Quinoa. This humble little seed seriously seems to be all the rage right now, and I had no idea that it was more than just a fad, and quite frankly, I hadn’t seen a reason to buy into it until last week.
As some of you may have gathered from previous posts, I’ve been looking to find new and interesting meals to put on the table every night for my little family, and have had some serious success using Pinterst in this venture. Between that chicken, potato and green bean bake and the one-pan chicken alfredo, I’ve really been on a roll. So in my one-pan/one-pot love-fest, I stumbled across a recipe for some Mexican Quinoa. The photo was GORGEOUS, and while I didn’t repin it, or even “like” it, I couldn’t quite get it out of my mind.
It occupied almost as much space as the fantasies of cheesecake did, and that was unusual. Quinoa doesn’t really rank up with cheesecake in my life, so I decided to take it as a sign that I must try the quinoa. I must buy into the silly seed fad, and see what it’s all about.
While at the store grabbing the cookies and cream cheesecake stuff, I also scooped up some pre-washed quinoa (thanks to all the tips I found on The Google saying it’s a pain to grab the non-washed vs. the prewashed). Sweet! It wasn’t too hard to find, and it was even on sale. Heck yeah! My kind of stuff.
After making a huge amount of delicious cheesecake bites, it was about time to start with dinner. I had read that this dish was a great vegetarian meal, and would be fine as a stand-alone, but I wasn’t convinced. I decided to grill up some chicken to go along with it, and treat it more as a side dish. Like I said, I’m new to this stuff.
While I waited for the grill to heat up, I decided to do some light reading on the seed, and according to Seven Reasons Quinoa is the New Health Food Superstar by Diana Herrington, I learned that quinoa is pretty much the poo, so take a big whiff. (Did you catch that Bring It On reference?)
The benefits highlighted in the article that hit me as the most impressive were:
- High in protein — its protein balance is similar to milk and has more protein compared to rice, millet or wheat.
- It only has 172 calories per ¼ cup dry quinoa.
- Since it is not related to wheat or grain, it’s gluten-free. Millions are discovering they feel better and lose weight when they reduce gluten grains or at least wheat products.
- It is a complex carbohydrate with low glycemic index. This is again good for weight management.
Cool, huh? You can find the full article here.
Anyway, I digress. Once the grill was hot, I had my hubby throw the chicken on, and I got to cooking. Two words best describe the cooking process of this stuff: Super easy. Dump all the ingredients into a skillet, and boom. Stir. Boil. Cover. Simmer. Done. 25 minutes, that’s all it takes. See? Super easy.
But how does this super healthy stuff taste? That’s the most important part in my personal, humble opinion, and the answer is AMAZING. There was SO much flavor. Unexpected flavor. It didn’t need anything, and dare I say, it was hearty enough to just stand alone on the plate without any chicken? Yes. I dare say it. It could be a full meal on its own. Keep this in mind for your next Meatless Monday! Or put it in your arsenal for those of you who are meatless all day erry day.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 1 1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup uncooked, pre-rinsed quinoa
- 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel)
- 1 15.5-ounce can black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- A couple dashes of salt teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 lime
- In large saucepan, heat the olive oil to medium-high heat.
- Add garlic and jalapeños and sauté for about 1 minute to a minute and a half.
- Add broth, quinoa, tomatoes, beans, corn, cumin and salt, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 - 25 minutes.
- Stir in cilantro, and the juice of a lime just before serving.
- Serve with toppings, like more fresh, chopped cilantro, sour cream, sliced avocados, halved cherry tomatoes, salsa, guacamole, and cheese! The world is your oyster.
