The Iron You

Quinoa and Turkey Meatballs with Tahini Sauce

2013-05-24T08:51:00.001-04:00

In order to stop meatballs from falling apart you need a binding agent. That’s one of the sacred rules of cooking. Without a binding agent, meatballs hardly hold their round shape and most of the time they will break while you cook them.
The most used binding agents are eggs or bread crumbs. Cheese (such as Parmesan cheese), flax meal or almond meal are among other favorites. I never thought (until yesterday) that quinoa could be used as well...now I know, quinoa makes for a perfect binding agent. Who knew?

I found this recipe, made the meatballs and instantly fell in love with them. I did tweak it a bit to add some of my fave flavors, but it was already pretty much perfect. The tahini sauce works like a charm. I also tried them with Sriracha, and they were just as good...so do play around.

Using quinoa makes these meatballs gluten-free, egg-free and dairy-free. They’re loaded with protein and calorie considerate. If that isn’t a win-win situation, I honestly don’t know what it is.
Even if you don’t trust me, do give them a try, because I know you will fall in love with them; and I don’t want to be deprived of the pleasure of saying “I TOLD YOU SO!”

Quinoa and Turkey Meatballs with Tahini Sauce Print this recipe!
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients
Makes about 26 bite size meatballs

Meatballs

1 cup / 6 oz / 170 gr white quinoa
12 oz / 340 gr organic ground turkey
¼ teaspoon plus 1 pinch ground allspice
½ teaspoon plus 1 pinch ground cumin
pinch of red-pepper flakes
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped
3 scallions, chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled
¾ teaspoon coarse sea salt

Tahini sauce

1 garlic clove, peeled
4 tablespoons tahini
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Rinse quinoa thoroughly in a fine sieve; drain. bring 2 cups (500ml) of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa; return to a boil, give a quick stir, cover and reduce heat. Simmer until quinoa is tender but still chewy, about 15 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork and set aside to cool.
In the meantime, process one garlic clove, tahini, lemon juice, and ¼ cup of water in a food processor until smooth. If necessary, thin with water. Season with salt and pepper, transfer to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
In a dry large nonstick skillet over medium high heat, toss and toast quinoa with allspice, cumin and red pepper flakes for 2 minutes. Taste and season with salt. Set aside.
Put turkey, mint, scallions, garlic clove, and salt in a clean bowl of a food processor; pulse until a smooth paste forms. Add quinoa, process until mixture clumps around the blade, about 2 minutes.
Transfer to a bowl. With dampened hands, roll about 2 scant tablespoons quinoa mixture into a ball; flatten slightly, and set aside on a plate. Repeat with remaining mixture to make all meatballs.
Heat the same skillet over medium heat until hot. Working on batches, lightly coat meatballs with

with cooking spray. Cook meatballs in skillet, turning once, until cooked through, about 8 minutes per sides. Transfer patties to a clean plate, and loosely cover with foil to keep warm.
Serve warm (or cold) with the tahini sauce.

Nutrition facts

One meatball scores 37 calories, 1.4 grams of fat, 3.1 grams of carbs and 3 grams of protein.

Spicy Mexican Quinoa Casserole

2013-05-22T04:30:00.000-04:00

If you’re familiar with this blog, you know how much we love quinoa. We already made bread, patties, soup, frittata, more patties, salad and tabbouleh with quinoa. Apparently, quinoa fits in almost any dish we’re cooking. Which got me thinking...maybe I should change the name of the blog from “TheIronYou” to “TheIronQuinoa” or “TheQuinoaYou”. Doesn’t sound bad, at all. I’ll give it a thought.

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In the meantime (I’m still debating with myself whether changing the name or not) I’m making an awesome casserole with quinoa. Lots of spices, lots of veggies, lots of quinoa and a bit of oozing cheese to make you crave. Awesomeness.Basically this is your classic Mexican Turkey (or Chicken) Casserole, minus the meat, plus the quinoa. No joke.

Let’s not forget that quinoa is arguably the best plant-based source of protein. It includes all 9 essential amino acids in adequate quantities. So there’s no missing the meat over here.
If you’re not very fond of quinoa (and you should ask yourself why), this casserole is a good way to hide and make yourself enjoy it. Trust.

