Vegan MoFo #4: PPK Iron Chef Challenge (Apples & Ginger)

Katie (from Don’t Eat Off The Sidewalk – you know, the creative genius behind pumpkin cinammon rolls and tempeh wingz) came up with a brilliant idea to do a vegan Iron Chef challenge for VeganMoFo. I didn’t think I’d have the time to get this done, but I’m procastinating with schoolwork and laundry and decided to get my ass in gear. The two ingredients for the first challenge are apples and ginger. I’m thankful they weren’t extravagant ingredients and also, they cost me less than $1. I think my Fuji apple was 75 cents and the knob of ginger was 7 cents.

This morning I got set in the kitchen to make my creation. I played around with some ideas, but decided to do breakfast. I pulled out the quinoa, dried cranberries, walnuts, apple juice, chamomile tea and agave nectar. My apple was peeled and cored and the ginger grated. I was ready!

First, I cooked 1/2 cup of quinoa in 1/2 c of water and 1/2 cup of apple juice (just for extra apple-y goodness). While that was cooking, I diced the apple into small chunks so I could get the most out of it. I grated the ginger (about 1.5 tsp – you could use more or less to taste, I could have done with more ginger but I was afraid of overpowering it) and cooked it with a splash of lemon juice. I got the idea that instead of drinking my morning chamomile tea to use it to cook down the apples with. I threw in about 1/2 c. chamomile tea with 1 tsp of brown sugar. Let that cook down for about 5-8 minutes, until apples are desired consistency (I prefer a combination of crunchy and soft). Your quinoa is probably done by now, provided 15 minutes have passed. If you’re anything like me, you allowed the bottom to slightly burn but the rest is pretty perfect. At this point, you mix in your quinoa with your apple mixture. Don’t worry if there’s still liquid left in there – the quinoa will soak it up and it will just add to the deliciousness. Throw in some dried cranberries and do a little breakfast stirfry for a few minutes. At the very end, toss in your walnuts and drizzle with agave nectar. Serve and enjoy!

(Sadly, it isn’t the most photogenic dish, but I’ve seen worse. The upside is that it’s delicious!)