Wednesday, February 17, 2010

We wanna quinoa

Tonight I made my one vegetarian staple – yes I know I said I didn’t want any more stale recipes, but this one is a real comfort food gem. It’s a spin on the classic stuffed peppers - substituting quinoa for the ground beef. Quinoa simmered in broth with zucchini then mixed with pine nuts and cherry tomatoes is just divine. It has a delightful crunchy, bright quality. Oh quinoa (KEEN-wah) how I love thee.


Can you spot the quinoa grain? Its in the bottom left.

Quinoa, an amazing grain from South America, has been produced in the Andes for well over 5,000 years. Those Incas, who held the grain as sacred ("the mother of all grain"), sure knew a thing about powerhouse energy. It’s considered one of the only “complete” grains – containing all of the essential amino acids, a truly unusual characteristic in plants. And therefore an essential component of any balanced vegetarian diet.

In all honesty though, the first time I had quinoa my stomach tumbled and rolled for several hours. Its fiber content is intense - but you'll get used to it. Its rich complex texture is definitely worth the initial stomach shock.

Cooking quinoa, note the germ spirals... ooh, ahh...





Anna entertaining herself with her new toy - lentils












The finished product! Mmmm..


Verdict: Erik and I thoroughly enjoyed it, sopping up each grain with the red pepper. Anna, well, doesn't have much of an attention span. Sigh.

Tomorrow: daddy cooks!

3 comments:

jennrose said...

YUM! I'm sooo excited about this blog! I eat vegetarian, but I kinda just wing-it, so this will be fun to see new recipes!

Here is a very simple dish, because I have little patience for long cooking times! I made couscous, pan seared garlic with olive oil, salt and pepper, steamed some broccoli and than added it to the garlic and spice combo, then I added some coriander and cumin! Once the veges and garlic were nice and mixed for awhile, I added my couscous to the same pot and mixed everything together and let it sit for awhile. Served it in a bowl, added a little more salt and pepper and topped it with fresh feta cheese! YUM!

Probably took me 10 minutes to make and it was delicious!

Unknown said...

Looks yummy! I can't wait to see all the different meals you create. I might have to steal some recipes from you. :)

Unknown said...

I love quinoa and like to serve it with a lime/jalapeno "sauce". Also, I love vegetarian Chilli (made with Barley). It's great for this cold weather we're having!