MEXICAN QUINOA LUNCH

This recipe is super quick and easy to make and it screams "comfort food" to me!! Hubby has a phobia about anything spicier than salt and pepper 😉 so THIS recipe is just for me (and I LOVE it).

It's delicious at room

temperature too !!

QUINOA LUNCH

1 cup chopped onion  
1 clove garlic minced
1 seeded and de-veined jalapeno pepper chopped (optional)
1 cup white quinoa (rinsed well and drain)
15 ounce can low salt kidney beans, rinsed and drained 
1  diced red bell pepper
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes (NOT-drained)
1  14.5 ounce can of water
1 cup corn  (I used frozen)
3 teaspoons chili powder (see note about using jalapeno)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (don't leave out)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 ounce can diced mild green chiles (un-drained)

1/8 teaspoon cayenne  (more if you like heat)

Make sure you rinse quinoa grain under cold running water (and drain well)before cooking it. Quinoa has a natural coating (almost like a dust?) that can taste bitter if not rinsed off. Some brands of quinoa say "pre-rinsed" but I rinse that one too.......just to be safe (it just takes a second to do).

Saute the chopped onion in a tablespoon of oil until the onions are soft and start smelling sweet. Add the garlic and saute for another 30 to 60 seconds (but watch so it doesn't burn).

Add everything else, stir well, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a gentle simmer and put the lid on to cook for 15-20 minutes (depending on how hot your pan is).  After 20 minutes, turn heat OFF but leave lid on and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

If you are new to cooking quinoa, you will know it is done when you see a TINY white sprout curl inside each grain of cooked quinoa.

TIP: I freeze this in one cup containers for a quick lunch.  The next day, I pop one of these frozen containers (uncovered) into the microwave and heat on high for 2 minutes. If it is NOT frozen, it only takes about a minute or so. It makes a wonderful lunch !!

NOTE: My all time favorite way to eat this (and maybe it is just me), but I love it steaming hot, topped with a scoop of ice cold fat free cottage cheese.  Yum!!!  

ENJOY !!!

MUSHROOM QUINOA

The first time I bought quinoa, I cooked it without any seasonings. I tasted it, shrugged my shoulders and then put it back in the pantry. This COULDN'T be the same quinoa that people were raving about could it?

What I found out (much later) was that you have to add veggies, spices, etc. to the quinoa (while cooking) and then something magical happens. Quinoa takes on the attitude of whatever you cook it with......want beefy? cook it in beef broth, want it spicy? cook it with Rotel tomatoes. Some people even eat it for breakfast, but I haven't tried that yet.

So, lately, I've been experimenting with adding different things to quinoa and this beefy quinoa was a hit. I hope you like it too.

 

 

MUSHROOM QUINOA
3/4 cup chopped onion
6 large mushrooms
1 large carrot
1 cup peas
1 cup quinoa (rinsed and drained)
2 cups beef broth (I used Campbell's beef consume)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of cayenne (optional)

Prep work: Remove stems from mushrooms and put them in the food processor along with the carrot. Pulse them until both vegetables are about the size of a pea. Next hand slice the mushrooms fairly thickly and set aside. Note: add as many of your favorite veggies as you want.

Saute onions then scoot them over to edge of pan. Add the mushrooms and sauté them (in the onion pan) until you get some toasty brown color on the edges.

Put EVERYTHING into a large sauce pot and bring to a boil; reduce heat and put a tight fitting lid on it. Reduce boil to a gentle simmer (like for rice) and cook for 15-20 minutes. You will know that the quinoa is cooked completely when you see that it has swollen to a semi transparent little circle and it has a small white seed shoot on it like this:

 

After the quinoa is cooked, I like to turn the heat off and let it sit (with lid on) for 10 minutes before eating. 

Depending on how many veggies you pack into this recipe (there is no limit), you should get 5 or 6 cups in the final dish. I freeze it in one cup measures. No need to defrost, just microwave uncovered for 2 minutes. It makes a great (and filling) lunch, with no guilt !!

 

ENJOY !!

 

Quinoa is known as a super food for many reasons. The description of most of those reasons are words that I don't use every day, like flavonoids, phylonutrients, antioxidants, etc.

 

For me, my reasons for enjoying quinoa are: it's quick and easy to prepare, it will take on any seasonings you like and most of all, I can eat a big bowl of this and it doesn't effect my blood sugars very much at all, plus it's gluten free!! I hope you try it.