It is brussel sprout season. Every year I see the brussel sprouts, still attached to the stalk, like some magical mystical ingredient that I have absolutely no idea what to do with! And every now and then I pick something up. I stare at it in my refrigerator for a couple of days. But half of the time it eventually ends up in dog food because I don't really know what I want to do with it! Today, though, I am endeavoring to make it work. A lot of bars around here like to make balsamic roasted Brussel sprouts with shaved parmesan. They're fine. They seem a little hoity toity hipster food. I wanted to do something that was a little bit hipster junk food and a little bit old world European peasant food. So, I decided to play up the balsamic angle with balsamic vinegar and Brussel sprout quinoa.
That might sound like an odd combination of flavors. After all, let's take the balsamic from roasted Brussel sprouts, the hearty vegetables from a Brussel sprout soup, and toss it all into a rice cooker with quinoa?? This likely isn't done that often! But that's what experimenting with food is for. And I certainly was not disappointed! The vinegar plays up the bitterness of the quinoa, which is balanced out by the carrots and the Brussel sprouts. Add a little bit of roasted garlic and tofu just for fun? And it's a delicious, nutritious, and quick and easy meal to make to boot.
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Variations of Brussel Sprout Quinoa
I am a big fan of quinoa. I almost always have a batch of quinoa or lentils in the fridge. I usually make more quinoa in the summer and more lentils in the winter. But the weather is starting to look a little bit more springy. Despite being so cold (although it does snow all throughout spring in Wisconsin!). And, having something a little bit more bright and colorful during the malaise? I'm a fan of. There are so many more things that you can make with Brussel sprouts, though! From curry to burritos to bruschetta.
This Brussel sprout quinoa is a medley of carrots, shallots, roasted garlic, balsamic, tofu, and tomatoes with a fun European peasant flare. People like to ask what I cook and I'm often kind of dumbfounded going... a bit of everything? With some peasant food mixed in?? There's something so hearty about Brussel sprouts, carrots, and tomatoes. But it doesn't have to just be soups, stews, and potatoes! (Not that I won't do that, because that is absolutely delicious!) Today, I'm mixing things up a bit with quinoa, tofu, and balsamic vinegar.
Add brussel sprouts, carrots, shallots, garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, quinoa, water, and spinach to a rice cooker.I usually add the spinach earlier in the process, but almost forgot about it and mixed it in right before cooking! Either way is fine. The order that you put ingredients into the pot doesn't make that much of a difference. I'll usually start with the larger ingredients, like sweet potatoes, and end with the spices on top. But this is more or less a matter of personal preference. Everything will eventually cook in!
Press the cook button on the rice cooker. While quinoa is not rice, it does cook the same and oftentimes better than rice in a rice cooker. It typically takes 30-45 minutes.
Fry Tofu
While the quinoa is cooking, drain the water out of the tofu and cut into cubes.
Wrap in paper towels to absorb the moisture.It's important to absorb as much water out of the tofu as you can. Oil is less dense than water, so the molecules repel one another. With cold ingredients, this causes separation. When you're frying at high temperatures, though, this can cause boiling hot oil to spray back at you.
Meanwhile, preheat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
When the skillet has preheated and the majority of the water has absorbed into the paper towels, carefully add the tofu to the skillet. Fry until golden brown. This should take about 2-4 minutes. Rotate until all sides are evenly fried.
Remove from heat and wrap again in paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
Finish Quinoa
When the quinoa is fully cooked, add tofu, tomato, salt, and pepper.
Fluff with a wooden spoon and serve.Do not use a fork or other metal utensil to fluff! It will scratch off the nonstick surface on the rice cooker. This will leach teflon into your food and cause future dishes to stick to the bottom.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
I used Roasted Garlic in this recipe. This is entirely optional, though. You can easily cut the amount of garlic in half! If you do want to roast garlic, you'll need at least a head of garlic, olive oil, and a garlic roaster or aluminum foil.
For a more in-depth article on preparing tofu, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Fried Tofu. Tofu is a surprisingly simple ingredient to work with that is very often overcomplicated. There are some easy pitfalls to avoid for perfectly soft tofu with a nice, crispy fried edge. Using a minimal amount of oil and avoiding the hard, dried out consistency of over-baking or deep frying!
While quinoa is not rice, it does cook the same and oftentimes better than rice in a rice cooker. For more tips and tricks to rice cooker quinoa, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Making Quinoa, including a stovetop version if you don't have or don't want to use a rice cooker.
I also tend to prefer tamari over soy sauce. They're both made from fermented soy and a lot of recipes use them interchangeably. Tamari tends to have a richer flavor and less salt content. It also tends to be gluten free.
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