My Favorite Quinoa
This weekend I made one of my favorite dishes, Quinoa, since I was actually home for all of 48 hours! Quinoa is actually not a grain but tastes like one. My Principals of Food course taught me that it is actually a “pseudocereal”, which means it grows differently than our common cereal grasses most people know as rice, wheat, and corn. It’s closely-related to beets and spinach actually! It is about the size of couscous, much smaller than rice, and it uniquely offers all essential amino acids which makes it a plant source of complete protein.
Other nutrition benefits? You bet! It is high in magnesium and iron, gluten-free, easy to digest and energy dense!
Some of my readers know this grain very well but I know there are at least a few that have never made it before. The best recipe for a basic quinoa is Herbed Quinoa- which I made in a food lab course. The recipe was more complicated because you steam it and take a couple extra steps- however – the texture is amazing. I decided to make my favorite go-to recipe that is easy and takes minimal effort.
Ingredients:
1 cup Quinoa
2 cups water
1 can garbanzo beans
1 English Cucumber, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
cherry tomatoes, chopped
3 oz. feta cheese
* Seasonings: 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp minced garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil + 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (Italian Dressing works too)
Preparation:
Cook Quinoa much like you would rice- 1 cup “grain” to 2 cups water – bringing to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for approx. 15 minutes or water is absorbed. While the Quinoa cooks, drain Garbanzos, chop vegetables.
Add all remaining ingredients to cooked quinoa, saving cheese until it all cools down a bit.
It was so delicious and easy to make. The weather was ridiculously warm yesterday, getting up to 85*. I think the heat reminded me of this perfect dish for warm weather, when you don’t feel like eating much or cooking much! It makes a great lunch too-
Have you ever made Quinoa?
If so, What is your favorite Quinoa recipe?
If not, Would you want to try it ?
I am still on the road and just stopped at Starbucks for coffee! I HAD to share a picture from my last site visit though- One of my programs had a class that graduated Steps to Health!
