Quinoa, Corn & Spinach

When I cook quinoa, I almost always turn it into something, like "Quinoa Pilaf," featured in my first cookbook, "Omega 3 Cuisine." Sometimes I'll be in a hurry, so I'll just make it simple--adding some corn and carrot juice, for example. Then I'll use the leftovers the next day, altering the mix to make something new. Yesterday I reheated said quinoa, corn and carrot juice--with a little more carrot juice to help it bubble (versus stick and burn). When it was nice and hot, I stirred in about half a pound of baby spinach and tossed it with a silicone spatula until it had just wilted.Then I drizzled it with a little garlic-infused Udo's Oil (off the heat, of course!).

For such a simple thrown-together dish, it was a pretty impressive, but I still wanted some punch, so I topped it with a drizzle of my homemade sriracha sauce--also in Omega 3 Cuisine (recipe follows). That did it. The result was an unexpectedly spectacular mashup of color, texture, cooked/near-raw, flavor and heat. That was my lunch--in less than ten!

Sriracha Sauce 

Although it may be more convenient to buy a commercial Sriracha sauce, this could involve an unacceptable compromise, as the ingredients often include refined sugar and preservatives, and the bottle is usually plastic. Here is a home-made alternative.

15 dried red chilies, seeds and stems removed

½ teaspoon salt

4 ounces palm sugar (about ½ cup)

1 cup water

7 fresh red Jalapeno chilies

1 cup garlic cloves, peeled and root end removed

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Place the dried red chilies, salt, palm sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Set the heat to maintain a gentle rolling simmer, cover and cook about 15 minutes, or until chilies are very tender and the liquid has reduced to a syrup. Remove from the heat and add the remaining ingredients. Let the mixture cool slightly. Puree in a blender to a smooth consistency. Store in a clean glass container, refrigerated. If you like, pour into a small squeeze bottle to enable dispensing just like the commercial brand. I highly recommend returning any unused sauce to the glass container, to avoid the leaching of petrochemicals from the plastic.