Quinoa Here, Quinoa There, Quinoa Everywhere!

Did you know that quinoa is gluten-free, high in protein and one of the few plant foods that contain all nine essential amino acids? It is also high in fiber, magnesium, B vitamins, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin E and various beneficial antioxidants.

And, it is delicious! But I find that a lot of folks don’t like the taste of it…until they learn how to cook it properly!

Quinoa can be enjoyed for breakfast with fruit and maple syrup, used as a topper on a salad for lunch or served as a side for a well-balanced dinner. Its possibilities are endless!

The key to delicious quinoa is rinsing it thoroughly before cooking it.

Here is a simple way to prepare a quinoa dish that is excellent as a side dish with a plate of veggies or served as a topper on a big green salad.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry quinoa – rinsed for about a minute in a sieve/strainer
• 2 cups water or low sodium veggie broth (I like the organic Pacific brand low sodium)
• About 4 big leaves of kale chopped into small pieces – the trick is to chop the kale into small pieces! (like ¾” or less!)
• ¼ cup pine nuts (leave out if you don’t like pine nuts!)
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Splash of low sodium Tamari or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos

Directions:

1. Bring the liquid (water or broth) to a boil with the rinsed quinoa.
2. When it starts to boil, stir the quinoa and put a lid on the pan. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting on your stove.
3. In 15 minutes, check the quinoa. The liquid should be absorbed, and the quinoa should “double” in size and become translucent and “sprouted”. Stir it and add the kale. Put the lid back on for about 1 minute to lightly steam the kale (be sure the heat is OFF!)
4. Stir in the remaining ingredients (pine nuts, chickpeas, lemon juice, salt/pepper/Bragg’s).
5. Serve!

This prepared quinoa will keep in the refrigerator for several days in an airtight glass container.

Enjoy!