QUINOA WITH CHICK PEAS AND MIXED VEGETABLES
I just love quinoa. This, I think, is the greatest new food discovery that I made this year. I find that, not only it tastes great, but it also looks great. The tiny little grains are just super cute and they seem to just pop in your mouth, almost like caviar.
Now if only my kids could like it as much as I do…
Seriously, if you’ve never tried quinoa, you definitely should! You cook it just like you would rice, but make sure you rinse it real good beforehand.
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
One cup quinoa
Two cups water
Half a teaspoon of salt
One large onion, diced
One large zucchini, cut into big chunks
One and a half cup broccoli florets
Two dozen snow peas, cut in pieces
One bell pepper, diced (whichever colour you like)
Three cups chick peas, cooked (you can used canned, drained and rinsed)
One third of a cup coarsely chopped roasted almonds
One third of a cup parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch chilli pepper flakes (now that one is optional, of course!)
Directions
Rinse quinoa thoroughly in a small strainer or by running fresh water over the quinoa in a pot. Drain.
Put quinoa and water in saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer; cover and cook until all water is absorbed (10-15 minutes). When done, the grain appears translucent and the germ ring will be visible.
While quinoa is cooking, sauté the onion in a large skillet over medium heat, until nice and golden brown. Add the rest of the vegetables, salt and pepper (and chili flakes) to taste, and cook for a few minutes, until vegetables are cooked but still firm. Add chick peas, quinoa, roasted almonds and parsley. Stir and serve.
Serves 4
This dish is equally delicious served cold.
Never even heard of it! Is it pasta? Is it rice? Whatever it is, it looks delicious. Thanks for sharing!
OMG, you have got to try it. Technically, quinoa is a seed, but you cook it exactly like you would rice. The only precaution that you need to take is rinse it really well before you cook it to remove all traces of saponin, else, it might taste very bitter. The best par it, not only does quinoa taste good, it’s also exceptionally nutritious and is a very good source of complete protein. You definitely have to add it to your diet!
I am a college athlete living on my own for the first time this summer and I came across your blog randomly searching for healthy and nutritious recipes. I was finding that what I was cooking wasn’t giving me enough energy from day to day. This recipe looked easy enough, so I thought I’d try it. It was my first time cooking with quinoa and I loved it! I was expecting it to be kind of bland, but was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t. I loved all the flavors of the veggies and the texture the almonds gave the meal. This recipe is definitely a keeper!!! Looking forward to trying out more of your recipes!
YAY! That’s super! I’m really glad you liked the recipe! Quinoa on its own is extremely flavorful, so it’s not hard to turn it into something good! Try experimenting with it, I’m sure you’ll come up with tons of interesting combinations!
Quinoa is my favorite new food! With this recipe, I think I’ll add in some pressed garlic and a bit of McKay’s Chicken Seasoning (vegan). Keep the quinoa recipes coming!
You are so right, Martha! I happen to love quinoa also and find I don’t cook with it often enough. I have to use it more and, like you say, keep ‘em quinoa recipes coming! Hmmm… I wonder if it would make a good pudding? Have to try!
Oh, oh… I just had a flash… have you tried these quinoa cakes? They are by far my favorite way to enjoy quinoa. You can eat them in a burger, with the egg, crumbled overtop your favorite salad, or just plain munch on them, right out of the fridge like that, for a quick snack.
I’m telling you… if you haven’t tried them, you HAVE to. My daughter can’t stand quinoa, but she loves those. They are soooo tasty!