Our friend at 7th Taste, Diane S. Lee, sent us a few bottles of her delicious gourmet olive oils recently. I have been itching to use them, especially the Ancho Chile Olive Oil. It has a red tint to it and smells amazing! The flavor is the perfect amount of subtle spice and earthiness with a hint of smokiness. With a base of high-quality extra virgin olive oil, the entire experience is light, but delicious—really great for marinades and vinaigrettes.

Red quinoa is very healthy, and I consider it a great substitute for wheat and gluten. It’s filling and light at the same time, but lacks flavor. I decided to pair the red quinoa with roasted pearl onions and cranberries. I was determined to use my 7th Taste Ancho Chile Olive Oil to flavor up this dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of red quiona (this portion will expand when cooked and will serve about 2-4 people)
• 1 package or 10 ounces of white pearl onions
• handful of organic dried cranberries
• 2 tablespoons of 7th Taste Ancho Chile Olive Oil or regular olive oil
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Follow the cooking instructions on the red quinoa package to cook the quinoa. It will take about 15-20 minutes to cook one cup of red quinoa and 20 minutes to roast the pearl onions. It’s best to cook both at the same time.

Prep your onions for blanching to remove skin and soften prior to roasting:

1. Slice the flat edge of the pearl onions off to remove the leftover base of the stem. Don’t chop too much off—just a little—otherwise you won’t have much onion left.
2. Place the pearl onions in a small pot with a lid and fill with water- enough to cover all the pearl onions and then some. Add a generous pinch of sea salt, put the lid on and bring to a boil.
3. Once the water is boiling remove from heat and pour the onions and boiling water into a colander. Let the excess water drain. Set aside and let cool for about ten minutes. For faster cooling you can add the pearl onions into a pot of ice water and drain when cooled.
4.  Now, pinch the uncut side of the pearl onion to squeeze out the onion from the skin. Repeat this step until all the pearl onions are skinless and ready for roasting!

Now place the pearl onions on a baking sheet or Silpat. Drizzle two tablespoons of Ancho Chile Olive oil or regular olive oil. Toss the pearl onions in the oil to evenly coat them. Add a pinch of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Put in the oven on the center lower rack and cook for ten minutes. Remove and flip the pearl onions over to prevent burning and cook for an additional ten minutes.

When the pearl onions are finished roasting, remove from oven and add to the cooked red quinoa in its pot, plus add the cranberries. Gently mix all together and serve alongside organic chicken breasts with a fresh green salad.

Although you can use regular olive oil, I really do suggest using the Ancho Chile because it really flavored up this dish tremendously! Roasting the pearl onions with ancho chile olive oil made the onions so aromatic and the onions came out almost caramelized. The addition of dried cranberries gave the dish a punch of sweet and tart. This dish can stand alone, but I promise it goes great with organic chicken breasts seasoned with a little sea salt and black pepper.

I have two more 7th Taste Olive Oils to try out, so stay tuned for recipes to come and another Reel Chow giveaway sponsored by Diane S. Lee at 7th Taste! Bon appétit!