First Quinoa Recipe

Have you made quinoa?  I had read about it but just tried it for the first time recently.  I think it is fabulous!  It is very similar to couscous, but cooks longer, more like rice, and is more filling than both, at least for me.  So Sunday, Bond grilled up a bunch of chicken to use this week in lunches and dinners. 

He also grilled some yummy green peppers for me and jalepenos for him. 

Then I made a big batch of Quinoa to go with the chicken and for lunches.  I wanted to make extra so I filled a pot with 4 cups of water and measured 2 cups of quinoa.  The directions say to rinse the quinoa because it can have a bitter taste.  I did this the first time I made it.  I don’t have a strainer with holes small enough and the wet quinoa sticks to everything!  I did some reading on quinoa recipes online and it seems most people only rinse it if they buy it from the bulk bin.  Since mine is prepackaged next time I will try without rinsing.  Stay tuned for an update on that…

This time I rinsed, made a huge mess of my kitchen getting the quinoa into the pot of water, and then brought it to a boil.  After it boils cover it and turn it to low or simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes (like rice!)

While I waited I cut a tomato from the farmers market to top the quinoa and grilled veggies.  

After the quinoa was cooked I added 1 ½ tablespoons each of balsamic vinegar and lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil (any oil would do though).  Then I mixed it throughout the batch of quinoa. This adds a bit of flavor and makes the quinoa more moist. 

I used a half cup measuring cup to scoop the quinoa onto plates and into tuperware for leftovers.  One half cup with the added lemon, oil, and vinegar is 150 calories.  It does not look like a huge amount of food, but it really filled me up.  The pieces of chicken were really big when they were cooked so Bond cut them all in half for a more reasonable serving size, about 4 oz. or 110 calories each half.  He added them to the leftovers and our plates, along with the grilled veggies.  I topped it off with diced and slices of tomato. 

Overall a filling, low calorie, and healthy meal.  What do you do with quinoa?