I was inspired by Smitten Kitchen’s Grilled Eggplant and Olive Pizza to make this pizza; mine included grilled slices of CSA eggplant and onion, plus fresh parsley and provolone cheese. J. didn’t want olives, so I nixed those.
I slice the eggplant too thin and didn’t brush them with enough olive oil, so instead of getting smokey and creamy while they cooked on the grill, they became a little like eggplant chips. I figured the texture wouldn’t be terrible underneath provolone, so I carried on with the pizza-making. I buy refrigerated pizza at my local supermarket — they carry both white and whole wheat varieties (I used one of each this time). I follow the directions on the package, letting the dough come to room temperature and dusting my surface with flour before stretching it out. Even though I’m able to get the dough stretched out pretty thin, it never gets crisp like a crust should. Maybe I should be par-baking the crust before I add toppings? A different pan? (Usually I use a cookie sheet.) I wind up taking the pizzas out when the tops look done, but often the crust is undercooked a bit and still doughy.
J., who is getting better at figuring out ways to be both truthful and tactful about my cooking at the same time, took one bite and said “We probably need a pizza stone in order to get the crust crisp.” He ate salad instead. The plain mozzarella and tomato sauce pizza I made for the kids suffered the same consistency/undercooked issues, and even G. who is our most eager pizza-eater only made it through half a slice before making a beeline for a container of yogurt. I thought it was fine, but clearly I have lower pizza standards than the rest of my family. I ate a couple of slices of the eggplant pizza, and then peeled the toppings off the rest of the pie to round out my lunch.
Once the three of them had alternate food in front of them, there was a lull in our lunch conversation, and G. piped up out of nowhere: “There are all different kinds of happy.” Yes, there really are. We talked about some (excited, kind of sad/emotional like at a wedding, etc.), and then I volunteered this one: “I’m happy because even though this meal didn’t turn out as planned, I’m proud (happy) that I used the grill again and that I made a nice meal for my family.” Even if they didn’t eat it. That’s still a happy in my book.
I found this recipe for Eazy [sic] Greek Chicken & Orzo on Tasty Kitchen, a new cooking community developed by Ree, The Pioneer Woman. If I had to describe it in two words, I’d say: bland and gloppy. The predominant taste was of tomato, and it just reminded me of something soft, warm, and mild that you’d want to eat while recovering from an illness. Not offensive in any way, just so blah. That said, my other adult diners that night liked it a lot and took seconds! So my opinions was not universally shared.
I still like the idea of this recipe, so here’s what I’d do next time: I’d caramelize an onion in some olive oil, and brown bite-sized pieces of chicken breast in the same pan until it was golden brown. Then I’d add the tomatoes, vegetable or chicken stock instead of the water, and the orzo and spices. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the orzo is completely cooked, and then stir in the olives. I’d also add some spinach for color and to bump up the veggies. In fact, that preparation sounds so good I may just make it again next week for comparison.
I know Cristen at Savory But Sweet was planning to make the same dish for the first time this weekend, and I was able to tell her my impressions after I’d cooked it but before she did, so I’m eager to know how her version turned out.
The prep for this crock pot dish is very quick and the recipe is easy, but the result was not terribly memorable. Sometimes that’s all you need out of a crock pot recipe, though: decent, healthy, filling food that gets you from hungry to satiated. The author of this recipe describes it as “simple, warming, and nourishing” and I think those adjectives are right on the money. I could see this being a welcome dish on a blustery day when you’ve been outdoors shoveling or sledding for hours.
The grassy, asparagus-like flavor that I discovered when I cooked the quinoa pudding a few weeks ago is still here, but it works in this savory dish that includes other vegetables as well. I didn’t find it off-putting at all.
I would suggest liberal amounts of ground pepper and kosher salt. Browning the chicken first might also add another level of flavor to this otherwise simple dish. And finally, although it cooks for 4 hours on high, my baby carrots were still a bit al dente — not expected and out of place in this comfort dish. Maybe they needed to be cut smaller? (I left them whole.)
All in all, I would probably choose to make chicken soup over this dish — to me, they both satisfy that same craving for hearty, familiar, no-fuss comfort food.
1 c. quinoa (I buy a pre-rinsed variety, follow the directions on your package)
2 c. vegetable stock
2 c. water
1½ lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, in bite-sized pieces
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. of salt
8 oz. baby carrots
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
10 oz. baby bella mushrooms, halved or quartered
Add ingredients to your crock pot in the order listed. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving so the quinoa and liquid thicken to a stew-like consistency. Adjust seasoning and serve.
I had such high hopes for this recipe. Quinoa is a seed that seems like a grain, and is OK to eat on Passover — I have made it during the year as well. I’ve always found it to have a very mild flavor, a tiny bit nutty but mostly taking on the flavors of the other items with which it was cooked.
That was not my experience with this sweet quinoa pudding, a take on comfort food-favorite rice pudding. I noticed a strong asparagus odor while I was cooking the quinoa in the milk, and the flavor of asparagus was very pronounced even once the pudding had cooled. Asparagus? Yes, I was as confounded as you. I did some searching and found that Heidi at 101 Cookbooks once described quinoa as asparagus-like, too.
Lotus at Good Food Comes from Happy Cows sums it up:
Quinoa? Quin why not? She suggested the black quinoa, saying how yummy it was. As I was cooking it up (only 15 cook time, gotta love it) Thor asked if I was cooking broccoli. Nope. Was I cooking green beans? Nope. Was I cooking asparagus? Nope. Then we realized it was the quinoa. It smells very, uh, green while cooking.
The other times I’ve cooked quinoa it’s been in vegetable stock or water, so perhaps it was the milk that really brought out the aroma of grass. Those were savory recipes, too, whereas this one adds both sugar and honey to the mix. Quinoa is, after all, related to spinach, beets, and swiss chard: I suppose the grassy, plant-like characteristics shouldn’t surprise me.
A., who is a huge fan of rice pudding, wouldn’t taste this quinoa version. I really didn’t care for this sweet asparagus custard I’d inadvertently created, so I won’t be eating any more of it. The consistency was right-on, but I couldn’t get past the off flavor of vegetation in my dessert. I will save some for mom, however, in case she wants to try it — I have a feeling she might like it.
Note that I made a super-plain version of the original recipe, omitting the dried fruit to encourage my kids to taste it, and forgoing any spices because I only bought paprika for Passover this year.
3/4 c. quinoa, rinsed
4 c. 1% milk
1/4 c. white sugar
1/4 c. honey
2 large eggs
In a large saucepan, mix quinoa and 3 cups of the milk together. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until quinoa is soft and fully cooked.
While quinoa is cooking, whisk sugar, honey, eggs, and remaining cup of milk together in a small bowl. Once quinoa is fully cooked, slowly pour egg mixture into quinoa, stirring constantly.
Raise heat slightly and cook pudding, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes until mixture thickens (it took me 4 minutes to see the thickening begin — be patient!).
Pour pudding into a glass or ceramic dish and let cool slightly. To prevent a skin, cover surface directly with plastic wrap* and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Pudding will keep in the refrigerator for up to two days.
* Choose a plastic wrap that is free of plasticizers, like Saran, which does not use PVC, BPA, or pthalates in the manufacture of its products.
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more about me and CITK, and keep in touch:
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I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more 
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