Keen-Wah Anyone?

Quinoa.

Ahhh the beloved whole grain of the moment.

Me? I’ve been a brown rice fan for quite a while.

Then I heard about Quinoa (say keeen-wah) – a whole grain with 5g of protein and 3 f of fiber a serving?

 

 

I’m sold. 🙂

Truth be told, I really like quinoa. I like it along side chicken, fish, and steak. I like it mixed with herbs, veggies, chicken broth, and lemon juice. I like it baked, I like it cooked over a stove-top like oatmeal.

But I’ve never attempted to make it myself.

Why? I’m not actually sure. I envisioned this terribly complicated cooking technique (maybe because of the name alone?) and always chose to instead microwave instant brown rice, or  order it at restaurants, at the Whole Foods hot bar, or just eat quinoa when my mom would make it and I was at my parents house for dinner.

Tonight my friends, that all changed.

Boyfriend had a late basketball game. We had a Rotisserie Chicken, but nothing to eat as a side.

There it was, that lone box of quinoa staring at me from the pantry.

Go ahead, make my day.

Honestly, what is wrong with me?

It was probably the easiest side I’ve ever made.

• 2 parts water
• 1 part quinoa

(Next time I’m definitely subbing water for chicken broth and more flavor!)

I doubled the serving (4 cups of water, 2 cups of quinoa) so that we’d have some leftover (and I’m really curious to try an “overnight quinoa” esque recipe for breakfast!), brought it to a boil, then covered and simmered for about 15 minutes, until all of the water was absorbed and the quinoa turned soft, translucent and a ring was visible around the grain.

Voila.

Boyfriend added some Tuna to his quinoa while I chopped up some rotisserie chicken and mixed that together in a bowl with goat cheese.

Dee-lish.

Such an easy dinner! And chock full of protein and whole grains. There’s seriously endless recipes you can make with this bad boy!

Off to relax.. have a great night!

Do you make quinoa regularly? Ever?

What’s your favorite way to cook it?