Please fix my disgusting dinner!

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terbee
terbee Posts: 72
in Recipes
I had the best of intentions - I cooked quinoa, sauteed some onion, garlic, chard and added black beans and some lemon juice. Piled it on top of the quinoa with some slices of avocado, mango and a chunk of goat cheese. Sounds delicious right? WRONG!! It was totally gross! Avocado was under ripe, and everything else lacked flavor. Well, except for the mango and goat cheese that I was scraping the bowl for.

The worse part is, I need to use the remainder leftovers for my lunch tomorrow. Any ideas on how to make it better? What did I do wrong? (I'm a vegetarian, cooking dishes like this is not new for me and normally they turn out pretty good, but something just super failed with this one!!)

I'm thinking maybe salsa would help?!

Replies

  • LynC33
    LynC33 Posts: 196
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    Sounds like it need a little seasoning and maybe some garlic. It does actually sound very delicious!!!
  • lovetobethin86
    lovetobethin86 Posts: 202 Member
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    LOL I was going to say salsa before I even read that you thought that:) I'm vegan salsa akes everything yummy lol or u could make a tahini, lemon, garlic sauce
  • 3ur0tr45h
    3ur0tr45h Posts: 12
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    Sriracha.
  • SFbarmaid
    SFbarmaid Posts: 117 Member
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    Lemon!! try adding lemon...

    I like to make a mediterrenean quinoa salad with red onions, fresh spinach, cherry tomatoes, avovado, feta and lemon. (fresh dill too if I have it)

    I sautee the onions and garlic, toss in the hot quinoa and stir on everything else. top with avocado, and lemon.

    hope it helps.
  • twelbies
    twelbies Posts: 31
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    ^^I agree more garlic and lemon.
  • paulasue145
    paulasue145 Posts: 157
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    i love red n green bell pepper in it. and Always more garlic :)
  • LeoQuin
    LeoQuin Posts: 56 Member
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    LMFAO THAT SOUNDS SOOO NASTY... I LOVE IT!
  • LeoQuin
    LeoQuin Posts: 56 Member
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    Throw it out your window on your way to work, stop by Subway get a vegie-sub.
    Try again, call it quits on this one.
    Also, if you want really good avocados try the mexican grocery stores - Aguacates Mexico are the best brand.
    Get a tortilla from the wrap isle at the store, or make your own, some go for about 30 calories and smoother some avocado on that bad boy with some lettuce and tomato - two of those and you'll be stuffed. You need an avocado, two tortilla wrap things, a cup of lettuce and half a tomato. Booo Yaah! Lazy Mexican treat.
    Another thing you can do, is buy low sodium soy sauce, dice up every vegie in your refrigerator into thin slices, toss that in a pan and boom! Serve it with some long grain brown rice (2 cups water to 1 cup rice). Lazy Asian treat!
    Lastly, which ever bean you want, boil it. Drain it when soft, fill back up with water. Add tomato, onion - which you will finely dice of course. Add some of that quiquinoa if you want. Boo Yaah. Protein never tasted so good.
  • adietron
    adietron Posts: 155
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    I had the best of intentions - I cooked quinoa, sauteed some onion, garlic, chard and added black beans and some lemon juice. Piled it on top of the quinoa with some slices of avocado, mango and a chunk of goat cheese.
    Less = more.

    Try using around 3-4 ingredients when making quinoa (or salad). Something sweet (mango), savory (garlic, black beans), something salty (braggs liquid aminos or soy sauce). Cheese is the icing on the cake.

    Grit your teeth and plow through your left overs (with a schload of hot sauce), and vow to get redemption on your recipe next time!
  • toddramone
    toddramone Posts: 6
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    Seasoning. Salt specifically. Then try to work in a bit of flavor for something. Soy works wonders. Salsa is good.
  • CaroSeraMince
    CaroSeraMince Posts: 51
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    I find cooking quinoa in broth helps pull all the flavors together. Also, I love chard, but it can be a bit bitter depending on how old large the leaves are. I like adding a can of rotel to quinoa as well. Did you salt everything sufficiently (and by that I mean enough to bring out flavors, not make salty!). Good luck!
  • SFbarmaid
    SFbarmaid Posts: 117 Member
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    I find cooking quinoa in broth helps pull all the flavors together. Also, I love chard, but it can be a bit bitter depending on how old large the leaves are. I like adding a can of rotel to quinoa as well. Did you salt everything sufficiently (and by that I mean enough to bring out flavors, not make salty!). Good luck!

    I also love Chard! been sauteeing it with red onions, garlic and raisins... toss in a little balsamic... amazing.
  • metzlerjn
    metzlerjn Posts: 57 Member
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    Olive oil adds a lot of flavor :) healthy fats too
  • pamfm
    pamfm Posts: 93 Member
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    If there's still mango in there, I'd say add ginger and salt.

    But if you ate all the mango already, definitely more garlic, and some other herbs. Parsley or cilantro would be good (but not both). And chili peppers. And maybe more lemon juice, too.
  • giggitygoo
    giggitygoo Posts: 1,978 Member
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    I would leave out the goat cheese for lunch tomorrow. It's probably amplifying the bitter taste in the unripe avocado and in the quinoa. I would sub cheddar instead, or leave out the cheese all together and turn it into an asian style dish with some soy.



    Next time try sauteing rinsed quinoa with with onion and garlic, and steam them together. This will infuse the onion flavor throughout the dish, and bring out some toasty/nutty flavors in the quinoa. I always choose stock over water too.
  • Jesstruhan
    Jesstruhan Posts: 331 Member
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    Boy...honestly I think the flavors are wrong with the addition of the mango and avocado TOGETHER with the goat cheese (depending on the goatiness, milt is usually ok but still smacks funny with the sweet mango to me).
    If you can do it, take out the mango and avocado (esp. if the avocado is underripe)

    Add raisins (yes...raisins) or black currants, chopped almonds (just a few) and more lemon with just a touch of tzatziki (texture + flavor)
    *or*
    add raisins (the depth of sweetness in the raisin will help out the dark chard flavors), olive oil, more lemon, garlic salt and GOOD balsamic vinegar. Voila - you have converted to a mediterranean delight.

    With this combo you could risk the goat cheese, but the mango will hit far too sweet for the chard, and the avocado will be better with some salt/pepper on its own since it's not really ripe yet. Essentially the mango and the chard had a conflict of flavor. Too much deeply earthy green for the intensely sweet mango...I think this was the crux of the problem. Maybe. Right idea though.

    I hope this helps!!
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    That sounds... terrible. Just way too many non-compatible flavors messing around in there. No real way to "fix" it, other than pull it apart.
  • terbee
    terbee Posts: 72
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    lol thanks guys. I think the nail was hit on the head that mango and chard shouldn't go together. And, that I should have cooked the quinoa with broth, onion and garlic together rather than separate. Lesson learned!

    I've dumped the leftover chard mix. Thankfully I still have plain cooked quinoa separate, so I'm taking that for lunch with some dried cherries, goat cheese (I can't help it, I'm infatuated with the stuff!) and my strawberry balsamic blend. Not excited for lunch but it'll do, I hope.

    As an aside, I got a veggie sub from subway last week in a pinch, and it was the WORST thing I've had for ages. The bread was terrible... veggies tasted ancient.. never again. I really need to remember to stock up on some good soups or something for these lunchtime panics I keep getting into!

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