Important credit

The folks over at Corazonas recently contacted me for a review of their tortilla chips. They sent some samples of their chips in three different flavors: Lightly Salted, Black Bean and Cheese, and Squeeze of Lime.
Corazonas are different from the other tortillas available on the market because they are infused with cholesterol-lowering plant sterols (over 140 clinical studies show that plant sterols may help naturally reduce cholesterol when consumed at beneficial amounts). I’m normally not very keen on snacking but Corazonas’ health claims spiked my curiosity, thus I decided to give it a-go.
I tried all the flavors and my favorite was (by far) the Black Bean and cheese. They also proved to be the perfect companions for this quinoa casserole. If you are interested in giving them a try head on over to their website.

Chips chips chips chips. I’m showing you my hand dipping a Corazonas Black Bean and Cheese chip into this yummy mountain of Spicy Mexican Quinoa Casserole goodness, you won’t be disappointed with this combo.

Spicy Mexican Quinoa Casserole Print this recipe!
Inspired by PinchofYum and adapted from CookingLight

Ingredients
Serves 5

2 cups cooked quinoa (you’ll need about 1 cup / 6 oz / 170 gr of uncooked quinoa)
1 medium onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 8 oz / 225 gr can tomato sauce
1 medium tomato, diced
2 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
ground black pepper
2 bell peppers, chopped (I used one red and one yellow)
1 cup / 4 oz / 113 gr Mexican cheese (or sharp cheddar), shredded
handful spring onions

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly grease a 8x8 baking dish.
In a skillet over medium heat add oil, garlic and onion. Saute’ for about 3 minutes.
Add chopped tomato, tomato sauce, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir and let simmer on low heat for 7 minutes.
In a dry nonstick skillet over medium high heat, toss and toast quinoa with cayenne pepper, chili powder and cumin for 2 minutes. Taste and season with salt. Set aside.
In the same skillet over medium-high heat, place the diced peppers and DO NOT stir. This allows the peppers to get the brown roasted look on the outside. Wait for 2 to 3 minutes before stirring, then let them roast for another 2 minutes before removing from the heat. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine tomato mixture, quinoa, ½ of the shredded cheese and ½ of the bell peppers.
Transfer quinoa mixture to baking dish, top with remaining bell peppers and cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and garnish with green onions.
Serve with tortilla chips, salad, sour cream or just eat it plain.

Nutrition facts

One serving of this Spicy Mexican Quinoa Casserole (which is very filling) scores 247 calories, 11.8 grams of fat, 25.8 grams of carbs and 10.4 grams of protein.

Banana Oatmeal Protein Pancakes

2013-05-20T06:00:00.002-04:00

I’m pretty much obsessed with pancakes (who isn’t?). Good thing there’s like a million ways to make them.
This recipe has been my staple breakfast for a while. You might argue that this will never replace “real” pancakes made with butter and white flour; au contraire, they’re just as good.
They fill you up, they taste awesome, they’re nutritionally complete and good for you. Just what a power breakfast should be really about.

I usually whip up the batter when I get up, before going for my morning run (or swim, depending on the day). When I get home I cook the pancakes while I’m showering and getting ready for the day. Yep, I can multitask...

Banana Oatmeal Protein Pancakes Print this recipe!

Few notes. If you don’t feel like using protein powder sub it with whole wheat flour. Adding sugar is optional, it really depends on how you’re feeling when you wake up. I normally don’t feel there’s the need as the bananas add enough sweetness; but who am I to judge?

Ingredients
Serves 2 (or 1 hungry athlete)

¼ cup / 0.7 oz / 20 gr rolled oats
10 banana slices (about ½ banana)
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
pinch fine grain sea salt
1 scoop protein powder (or ¼ cup / 0.88 oz / 25 gr whole wheat flour)
dash of vanilla extract
¼ cup / 50ml milk (soy, almond, hemp or regular)
2 egg whites (or 1 egg)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar (optional)

Directions

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together milk, egg and vegetable oil.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir to combine. If the mixture is too thick (which might depend on the quality of the protein powder you’re using) whisk in further milk to achieve a pancake-like consistency.
Pour batter onto a lightly greased frying pan and spread with the back of the spoon. Cook on low until golden brown on both sides.
Top with maple syrup, cocoa, pecans, banana, etc.

Nutrition facts

One serving has 157 calories, 4 grams of fat, 16 grams of carbs and 15 grams of protein.