Chocolate Quinoa Cake...Gluten-Free

Chocolate Quinoa Cake... Gluten-Free.  Since I've shared a couple of savory recipes using quinoa, I thought to also share a dessert recipe.... just to balance things out a bit:). Actually, I made this recipe quite a long time ago, just never got the chance to post it... photo isn't the best, but the idea is there. You can easily make a fancy version of this cake by frosting it with your favorite frosting. But if you don't want to frost the cake, then you can just serve it as an everyday snack cake, with a simple sprinkling of powdered sugar... and maybe a scoop of ice cream with a few berries:).

The recipe is simple to prepare... you'll just need to cook some quinoa and then blend the ingredients until smooth. There's no need to worry about over-mixing.... no gluten to worry about. The cake freezes well, so it's nice to be able to know that you can make it ahead and then frost later. The only thing is about this cake is that it contains quite a bit of sugar. I suppose it's there to balance out the amount of cocoa powder. But I ended up using quite a bit less sugar for mine( it will make the cake have a more bitter cocoa flavor, but I don't mind). I've posted the recipe with the full amount of sugar, and will leave the sugar amount to everyone's preference:).... if you cut down the sugar, you may want to us a bit less of the cocoa.

In case you're  interested, you can see another version of this cake that was baked by Megi from LindenTea... with agave, coconut oil and a bit less cocoa.  Really nice cake... for being gluten-free, I think it's great. Hope you enjoy...        

Note: The coconut is my personal addition, feel free to leave out... also, I added 1 TBS orange zest to mine. 

You will need: inspired by blog.babble and originally from the book Quinoa 365

2/3 cup golden quinoa

1 1/3 cup water

1/3 cup milk

4 large eggs

2 tsps pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

1 1/2 cups sugar*

1 cup cocoa powder(I used DARK Hershey's)

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup coconut, optional (I added)

*I only used 3/4 cup, but feel free to use the whole amount, especially if you are not frosting it or if you like yours sweeter.

Directions:

1. Wash and rinse quinoa well... do a few rinses.

2. In a saucepan, add quinoa and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes and then turn off heat and leave the covered saucepan on burner for an additional 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 
Lightly grease two 8-inch round or square cake pans and line with parchment paper.

4. Combine the milk, eggs and vanilla in a blender or food processor.... at this point I also added some orange zest. Add 2 cups cooked quinoa and the butter and continue to blend until smooth.... try to get it as smooth as you can( I didn't so you can see some of the quinoa flecks in the cake:).

5. Whisk together the sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add the contents to the blender/food processor and mix well.

6. Divide the batter between the 2 pans. Bake on the center oven rack for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife( toothpick) inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Take cake out from oven and cool completely in the pan. Frost if desired. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.

Cooking with Quinoa... and Two Quick Salads

Quinoa Salad( Tabbouleh-style) with Pecans.... and Quinoa Caprese Salad. I've been cooking with quinoa for some time now and suddenly realized that I haven't posted a single recipe using the wonderful nutritious seed( it is a complete protein( has all 9 essential amino acids) along with high amounts of magnesium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, and other minerals and vitamins). And the really neat thing is that quinoa is also gluten-free...

I love to use the cooked quinoa as a substitution for rice, potatoes, or pasta.... I may add some sauteed onion/garlic to it and make it a bit more flavorful, but I also love adding fresh vegetables to cooked quinoa and making a salad. I've posted 2 simple salads below... a take on the Tabbouleh and Caprese Salad. You can easily add some cooked quinoa to a black bean and corn salad as well. But there are many variations, and it really is limited only by one's imagination.

There's really nothing fancy about these couple of salads, and many of you may have even better salad ideas( which by the way, I would love to hear about). But maybe it will be of inspiration to some. And if you've never tried quinoa, you just may want to make a salad or two:). Hope you enjoy...


Note: I put a range  for some of the ingredients, just because both these salads really does depend on personal taste. Start out with the smaller amount, taste and increase amounts as needed. You may even use more than the amounts I listed...

Quinoa Salad( Tabbouleh-style) with Pecans

You will need: 

2/3 cup golden quinoa
1 1/3 cup water
~~~~~~~~~~~
2-4 TBS lemon juice, freshly squeezed
3-4 TBS extra virgin olive oil
2-4 TBS flat leaf parsley, chopped
1-2 TBS mint, chopped
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced (I don't bother with peeling and seeding)
1 small cucumber, diced (I like to use the small Persian cucumbers)...optional
1/3-1/2 cup chopped pecans
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Wash and rinse quinoa real well.... this is important, as you want to take out all the bitterness/pesticides/saponin from the quinoa. Do a few rinses.

2. In a saucepan, add quinoa and water...  sometimes I like to use a bit less water, like 1 1/4 cups. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes and then turn off heat and leave the covered saucepan on burner for an additional 10-15 minutes... or until all the water has been absorbed. I have an electric stovetop, so I still have some residual heat to the pan, but I find leaving it covered for 15 minutes is just right.  Fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool.
3. Add the chopped vegetables, the herbs, some of the olive oil and lemon juice... season with salt and pepper. Taste the salad and adjust... add extra oil, lemon juice, and salt, if needed. Stir in the nuts. 

Quinoa Caprese Salad

Tip:  You can easily use cherry tomatoes and mozzarella pearl balls... it will probably look prettier:)  

You will need:

2/3 cup golden quinoa
1 1/3 cup water
~~~~~
2 tomatoes, seeded and cut in half wedges
1/4-1/3 cup lightly packed torn basil leaves, or to taste
6 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut in wedges
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1-2 TBS apple cider vinegar(could use balsamic, but salad will be darker in color, or if you can find a white balsamic vinegar)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Wash and rinse quinoa real well.... this is important, as you want to take out all the bitterness/pesticides/saponin from the quinoa. Do a few rinses.
2. In a saucepan, add quinoa and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes and then turn off heat and leave the covered saucepan on burner for an additional 10-15 minutes....or until all the water has been absorbed. I have an electric stovetop, so I still have some residual heat to the pan, but I find leaving it covered for 15 minutes is just right.  Fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool.
3. Tear basil leaves in large pieces( you could julienne it, if you like). Cut tomatoes in wedges remove seeds and cut wedges in half. Cut mozzarella in cubes or wedges.
4. Add oil and vinegar to cooled quinoa.... then the torn basil leaves, cut tomato pieces, and mozzarella chunks. Add salt and pepper. Mix to combine.
5. Taste the salad and adjust... add extra oil, vinegar, and salt, if needed.