Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Quinoa: The best grain you've probably never heard of

Going vegetarian forced me into trying so many new foods.  It's amazing looking back and realizing all the foods that I had never thought to try! Quinoa, kale, tofu, swiss chard, zucchini, hummus, edamame.... Quinoa is a little surprising the first time you cook it, but it's very versatile and can be used in a variety of recipes or as a rice substitute. My latest quinoa dish tastes totally fresh but would probably fit in better on a hot summer day rather than the sub-zero temperatures we're currently experiencing.



Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa

Ingredients:
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp sugar
1 cup quinoa
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 fresh cilantro

Directions:
  1. Whisk together lime juice, butter and sugar in a bowl.
  2. Add quinoa to 1-1/4 cups boiling water, simmer for about 12 minutes
  3. Combine all ingredients and serve.  I prefer it cold, but it can also be eaten warm.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks so much. I'm very excited to try this recipe with a few of our local gewurzts.

    - Gene, a northern MichiTEN

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  2. I first heard of Quinoa a year or two ago when one of my students did a presentation about the Incas (apparently it used to be thought that the Spanish discouraged growing it because they wanted to suppress culture, but it might just be that without serious rinsing, it tastes bitter). Anyways, we LOVE it now. We haven't made rice in over a year. Quinoa takes seasoning well... garlic, herbs, etc. And, Costco sells it super-cheap! Rawr! It's like rice, but with protein. You'd be crazy NOT to eat it!

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