We love quinoa. This gluten-free, ancient superfood has been a staple in our home for several years — it’s a great substitute for pasta, rice or couscous. Mild in flavor, this extremely versatile grain pairs beautifully with all sorts of flavor combinations.
We’ve made quinoa bowls for quite some time (black beans, quinoa, veggies, etc.) and decided to give it a try using enchilada sauce to change things up a bit. Added some of our favorite cheese sprinkled on top & baked it & our Quinoa Enchilada Casserole was born! We’ve cooked it at least once a month ever since. It’s a great dish if you’re feeling like comfort foods — keeps you filled up, reheats beautifully and is just as tasty at room temperature as it is piping hot out of the oven, so it’s great for a party if you’re serving buffet-style.
Best part is that you could easily change things up…maybe try a different bean combination, add some other veggies, make it spicy or keep it mild. The options are only as limited as your culinary imagination. Any which way, this is just one tiny sample of how scrumptious quinoa can be. Happy eating!
Oh, wonderfully delicious onion tart! The first time we remember being blown away by one was at Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival more than a decade ago. The France kiosk had a version that was perfectly caramelized with a crisp yet light crust — it impressed us so much that we looked through a bunch of cookbooks that afternoon hoping to find a recipe that seemed similar so we could try to make one at home. We purchased a couple of books & tried them when we returned but they weren’t quite the same as the deliciousness we had that day at the park.
Over the years, Mr. The Inspired Parent has tried different versions — he’s nailed it with one that is now a family favorite.
The crust in our version has a bit of corn meal in it, making it a more savory-style crust. We find that this not only adds a great little crispy quality but the flavor pairs perfectly with the onion mixture. Don’t rush cooking the onions — low & slow is the key to increasing the flavor of the onions, softening them nearly to the point of caramelization though you’ll back off on the heat before getting to that point.
As long as you keep an eye on the onions so they don’t brown, this is a simple recipe and quite an impressive one that your friends & family will love!
Apparently today is National Italian Food Day, but being part Sicilian, I tend to lean toward the camp that everyday should be Italian Food Day. When I think of Italian food, one name immediately comes to mind: Chef Lidia Bastianich.
Confession time…we are addicted to Lidia’s cookbooks. We own all of them, use them regularly, have given them as gifts throughout the years and haven’t been disappointed in a single recipe we’ve tried. We’re long time fans of her various cooking shows on PBS and love how she still keeps things fresh with her current production, Lidia’s Kitchen. Over the years, her educational cookbooks and television broadcasts have changed how we cook. Simple tips such as toasting tomato paste and peperoncino in olive oil before incorporating it into the sauce makes such a difference!
We had the pleasure of meeting Lidia when we attended a cooking class & tasting she held at Eataly Chicago. The class was a birthday gift for my husband and we were lucky to sit front-row, center. I’ll fill you in on the wonderfulness that is Eataly in another post but wanted to share a few photos here, too:
Lidia prepared a few different courses (including dessert!) during class and they were all awesome!
While dessert was served, Lidia held a Q&A – she was informative & charming as always.
After class, she spent one-on-one time visiting with everyone, signing books & taking photos. Usually the one behind the camera, I was happy that my husband took a pic of me with Lidia that evening.
On to the Ziti, Sausage, Onions & Fennel details…
One of our all-time favorite recipes of Lidia’s is quite the tasty one. I can’t even begin to count how many times we’ve made this over the last 10+ years and it is perfect for National Italian Food Day! The recipe was memorized moons ago & when our daughter is an adult she’ll look back at it, fondly, as being one of her favorite recipes since childhood.
Our well-worn, well-loved, used-more-times-than-we-can-count copy that we’ve had since 2004.
The recipe is simple, but don’t cut corners as you caramelize the individual ingredients when adding them to the pan – a simple matter of timing, but oh so important to enhance the flavors. While we highly recommend getting your own copy of Lidia’s Family Table (tons of wonderful recipes), you can also view the recipe for her Ziti with Sausage, Onions & Fennel online at: Lidia’s Italy. It makes a lot, so you’ll need a large skillet – and if you have any leftovers, they heat up beautifully for lunch or dinner later in the week.
