Quinoa with garlic, walnuts, shimeiji mushrooms and broccoli together with miso-glazed salmon

Sometimes I wonder about the kind of food I eat. It seems pretty much mundane and somewhat same most of the times. Then I bought some healthy grains like couscous, quinoa and I also discovered a packet of millet that I bought sometime ago! I guess it is time to try and eat healthier since the year has almost just begun ;P

So I decided to try one of Ellie Krieger's quinoa recipes. And it turned out pretty well but of course, with some of my variations too :) See my modifications in blue.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well

1/4 cup pinenuts walnuts, chopped

1 3/4 cup low sodium chicken stock or water

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced chopped

1/3 cup fresh parsley

1/4 cup raisins

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about half lemon)

1 head broccoli, cut into small pieces and parboiled in hot water till cooked

kosher salt and black pepper

Method:

1. Place the quinoa in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until toasted, for about 2 minutes.
2. Add water or chicken stock (about 3/4 of the total liquid is chicken stock and I added some water to reduce the saltiness) and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, covered, until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let it sit, covered for about 2 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, toast the pinenuts walnuts in a skillet over medium high heat, stirring until golden, about 3 minutes; transfer to a plate bowl.
4. Add olive oil and garlic and shimeiji mushrooms with broccoli and cook over medium heat, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer the garlic to the plate, reserving the oil. Pour the mixture into the bowl with the walnuts.
5. Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Add the pinenuts walnuts, garlic, reserved oil, parsley, raisins broccoli and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss.

It is the 1st time I cooked quinoa and Mr G seems to like it alot. He was happily eating away while I asked him if he noticed anything queer about the dish. He said no, there's salmon, broccoli blah blah. I chuckled to myself. Then I said erm there is quinoa. Do you like the taste of quinoa? Hmm he managed to say between mouthfuls of the quinoa mixture. Haha!! He likes it!! Yippee!! The conclusion came when I asked if he will eat this again. Mr G said sure, it is very good. I like it :) There you got it!

If you are curious about how this quinoa tastes with the miso glazed salmon, I can daresay it tastes perfect. If you like salmon skin, the skin tastes super yummy!! Try to picture sweet mirin, salty miso, etc. There you got it! If you are keen for the recipe of the salmon, look further down.

This salmon is a miso-glazed recipe from Ellie Krieger. It is a super no fuss recipe that you don't need much efforts to cook it. If you want the exact proportions Ellie made, see the link above. If not, you can use the modifications I made below.

Ingredients:

2 thick slices of salmon

2 to 3 heaped tbsp miso paste

1 tsp to tbsp brown sugar (I reduced the brown sugar portion as there is also mirin which is sweet as well)

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

2 tbsp mirin

Method:

1. Soak the salmon in some water and add about 1 tsp salt to it. Leave it for about 10 minutes or so.
2. Rinse the salmon and use kitchen towel to dab dry.
3. Combine miso, brown sugar, sesame oil and mirin. Stir well until brown sugar is fully dissolved.
4. Brush the glaze on the fish fillets on both sides. Marinate for at least 30 minutes and put it in the fridge until ready to panfry.
5. Heat up the skillet over medium heat and add abit of olive oil.
6. Panfry the fish fillets till both sides are cooked for about 3 to 7 minutes total. If there isn't enough glaze, you may brush the uncovered side with glaze and let it caramelize by turning it face down on the skillet. Cook until the fish is flaky but not undercooked.
7. Serve while hot.

I'm submitting this post to I Heart Cooking Clubs - February Potluck.