So, until recently I was unaware of an amazing ‘super food’ called quinoa. First I want to spare anyone else the embarrassment of mispronouncing this goodness of nature. When you are at the grocery store and need direction please, please, please don’t asked for “Quinn-oha” say it “Keen-wa”. As someone who had only seen the word in print I made the mistake of uttering the first pronunciation. On a side note most grocery stores keep quinoa in the gluten free or grain section of their natural selections aisle.
What is the food that I regard so highly? I would describe it as having a nutty flavor and an orzo like texture. Like rice it has such a versatile place in recipes. Sweet, spicy, and salty can be achieved in this miracle food. One thing I really like about it is it can make an endless amount of different one-bowl meals. Who doesn’t love a dinner that doesn’t require an entire load of dishes?
You probably now want to know why it is so good for you. It is a rare food that it a complete amino acid making it a complete protein that is essential to the human diet and rare in a plant based diet. As I mentioned before quinoa is found in the gluten free section of the grocery store because it is and always will be gluten free. Quinoa is also one of the most vitamin rich foods I have ever seen. As a plant food it also lacks cholesterol as long as you don’t add any animal product in the preparation (duh!). People have claimed it helps reduce risks and effects of diabetes, heart disease, migraine headaches, and cancer.
I bet you are all waiting for a recipe now so you can cure what ails you. This one is so easy and makes plenty of left overs!
Toasted Quinoa Salad with Roasted Garbanzo Beans
1-12 oz. Box of Quinoa
2 cups water
1-15 oz. Can of Garbanzo Beans (aka Chick peas) drained and rinsed
2-3 Roma tomatoes seeded and diced
1-12 oz. Bag of frozen Corn kernels thawed
1 medium red onion diced
Olive Oil as needed
4 Tbs. Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
Dressing
½ cup lemon juice
4 Tbs. Olive Oil
4 cloves of garlic finely minced
2 Tbs. Italian seasoning
1 Tbs. Fresh cracked Black Pepper
Fresh Basil for garnish (optional)
Heat about 2 tbs. Olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat for the quinoa and preheat the oven to 350° for the Garbanzo beans.
Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer to removed any debris, like you would rice. Shake the strainer to remove excess water. Place the rinsed quinoa in the warm skillet and use a spatula to make an even layer. Stir occasionally to prevent burning for about 5 to 8 minutes or until a few are brown.
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| Another great use for my cast iron! See link below to get one for yourself. |
Add 2 cups of water to the toasted quinoa in the skillet and raise the heat to high. Allow all the water to absorb or evaporate out and remove from heat. Take off stove and allow to cool.
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| This is what it will look like after cooking. Each grain should be swollen and a few 'squiggles'. |
While the water is evaporating drain and rinse the canned Garbanzo beans. Place them on a baking sheet and coat them with 4 Tbs. Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and olive oil. Place in the preheated oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until a nice, rich brown color. Remove for the oven and allow to cool.
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| Nice and brown roasted Garbanzo beans. |
After removing the quinoa and beans from the heat dice the vegetables and make the dressing. For the dressing warm 4 Tbs. Olive oil in a shallow pan and add ½ cup lemon juice. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Saute until garlic begins to brown.
Combine cooled quinoa, beans, and veggies in a large serving, mixing, or storage bowl (my favorite is all three! see link). I recommend using a rubber or silicone spatula to give a gentle touch. Pour the lemon dressing over the top and stir until combined. Fluff with a fork and add a little basil garnish before serving. Great served hot or cold, I actually prefer it cold.
So easy and fast! My husband and I usually can get two dinner servings and about 3 or 4 lunch servings out of this recipe. It’s a real time and money saver. I usually make some sort of quinoa salad on Sundays to ensure we have something for lunches early in the work week.
Special thanks to Very Culinary for getting me hooked! Here is a link to the recipe that inspired me. http://veryculinary.com/2011/08/09/toasted-quinoa-salad-with-cumin-lime-dressing/
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| So good even Chief wanted a bite. Served in a roasted poblano pepper. |
A few helpful links from Amazon:
