Cranberry Almond Quinoa Bulgur Pilaf.

Whew, what a mouthful, but wow, what a mouthful! This was great (if I do say so myself :P). I woke up this morning and just really felt like grains and veggies. Something simple, something healthy but something yummy.

I'd seen a recipe for a quinoa bulgur pilaf a few days ago and while it sounded nice it didn't have the flavours I was feeling like today so I did a bit more googling and came across this recipe which sounded like it would be a great base for a few added twists. I'm going to repost it because I made it a lot smaller to serve 2 as a main dish and changed it up a bit. It may not be necessary to pre~cook the quinoa but I didn't want to take the chance of crunchy pilaf.
Cranberry Almond Quinoa Bulgur Pilaf

1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp Butter or Margarine
3/4 cup Leek, finely sliced
1 1/4 cups Salt Reduced Vegetable Stock (use a ready made or rich home made one, not powder and water or cubes and water)
1/2 cup uncooked fine Bulgur (Bulghur/Bourghul)
1/4 cup uncooked Quinoa (any colour, I used a mix of red and white)
1 rib Celery, finely diced
3 large handfuls Baby Spinach, finely sliced
1/3 cup dried sweetened Cranberries
1/6 cup Almond Flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste

Toast the almond flakes in a dry non stick frying pan for about 5 minutes until golden and remove from heat. Set aside.

Pre~cook the quinoa for 10 minutes (use 1/2 cup water and rinse under cold water once drained).

Melt the butter or margarine in a medium heavy based saucepan over medium heat and saute the leek for 3-5 minutes or until it starts to colour. Add the celery and cook for a further 3-5 minutes or until the celery softens. If the leek is getting too brown (a bit is okay) turn the heat down.

Add the stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Add the pre~cooked quinoa, bulgur and spinach and boil for 5 minutes. Turn off heat, stir in the cranberries and cover with a lid. Let sit for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes add most of the toasted flaked almonds and stir through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve over roasted asparagus. Garnish with the last of the flaked almonds.

Makes 2 large servings of yum.

I also got baking from The Joy of Vegan Baking yesterday. I wanted something somewhat healthy for kids lunchboxes and decided on the Jam Filled Oat Bran Muffins. I made 6 filled with Jam and 6 filled with Jam and 2 choc dots.
We all love these. On first bite we were all thinking "oh no, totally healthy unsweetened oat muffin" but with the 2nd bite you hit the jam and it's like a delicious explosion in your mouth! These are definitely a hit and I'll be making them again!