Mediterranean quinoa bowl

I was a quinoa virgin until I made this .... Yea sure it's a bit healthy & hippy, but it tastes good.

The recipe is from the beautiful blog Sprouted Kitchen.

http://sproutedkitchen.com/?p=921

Serves 2 to 3 people 

1 Cup Quinoa, dry

4 Broccolinis

4 to 6 oz. Block of Feta Cheese, cut in cubes

1 Cup Roasted Red Peppers, cut in slivers (I use jarred in the off season)

1/4 Cup Capers, rinsed and drained

1 Cup Chickpeas, cooked

3 Tbsp. Flat Leaf Parsley, finely chopped

2 tsp. Dried Oregano

Generous pinch of Sea Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

1 Meyer Lemon

1 Tbsp. Good Quality Olive Oil

For the quinoa, typically, bring two cups water and one cup dry quinoa to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Place the broccolini right on top after ten minutes (who wants to dirty another pot?) and cover to finish the quinoa and the broccolini will steam on top. Remove the broccolini to a cutting board, and transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and fluff with a fork.

Lastly, cut the feta into small cubes (easiest if done straight from the fridge or even let it sit in the freezer for a few minutes). Add the cubes and the parsley to the quinoa and give it a gentle fold. At this point, it is probably a tad warmer than room temperature, which is great. If you’d rather it cold, let it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes to cool down.

Toss the red pepper slivers, chickpeas, capers, dried oregano and salt and pepper to the quinoa and stir. Give the broccolini a rough chop and toss it in the bowl. Squeeze the juice of the entire meyer lemon (avoiding seeds) and the olive oil, stir again.

chicken escalopes with tomatoes & capers

I came across this recipe whilst experiencing an extreme craving for capers.  Mmmm capers, olive oil & parsley .... match made in heaven? I. Think. So.

This recipe is from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros.

Serves 4

About 4 tablespoons of olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and squashed a bit

150g cherry tomatoes, halved

4 chicken escalopes (free-range please!)

plain (all-purpose) flour, for dusting

2 sage sprigs

3 tablespoons of white wine or water

1 tablespoon of drained capers in vinegar, rinsed

1 tablespoon of chopped parsley

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan.  Add the tomatoes with a little salt and fry over a high heat until they just start to pucker.  Lift them out on a plate.

Add the remaining oil to the pan.  Lightly dust the chicken with flour on both sides.  Put into the pan, add the sage and fry over a medium heat until the underside is golden brown, then turn the chicken again and season with salt.  Add the wine, put the tomatoes on top of the chicken escalopes and throw in the capers and parsley.  Let it bubble up and evaporate for a bit, then put on the lid and leave for a couple of minutes before serving.