Quinoa and Cous Cous Have New Fans

Before these couple of meals, I must admit that I thought of quinoa and cous cous as bland health food that would always fall second to pasta. I won’t rehash the details of the orange and lemon cous cous, but I must mention that it provided an excellent Sunday lunch. The addition of crunchy radish rounds and sweet corn sliced off the cob freshened up the remaining portion. Further leftovers included the grilled asparagus, fully saturated with the garlicky olive oil after a couple of days sitting in the mixture.

Andrew's Sunday lunch

The following Saturday evening brought a couple of new things. First, Andrew and I tried our hand(s) at cooking chicken sausages, hot Italian and garlic herb. After some internet instruction, we fried them up with white onion slices, which eagerly absorbed the flavorful meat juice. A quinoa salad was my main contribution to the meal. My mom sent along a few tips on how to make quinoa more flavorful – she recommended tossing some “aromatics” such as rosemary, bay leaves, and fennel seeds into a bit of olive oil to release fragrance and flavor before tossing the quinoa in to toast with the infused oil for a bit before water’s timely addition. I dutifully followed her instructions, burning the quinoa a tiny bit on our finicky stove but accomplishing the toasting and simmering process nonetheless. As the quinoa sat cooling – an essential part of the operation – I added lemon juice, sweet corn cut off the cob, raw pistachios, and raisins. After a bit more sitting and flavor absorption, I added rich feta and coarsely cut fresh parsley. The result was heavenly, varied texture and a multitude of fresh flavors defined the dish.  An excellent complement to the tasty sausages and our simple green salad, which consisted of crisp romaine with halved green grapes and thin slices of celery. Never again will I call quinoa boring!

Sunday morning brought about a brunch of sorts. In preparation for our planned carbonara pasta endeavor, we’d bought some eggs and decided to use the extra for a scramble. Indeed, components from other meals formed the basis of our egg scramble. The onions saved from the previous evening’s sausage cooking were first in the pan, the greasy residue a perfect agent for frying the kale purchased that morning from the farmer’s market. Grated sharp cheddar from our cheese and cracker reserve joined the melee after the eggs had cooked a bit with the kale and onions. Decadent umami flavors were oh-so-satisfying after a long run, and the previous night’s quinoa and green salad provided easy and toothsome sides. An outstanding string of meals, components melding effortlessly into the next eating endeavor.

And one more – a new cous cous recipe. Called “Speedy Pesto Cous Cous with Chickpeas” this recipe called for both premade pesto and fresh basil leaves. After a preliminary simmer in chicken broth, I added the premade green mixture, chickpeas, and a bit of the coarsely chopped fresh leaves from our basil plant we bought at the farmer’s market and have affectionately dubbed Peggy. As these flavors continued to soak together, I added, once again, corn cut off the cob and pistachios in order to make a “richer” dish. Halved and pitted Kalamata olives and a garnish of further fresh basil finished off the dish. Served with the remaining sausages – the second time around yielded better cooking – and our new favorite arugula salad and oven-roasted eggplant made for another quintessential summer meal.