I'm a big fan of quinoa. Each color has a slightly different flavor, you can mix it with all kinds of yummy ingredients and it's great for you (from what I hear). I'm trying to come up with side dishes that are tasty but don't include a lot of starchy foods. Rice, potatoes and pasta just won't do if you're trying to eat more healthy. So today I have quinoa and vegetables to share with you. The recipe anyway, I already ate the food.
Quinoa and Vegetables
Quinoa is a great replacement for meals that you would normally include rice or a pasta side dish. You can mix in all kinds of other flavors and the quinoa just compliments them. In this dish I used a mixture of rainbow quinoa, radishes, cauliflower and chia seeds. YOu could add any combination of vegetables really. Most the time I add mushrooms and onions too. If you're curious, the rainbow quinoa is a mixture of all the different colors and you can buy it prepacked. Usually you see the basic tan color, however you can also buy a red quinoa variety which I think has a far more earthy kind of nut flavor.
Here's how you make quinoa with vegetables:
Cook up the quinoa according to your package directions. It's usually 2 cups of water to 1 cup quinoa. Add a little salt or other seasonings of your choice.
Chop up all the vegetables. In a separate pan, a skillet would work well, cook up the vegetables until they are softer – your preference of texture is fine. I like to cook my vegetables in a skillet with a little olive oil or real butter. I also like to season with Jane's Mixed up Salt or sea salt. Garlic is a staple in our house, so even if I don't mention it, there's probably garlic in there.
Remove the quinoa from the stove. Mix in the cooked veggies. Add a couple tablespoons of chia seeds. Serve and scarf it up. You can see tiny flecks of green in this dish… that's cilantro. You can include it or not, I just like the color.
If you've never made quinoa before, it might seem tricky to know when it's finished cooking. At first quinoa looks like bird seed. Once it's finished cooking, there are tiny little strings that circle each seed. You can see them in the photos although they might be hard to spot. Once you see your pan full of seeds also include all these strings, your quinoa is finished. It should be about the consistency of rice but with a nutty flavor.
