Today I decided to experiment with Quinoa. (keen- wa)

I’ve made quinoa before, but just plain and I really didn’t care for it that way.   I often use quinoa flour in my baked goods, but I haven’t tried my hand at making quinoa in a long time.  It turned out very good.  My husband said to make this one as a “Keeper”.

Quinoa Pilaf

• 2 Tablespoons – Grape seed or Olive Oil (I have a spout on my bottle so I just do a couple of swipes in the pan)
  
• 1/2 cup or 3 medium carrots, diced small
• 1/2 cup or 2 large stalks celery, diced small (remove the big tough ends at the bottom of the stalk, and the greens from the top)
• 10 – Green Onions, sliced thinly, use about half the green part too. – (I had a big bunch and used about half)
• 1/2 cup Baby Portabella Mushrooms (this only took about 4 mushrooms)
• 2 Tablespoons Coconut Secrets Amino Acids (This is GF and Soy Free but if you aren’t avoiding soy you could use GF soy or Tamari sauce)
• 2 teaspoons of dried Basil
• 1 Cup Quinoa
• 2 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock (I used unsalted Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock, but you could use Vegetable Stock or Broth to make this vegetarian.)

Heat oil in sauce pan.  Add Carrots, Celery, and Onions in pan, sautee for about 5 minutes or until the carrots start to get a little tender.  (they will continue to cook with the quinoa so don’t worry too much about it)  Add the Amino Acids (or GF soy sauce), and basil, then add the Mushrooms and the Quinoa and sautee for 3 more minutes.  Add the Stock or Broth, bring to a boil, then cover pot and lower to a simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until all water is absorbed.  (at least that the time it said on the box, mine took much longer for the liquid to be absorbed.  I ended up taking the top off the pot so the liquid would evaporate some.)  You can tell the quinoa is done when it turns translucent in the middle but it has a little ring around it.

Here’s some interesting information about quinoa.

Quinoa is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family.  It is a species of goosefoot like beats, spinach, and tumbleweed.

Quinoa is higher in protein than any other grain.  Quinoa’s protein is of an unusually high quality.  It is a complete protein, with an essential amino acid balance close to the ideal.

You can find out more about Quinoa at Wikipedia, and Ancient Harvest’s Quinoa Corporations.

So if you are like me and have only tried quinoa plain, give it another try, you might be surprised.