Quinoa Cakes w/ Avocado and Grapefruit Salsa

This week, I am working on my vegetarian repertoire. Being a private chef who works mainly in Los Angeles, it’s important to know these things.

I once catered a Buddhist seminar, and was taken aback when the client asked for dishes such as veal scaloppini, Italian chopped salad with salami and cheese, and prosciutto wrapped dates, but I did it anyway. I was, however, not surprised when the dishes came back mostly un-eaten. Turns out, 3 of the attendees were vegetarians, 2 were on the idiotic Dukan diet, 2 were gluten free, and then there was a vegan. The only people who actually ended up enjoying the food were the Buddhist guru (flown out for the event), and some loud Russian. This, needless to say, was not my favorite party.

Anyways, I realized the importance of knowing fun interesting ways to eat the greenery…or quinoa and co. in this case. Plus the Aztecs dubbed the avocado the “fertility fruit” naming it ahuacatl, which meant testicles.

I know they don’t sound that exciting but trust me on this. These little cakes will surprisingly rock your world.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Quinoa
• 2 cup veggie stock (you can also use water but stock has more flavor)
• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
•  4 eggs.
•  2 jalapeno peppers- finely chopped
•  3 scallions- finely chopped
• 1 Red Onion- finely chopped
•  2 garlic cloves- minced
• 1 bunch Cilantro
•  3 ripe Avocados.
•  2 Grapefruits w/ juice- I pick grapefruits that are firm and tart, not soft and sweet, so they don’t overwhelm the cakes and can hold well on top of the cakes.
•  Olive Oil
•  S&P

Directions:

-       Cook quinoa according to directions. I did 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of veggie stock and let cook until soft and liquid is evaporated.

-       Mix the cooked quinoa, Panko, 4 eggs, 1 finely chopped jalapeno peppers, two finely chopped scallions, ¼ cup of chopped red onion, and minced garlic.

-       Season the cakes well with S&P. (they need to be nice and savory)

-       Cover with plastic wrap and let sit somewhere cool while you prepare the Salsa.

-       Make grapefruit segments and chop roughly.

-       Dice Avocado

-       Chop cilantro

-       In bowl mix: grapefruit, avocado, 1 chopped jalapeno, 1 chopped scallion, ½ chopped red onion, chopped cilantro, squeeze the juices from the pith of the grapefruit on top and a dash of olive oil. The acidity from the grapefruit juice will keep the avocado from turning brown.

-        Season with S&P, of course.

-       Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a pan.

-       Mold the cakes in a spoon (so they are about “two-bite sized”) and place in pan. You don’t want them too small because you want them to hold the salsa well, but don’t make them too big, make it juuust right. You know what I mean? Oh and make sure not to crowd the cakes.

-       Cook until golden brown and flip. Once cooked on each side, rest on paper towel to soak up the oil.

-       Top each cake with a little mound of the salsa but not too much so people can fit it in their mouths.

-       Arrange prettily on a platter and serve.

(These photos were also taken by Jordan Engle at http://WWW.OGPICS.COM)

Butternut squash and Goat Cheese Pizza w/ Arugula and Sage

I find that, with a little experimenting, butternut squash can be delicioso in any form…I mean, it would have to be to merit the name “butternut”!

 Technically a fruit (but can be oh so savory), I have discovered ways to cook this squash in a pie, incorporated into pasta in any way, even caramelized and crisped and crumbled on ice cream…now that’s what I call a diverse gourd. Did you know that melon, pumpkin, and cucumbers are also in the gourd family?

AND they can be roasted, sautéed, purreed (and given to your baby!), and even turned into entirely something else! The butternut squash is also a super food! So eat up cause it is beneficial to your heart and your immune system.

So anyways, I made this pizza with goat cheese, arugula, and sage and it was splendid. I used a store-bought crust cause I felt a little lazy that day but by all means, experiment with you own crust too!

Ingredients:

• Pizza Crust or dough. Whole foods market makes a great one. (Any brand is fine as long as you cook it according to directions and it’s not too thin). If you want to make your own > google it.
•  Butternut Squash- Diced
• Water, Veggie or Chicken Stock
•  Garlic- Minced
•  Sage
• Arugula
• Lemon
• Goat Cheese
• Mozzarella. Fresh or Shredded
•  Olive oil
•  S&P

Directions:

-       Bake crust according to directions.

-       Braise diced butternut squash in chicken stock with four sage leaves, minced garlic, olive oil, and S&P.

-       Let all the liquid evaporate from the pan and the butternut squash soften and lightly caramelize. If the squash isn’t cooked through, keep adding a little liquid at a time until it its. Squeeze with half a lemon to wake up the flavors.

-       Drizzle the top of the crust with a little olive oil and disperse the butternut squash relatively evenly. Save a little for garnish.

-       --Add mozzarella, Parmesan, sage.

-       Then add dollops of goat cheese across the top.

-Drizzle with a little more olive oil and lemon and sprinkle with S&P.
-Top it off with some fresh arugula! 

-       Bake pizza at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

-       When pizza is done, add a little fresh arugula along the sides. Then add a couple more goat cheese dollops and, of course, a splash of lemon and olive oil.

-       Season with S&P and serve. 
(These photos were taken by the awesome Jordan Engle, http://WWW.OGPICS.COM)


Bisous, 
Chantilly