Red Quinoa Pilaf

I just tasted red quinoa for the first time and I must say that it is a gazillion times more delicious than regular quinoa, in terms of flavor AND texture! I fell in love with it at first crunch! When they coined the term "manna from heaven", I have no doubts that this delectable, nutrient-rich South American seed-grain is precisely what they were talking about.

I've put together this dish with red quinoa and vegetables and for the lack of a better term I'm referring to it as Pilaf (apparently the most commonly prepared quinoa dish by people all over the net world).



1 C Red Quinoa
2-3 C Mixed veggies - Edamame, Zucchini, Broccoli florets, chopped Carrots (an exotic grain such as this is deserving of only the finest vegetables)
2 Serrano Peppers (or Green Chillies) halved lengthwise
2 T Peanut oil (preferable the unrefined, expeller pressed variety if available)
1/2 t Garlic paste
Mixed spices - Turmeric powder, ground Coriander, ground Cumin, crushed Pepper
Salt
Freshly squeezed lime juice from half a large lime or one small lime.

Rinse the quinoa well through a finely meshed sieve or a cheesecloth.
Bring 2 C of water to boil in a wide pan, add a large pinch of salt and the washed quinoa.
Reduce heat to its lowest, cover the pan and cook for about 15 minutes, until the quinoa has absorbed all the water (lift the lid and check only after the 15 minutes, otherwise precious steam will escape and slow down the cooking process).
Turn off flame, fluff the quinoa with a fork and let it sit covered for a few more minutes.

Meanwhile, place all the vegetables (including the chillies) in a microwave safe glass dish.
Splash in the peanut oil and toss well.
Cook uncovered in the microwave for 5 minutes on high.
Add the spices, garlic paste and salt and mix well.
Cook uncovered for 3 minutes on high.

Transfer the cooked quinoa over the veggies and mix together with a fork.
Cook covered for 2 minutes.
Uncover and cook for 1 more minute.

Squeeze the lime juice over everything and mix well with a fork.
Serve this crunchy and delicious Red Quinoa Pilaf hot.

Winner of the Name the Monsters Giveaway.

When I started this giveaway I thought I'd be choosing a winner myself but all the entries are so clever and cute, it was really difficult to just pick one as the best. So I assigned each monster name a number in the order of entry, and let an online random number generator do the job for me.



And the winner is... *trumpets*

Lazlo by Kala of Vegancraftastic!

Congratulations Kala!! :)

Please send me a convo at my main etsy store with your mailing address. Your surprise Tiny Terrarium Cyclops Monster will be on his/her way to you soon. :)

Name the Monsters giveaway.

Making monsters is as easy as pie because they're so much fun to make! Once I get my fingers into the clay, I just keep going and all these little characters take shape. But when it comes to naming them, that's where the flow of creativity sometimes faces hurdles. Most of my monsters have names as loud and clear as their personalities. But there are those who, despite their innumerable traits, just don't seem to attract a perfect name. And that's where I need your help.

So I've decided that I'm going to have a Name the Monsters giveaway! :)

It's very simple, all you need to do is leave a comment on my Veganosaurus Page on Facebook (under the photo of the above monsters) with your ideas for Monster Names. On Monday, the 28th of June, I will pick a winner. And the prize? A surprise Tiny Terrarium Cyclops Monster of course! :)

So what're you waiting for. Start spinning out those monster names! :)

Crunchy Coconut Biscuits

Coconut biscuits (cookies are called biscuits here) were one of my top favorites while growing up. Particularly the ones sold at local bakeries. Sadly they are not vegan at the bakeries so I don't buy them anymore. Needless to say, I couldn't resist putting together my own recipe for them and am highly pleased with the results.

If you have the ingredients on hand, this is one quick and easy easy recipe. I find that these biscuits taste best when freshly out of the oven. So it's a great idea to mix together all the ingredients (except water) and store them in the fridge in an airtight container. Then whenever the craving hits you, just pull out as much as you like, mix in the water and bake.

Crunchy Coconut Biscuits

1 C all purpose flour
1 C dessicated coconut (dry coconut powder)
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C coconut oil (yes it must to be coconut oil)
1/4 t salt
1 t baking powder

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Rub the oil into the mixture. Add a little cold water, just enough to form a dough. Knead the dough a little.

Pinch off balls, lightly flatten on your palm and place on a cookie sheet.

Preheat oven to 180 C/ 350 F. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the edges brown.

Let them cool for a couple of minutes on the sheet and then transfer them to a cooling rack.

The sugar caramelizes in the oil and gives a special crunch to these biscuits. When you eat them warm they will be slightly chewey. After cooling completely, they become fully crunchy. Both ways are yum! :)

VSPCA needs our help.

As some of you might know, VSPCA - Visakha Society for Protection and Care of Animals is the chosen charity at Art by Susmitha. Each month, a portion of the sales from my store goes to their Cow Sanctuary.

The people at VSPCA do some amazing work to help the animals in the surrounding areas. And now that they are faced with Cyclone Laila, they need all the support and help they can get.

Here is an excerpt from the message sent out by Eileen Weintraub - VSPCA Volunteer for Global Outreach.

"Dear friends and supporters of VSPCA,

As you may know VSPCA collects funds to go out and rescue stranded and sick animals in distress when there are natural disasters.

First the shelter report:

We are worried about the front and the back stream – when there are rains (we have been experiencing heavy rains for the past three days) these are dangerous streams that can flood us.

We have shifted all the star tortoises to a higher place; all the birds to higher areas; all the ducks to higher ground and also the rabbits. The dogs have been all kept indoors in the kennels. Cats are OK and can climb up. We have asked at least ten workers on extra payroll to stay overnight.

Our shelter managers (Raj and Sarada) are staying overnight while Pradeep is taking care of this area and meeting and communications and materials . We purchased 20 raincoats and another 10 for the workers. The rest of the workers (40) have rain gear from other disasters.

The biggest problem is the 300 loose cattle who have no sheds (another 350 cattle and buffalo have sheds). If these 300 are brought in during the day there will be no possibility to clean and give them food. Therefore alternative feeding is going on. It is still raining very hard and we are doing our best to remove water logging, etc. Given the experience with past cyclones the shelter has also been built on five feet high structures with strong metal with good drainage to resist the water rush from the hills and streams.

We have kept all feed and medicines in the natural disaster rooms.

The only upsides of the cyclone are that we now have more water in our wells and borewells which were quite dry. The shelter plants and trees (although we lost several in the storm) are intact. The severe heat has come down considerably. It is only because of past planning and new drainage systems – and your support – that our shelter has survived!

Aside from our ongoing needs for food, medicine and animal birth control, currently our urgent needs for the shelter include: one genset, a new vehicle (another one is down due to old age) and a new submersible pump.

Now for our disaster outreach work:

We are concerned for the animals in the 400 km area surrounding us. This is a hurried note to inform you all as we cannot sit by while animals need our help. Kindly consider donating any amount for our efforts.



Please see our ongoing updates on Facebook (you do not have to be a Facebook member to view them).

On behalf of all at VSPCA,
Eileen Weintraub
VSPCA Volunteer for Global Outreach"