Author: Amber French
I LOVE Quinoa.
Two things you need to know about Quinoa;
• It isn’t actually a whole grain – it is a seed from some funky beet relative.
• It is a perfect blend of all nine amino acids essential for human nutrition. This type of complete protein is rare in the plant world!
Also, if you are keeping track, it is 111 calories in a half cup (cooked) Quinoa.
I use Quinoa anytime that I would use rice. It is easy to cook, it puffs up and absorbs a lot of liquid. You can’t go wrong with 1 cup Quinoa to 2 cups water or broth.
The secret to perfect fluffy Quinoa is lots of liquid, letting it sit for 5 mins with the lid on after cooking AND using Veggie broth instead of water. Veggie broth seasons it perfectly. You can just add your Quinoa and broth and forget about it…. I just heard Donnie Brasco in my head…
I really like using Quinoa as both a sweet and savory side dish. It is killer in chill’s (it really thickens it up). I use it for the base of my curries and stir fries. It is also excellent as a base for a Veggie burger. I have used it in baking (I like to hide cooked Quinoa in my brownies – don’t tell my kids!).
You can also use quinoa flour as a gluten free substitute for wheat flour in baking and Quinoa flakes make a very low cal/low cholesterol breakfast alternative.
I really rely on Quinoa as quick and healthy side dish. My favorite go-to with Quinoa is an apple, cranberry, walnut quinoa “salad” that I love serving with Veggie burgers for dinner or with some carrots and hummus for a quick lunch.
It is super quick and easy (I kind of feel guilty calling it a recipe, but here goes!)
Sweet and Savory Quinoa Side (leftovers taste even better!)
Ingredients – Serves 5
1 box of Quinoa (approximately 225grams)
4 cups of Veggie broth
½ cup of dried cranberries (unsweetened preferably)
1 diced Gala apple (any sweet variety will do)
I/2 cup of chopped walnuts (I also enjoy slivered almonds)
1 Tbsp of 100% Maple Syrup (optional)
¼ teaspoon of pink sea salt (or to taste)
Add your veg broth to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add your Quinoa and continue to boil until all the liquid is absorbed (approximately 15 mins) stirring occasionally. Once the broth has been absorbed remove the pot from the heat and leave covered for 5 mins.
Core and chop apple into small pieces. Fluff quinoa with a fork, add all other ingredients and stir thoroughly. Season with sea salt and ENJOY!!!
It is some yummy after the ingredients have hung-out for a while (the apples soften and the cranberries plump up a bit) but I usually can’t wait for that long.
This was a special request post. If you have any ingredients that you want to try but aren’t sure what to do with them, comment below or contact Lindsay or myself. We would love to help you out.
Happy Munching,
Amber
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