Cooking with Quinoa

I am all about simple, healthy cooking. If you haven’t tried Quinoa (keen-wa) yet, it is a must. Quinoa is not only packed with flavor, it is one of those highly acclaimed superfoods because of its high protein and fiber content. I, too, was nervous to begin cooking quinoa. How do you do it? What does it taste like? What does it go with? The simple answer is that it is easy to make, tastes great, and goes with anything. Oh, yeah, and it’s cheap!

Buying Quinoa

Quinoa can be purchased from most local grocery stores or health food stores. You can buy it plain or with seasonings already in it. My favorite quinoa is the plain stuff from Trader Joe’s. Most recipes encourage you to rinse your quinoa before cooking otherwise it can be murky looking), but the one from Trader Joe’s always appears to be clean.

Preparing Quinoa

Preparing quinoa is much like preparing rice. Boil some water, insert quinoa, reduce heat and simmer. As mentioned above, your quinoa may have to be rinsed in a fine strainer or cheese towel before boiling.

Quinoa Recipes

Here’s where you can get creative. You can add almost anything to quinoa and make it taste delicious: veggies, herbs, mediterranean flavors, southwestern flavors…

Quinoa Chicken and Veggies

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 chicken breast (optional)
• 1 tsp Olive oil
• 1 Red pepper
• 1/2 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 zucchini
• Fresh basil
• 1/4 cup Feta Cheese
• Any additional veggies optional

Prepare Quinoa: Bring chicken broth and one cup of water to a boil. Add quinoa. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Cut chicken and veggies into bite-sized, cube pieces.

In a hot saute pan add olive oil and chicken. Cook chicken until browned. Add garlic, onion and veggies. Saute until lightly softened. Mix quinoa and veggies in a large bowl. Top with feta cheese.

YUM!

Quinoa Burritos or Burrito Bowls

• 1 Cup Quinoa
• Fresh cilantro
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 can black beans
• 1/2 cup sweet corn
• Garlic Powder
• Salt
• Mexican Chili Powder
• Salsa
• Avocado
• Plain Greek yogurt

Prep quinoa as mentioned above. Toss in cilantro and garlic while simmering. Steam the corn and black beans together with salt, garlic powder and chili powder to taste.

Combine in a bowl or a whole wheat tortilla. Top with salsa, avocado, and greek yogurt.

Enjoy!