all about quinoa

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Gearing up for Thanksgiving and all its rich, sweet dishes, I think it might be wise to nourish ourselves with some super healthy foods for the next couple of days. One ingredient I always fall back on is quinoa, which is rich in protein, high in fiber, and is a great foil to so many veggies, cheeses, olives, fruit... the list goes on. Deborah Madison offers one lovely quinoa chowder recipe in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone: it includes sauteed onions, garlic, potatoes, scallions & spinach and is finished off with feta cheese and boiled eggs (last time I substituted fresh corn for the eggs and it was awesome). Heidi Swanson over at 101 Cookbooks has so many quinoa recipes that she's elevated it to a pantry staple in our house: Double Broccoli Quinoa, Delicious Big Bowl, and Lemon-Scented Quinoa Salad, just for example. Her many recipes inspired me to create one of my own, with a new fab combo: kidney beans and quinoa. Here it is!

Quinoa with Kidney Beans, Peppers, & Feta

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1 c. quinoa, rinsed well
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
1/2 c. crumbled feta
1/2 squeezed lemon

Combine quinoa with 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until quinoa grains start to open up and feel tender. Drain.
Meanwhile, in a large oven-proof skillet, saute cumin seeds in oil for 30 secs, then add onion, bell peppers, & garlic. Sautee for 10 min. until the peppers & onions are nicely caramelized.
Add cooked quinoa to the skillet and toss together with the peppers & onions. Add the rinsed beans to the mixture and top with feta cheese. Put the whole skillet under the broiler to brown the feta cheese.
Finish off with a squeeze of lemon. Serves 2 1/2 hungry people.

Stay tuned for the sweet & savory tastes of Thanksgiving!

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