Clearly ribs have gotten a bad reputation. They are junk food, not healthy, not good for you - but I often think it is the traditional side dishes that people put with ribs that make it not so good for you - fries, coleslaw, potato salad, buttery corn on the cob. I love ribs so I try to "health" them up by matching it with non-traditional sides - generally moving towards the very healthy to balance against the seemingly unhealthy ribs.The key, of course, is trying to figure out the balance of flavors - which I'm not always so good at. But I had some quinoa that I wanted to try cooking with and some broccoli that I wanted to serve steamed and cold with this lemon vinaigrette. (I've posted this recipe before.) I wanted the quinoa to highlight some of the flavors I was using in the BBQ rib sauce - apricots, cumin and just the general tangy sweetness of the sauce. It was a good meal; the kids liked the quinoa quite a bit (and it is SO healthy to boot!) and it all seemed to work well together.
Quinoa with Apricots, Cranberries, and Green Onions
Ingredients
2 c quinoa
4 c water
1/2 c diced apricots
1/2 c cranberries
1 c green onions
1/3c olive oil
2 T vinegar or lemon juice
1 T cinnamon
1 t cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Cook the quinoa according to package directions. (2 cups of quinoa will be cooked in 4 cups of water.) Once the quinoa has cooked and cooled add apricots, cranberries, green onions. Mix in a separate bowl olive oil, vinegar, cinnamon and cumin. Pour over quinoa and fruit mixture. Mix well. Salt and pepper to taste. You can serve it room temperature or cold.
Lemon Vinaigrette
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
To make the Dressing: Mince garlic and mash to a paste with salt. In a bowl whisk together garlic paste, lemon juice, vinegar, zest, and pepper and whisk in oil until emulsified. (Dressing may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring dressing to room temperature before serving.)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/make-your-own-salad-with-lemon-garlic-dressing-recipe/index.html
The Ultimate Barbecued Baby Back Ribs (Tyler Florence)
2 slabs baby back ribs (about 3 pounds)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 bacon slices
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 onion
3 smashed garlic cloves
2 cups ketchup
1 cup peach preserves
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard or 1 tablespoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground paprika
Special equipment: Kitchen twine
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Put the ribs on a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Stick them in the oven, and let the ribs bake, low and slow for 2 hours.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Wrap the bacon around the middle of the thyme sprigs and tie with kitchen twine so you have a nice bundle. Heat a 2-count of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme bundle and cook slowly for 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and give the sauce a nice smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly, without coloring, for 5 minutes. Add all of the rest of the sauce ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for 20 minutes to meld the flavors. Put some sauce in a separate bowl for basting, reserving the remaining sauce for serving.
Baste the ribs with the sauce and let them continue cooking, basting twice more, for 30 more minutes. When the ribs are cooked, take them out of the oven. You can let them hang out like this until you're ready to eat.
When ready to eat, preheat the broiler for 5 minutes and broil the ribs, basting with the sauce. They should become crisp and charred, about 5 minutes on each side. Pick the onion and garlic out of the sauce and serve with ribs.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/the-ultimate-barbecued-ribs-recipe/index.html
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