Quinoa is a grain that produces these little seeds, which is the part you actually eat. It is packed full of protein and the good fats (Omega 3 fatty acids and monounsaturated). Quinoa is a great replacement for rice in Asian stir fry that provides more nutrition with less bulk.
Emily Ho over on The Kitchn taught me how to cook quinoa perfectly! It's so light and fluffy when it is done...just perfect. The trick is, after rinsing the quinoa, you place it in the sauce pan without water and let the water evaporate off the seeds. Then you add the water and start cooking. It's crazy how big of a difference that step makes!
Okay, enough about quinoa...let's get to it!
Southwest Quinoa
Servings: 6 (great for leftovers!)
Nutrition Info (per serving): Calories - 307; Total fat - 6g; Cholesterol - 10mg; Sodium - 138mg; Total Carbs - 54g; Fiber - 7g; Protein - 11g
What you need:
1 cup quinoa, uncooked
2 cups water
1/2 cup dried black beans (or 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed)
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 tomato, diced
1 can sweet yellow corn, drained (or 1 cup frozen, thawed)
Salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 to 1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 cup vinegar based BBQ sauce
Few dashes of Chipotle hot sauce (optional)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Chopped cilantro for garnish
I started with cooking the black beans. After they had been soaking for 22 hours, I drained and rinsed them, then placed them in a medium saucepan with 2-3 cups of water. I brought the water to a low boil and kept it there for 45 minutes, adding water as needed. Be sure to stir occasionally so the beans don't stick to the pot. After 45 minutes, I did the 5 bean test (eating 5 beans and if all 5 are soft/edible, they're done!) and they passed! Sidenote: I learned that little trick from Anne Burrell on the Food Network...love her!
While the beans were cooking, I diced all of my veggies that needed to be diced, opened cans, and prepped everything to be cooked.
With about 20 minutes left on the beans, I began prepping and cooking the quinoa, following the method on The Kitchn. It takes about 15 minutes to sit and absorb the water, which allowed me time to cook the veggies.
I put about a tablespoon of oil into my cast iron skillet (you can use any skillet, this is just my favorite and I use it for just about ANYTHING!) and brought it up to medium heat. Once it was ready I tossed in my diced green bell pepper and onion. Now you don't want these to cook too fast, so feel free to lower the heat slightly to get the onions to slightly transparent but not brown (I had to turn mine down just a smidge). Sprinkle with your salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin.
Next, invite the corn to the veggie party and cook until heated through. Make sure you watch the pan and stir occasionally to prevent burning. At this point, the beans should be done. Drain and rinse them so they can attend the veggie party as well!
Take the peppers, onions and corn off the heat. Add the diced tomato and black beans, cover, and set aside.
Placed the cooked quinoa into a large bowl and add the barbecue sauce. Mix well! Next, dump the veggies into the bowl and mix it all together. Taste it to make sure you like the seasoning amounts and adjust as necessary.
Once it tastes just right, spoon the mixture into bowls, sprinkle a little shredded cheddar cheese on top, throw a few dashes of chipotle hot sauce on there and adorn it with chopped cilantro. Bon appetite!
From my kitchen...
I started with cooking the black beans. After they had been soaking for 22 hours, I drained and rinsed them, then placed them in a medium saucepan with 2-3 cups of water. I brought the water to a low boil and kept it there for 45 minutes, adding water as needed. Be sure to stir occasionally so the beans don't stick to the pot. After 45 minutes, I did the 5 bean test (eating 5 beans and if all 5 are soft/edible, they're done!) and they passed! Sidenote: I learned that little trick from Anne Burrell on the Food Network...love her!
While the beans were cooking, I diced all of my veggies that needed to be diced, opened cans, and prepped everything to be cooked.
With about 20 minutes left on the beans, I began prepping and cooking the quinoa, following the method on The Kitchn. It takes about 15 minutes to sit and absorb the water, which allowed me time to cook the veggies.
I put about a tablespoon of oil into my cast iron skillet (you can use any skillet, this is just my favorite and I use it for just about ANYTHING!) and brought it up to medium heat. Once it was ready I tossed in my diced green bell pepper and onion. Now you don't want these to cook too fast, so feel free to lower the heat slightly to get the onions to slightly transparent but not brown (I had to turn mine down just a smidge). Sprinkle with your salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin.
Next, invite the corn to the veggie party and cook until heated through. Make sure you watch the pan and stir occasionally to prevent burning. At this point, the beans should be done. Drain and rinse them so they can attend the veggie party as well!
Take the peppers, onions and corn off the heat. Add the diced tomato and black beans, cover, and set aside.
Placed the cooked quinoa into a large bowl and add the barbecue sauce. Mix well! Next, dump the veggies into the bowl and mix it all together. Taste it to make sure you like the seasoning amounts and adjust as necessary.
Once it tastes just right, spoon the mixture into bowls, sprinkle a little shredded cheddar cheese on top, throw a few dashes of chipotle hot sauce on there and adorn it with chopped cilantro. Bon appetite!
From my kitchen...
Yum! This may end up being my first ever quinoa dish
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