Intro to Chopped - Round 1!!

spazztazztic

Intro to Chopped - 4 ingredients are listed at the start of a round; the challenge is to come up with a way to use them to make something delicious. You may use other ingredients in addition to the ones listed - the only catch is you must use all 4 challenge ingredients.

How to play - We will have 1 week to come up with a creative way to use the challenge ingredients and get cooking. You dont need to make your meal to play but its a lot more fun if you get to taste your food and its even easier to judge if we get to see a picture

What happens next? - Everyone reading this thread even if they're just lurking and don't want to play that round is able to vote for ideas they like by "reacting" to posts; don't be cheap on the love you can vote as many times as you'd like per round. At the end of the challenge, the votes are tallied and the winner selects the next 4 ingredients for us to use.

☆ROUND 1☆ - Quinoa, Broccoli, Carrots, Coconut Milk.

spazztazztic

I made broccoli, carrot, and cheese quinoa bites for dinner last night. I cooked up some qunioa and added a bag of riced broccoli I had on hand to it and grated a medium sized carrot for some more color. I added some eggs for binding and shredded cheese then mixed it all up really well and put it in mini muffin tins. It was super yummy and well recieved by my quinoa hating hubby and 1/2 kids! For dessert I treated myself to a lovely chai with coconut milk. Sadly, this is the best pic of my creation and dessert isnt included in it.

lorrpb

Great start! Maybe ask people to include the calories too.

spazztazztic

Heading into the weekend now theres plenty of time to try something new.....or maybe just give a makeover to a current favorite. Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

mirapeerance

Broccoli half way to hollandaise soup.

As for the broccoli cook and puree into a thickish soup add one egg , one tbsp butter or coconut oil, salt and pepper to taste and stir over low heat until egg begins to thicken then add slowly and stir in the juice of half of a lemon. Keep this last part below boiling to prevent curdling. Delicious and half way to hollandaise without TOO many calories.

---

Gajar(carrot) quinoa halvah:

A traditional North Indian sweet dish, but doesn't need to be too sweet. Ingredients: grated carrots, coarsely chopped and lightly toasted almonds, raisins, cardamom liberated from their pods and lightly crushed.,parboiled quinoa. Add all this cooked in coconut milk in a sturdy pan, stirring all the time until the carrots and quinoa are very well cooked and the whole mixture is quite thick then add a tablespoon or 2 of honey (to taste) and stir a little more on minimum heat. Can be served warm or chilled, but sprinkle some saved back toasted almonds on at the end. Keep the proportion of Quinoa less than carrots and be patient with the stir stir stir!

---

All quantities can be bent to suit main ingredients and the diners of the day.


Thanks for this fun challenge. If I get round to cooking it this weekend I'll send photos, but don't hold your breath!!.

mirapeerance

PS the broccoli soup will be easier at the end heated over a pan of water just over the boil :

spazztazztic

Yum! Your recipes sound so interesting i would definitely want to experiment a little with those ideas

spazztazztic

So it seems this basket was kind of a dud.....i guess by default @mirapeerance is the winner and can pick the next ingredients! Come on, people let see what you got - and remember you dont need to make your food to play just typing out what you *would* do is good enough

workmani

Yeah I don’t know why I didn’t write in what I would do.

nickssweetheart

Now that the contest is over, I'll leave this:

Peanutty Quinoa Bowl with Baked Tofu

It's not my recipe, so I didn't feel that I could enter the contest with it, but I thought that whisking a little coconut milk into the dressing and using carrots and cauliflower into the bowl along with broccoli and red bell pepper would be a nice take on the basket items.

spazztazztic

That sounds like so much fun @nickssweetheart it doesnt need to be your own recipe or even a recipe at all.....even just tossing out an idea or modification on something you like is fine - the point of this is to get new and exciting ideas

spazztazztic

Looks like @mirapeerance has gone MIA so its a freebie. Whoever wants to post the next basket is welcome to - the only catch is they need to contribute by making a submission for this weeks challange (can you tell i really dont want to let this go??)

lporter229

I really like this idea. I fully intended to participate last week, but I never got around to it. In fact, I make a coconut curry dish which I am making tonight that includes carrots and broccoli. I usually serve with Basmati rice, but I was going to make some spinach quinoa cakes to serve it with instead. The best laid plans.

Anyway, in the interest in helping you to keep this idea going, I will bite for the next basket. I am kind of cheating because I already know what I am going to make, but I will be winging it on my own so it has the potential to be a disaster

Here goes the basket list:

Potatoes
Pesto
Shrimp (vegetarian option to omit the shrimp, but must sub with a protein source)
Chili oil

i hope we get some takers!

lporter229

I made this last night. It turned out really good. I told my husband about this thread and he thought it was a very cool idea. This is homemade potato gnocci with spicy vodka sauce and seafood blend topped with a bit of homemade pesto:

zcb94

Nice! I would probably cook and mash the potatoes, then layer pesto, shrimp and a dash of chili oil on top for a hash-y effect.

spazztazztic

I was hoping to have a chance to cook my dish this week but flu and pink eye have me working overtime as a mommy and i dont have much playtime in the kitchen. My take on this weeks basket was oven baked tempura surimi sticks with creamy chili infused dipping sauce and a side of pesto rubbed potatoes. If i get a chance i will update this post with more info

madwells1

I want to do this one too, just haven't had time.

I want to make a shrimp and arugula pizza. My recipe will be as follows:

1 potato pizza crust (actual pizza crust but modified to include the potato and using cassava and tapioca flours instead of regular flour as I am 'paleo-ish' )
Olive oil and garlic as the sauce
Shrimp, feta mozzarella with and arugula toppings with a Pesto chili oil drizzle

DanielleFayeS

I'd make shrimp sauteed with chili oil and garlic, with a side of crispy pesto roasted potatoes. If my husband liked shrimp I'd actually try making it!

madwells1

crazyravr wrote: »

Let me simplify this for you
shred potato and mix up with and egg. Bake until crusty in the pan flipping once.
Top with whatever and bake again. Its not a real pizza anyways so why bother with the extra flour lol

That would be boring though!!!

lporter229

Is somebody going to post ingredients for the next basket? I am enjoying this thread and would like to keep it going.

spazztazztic

**BUMP!!** i'll post it if nobody else will but its so much better if more people get involved on a side note, i also loved the ability to sub a protein. Great work @lporter229

spazztazztic

Ok, i guess i'll be putting out this weeks basket. Lets see what we get from chinese five spice, pineapple, chicken (or another protein sub), and peanut butter

nickssweetheart

I'd definitely go asian peanut noodle dish. Make a sauce out of soy sauce, natural peanut butter, ginger, the five spice powder, a little sugar and a little hot water. Dust the chicken/tofu with a little cornstarch and saute until crispy. Caramellize the pineapple in the tofu pan. Toss with whole wheat spaghetti noodles, sauce, tofu, and some green onions, shredded carrot, and a little steamed cauliflower.

ds41980

mmmmm.....how about a burger made with ground chicken and seasoned with the 5 spice and maybe some ginger and garlic, grilled up and on a bun with a slice of pineapple and a sauce made with a little peanut butter and some siracha, honey, sesame oil, hoisin and soy. Sounds delicious.