope for a day when there's a cure for every type of cancer. In the meantime, your healthy pilaf looks delicious.

Sophie said...

I am so sorry for your loss :(. This is my kind of side dish. You know, I really need to try those little yellow squashes, they are so cute.

angela@spinachtiger said...

I love the way you presented this, both in words and visual.