Quinoa...what?

 Tonight I made quinoa. And no, I didn't just make that word up.  It's pronounced Keen-wah.  It is a type of grain that can be a substitute for rice, couscous or even oatmeal or pasta.  I can't tell you how much I love it!  This is from Wikipedia about it-and you can click on the link to read more about it.

Uncooked red quinoa

"Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), and like oats, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it a complete protein source, unusual among plant foods.^[12] It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest." from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa 


 What I love about it-first of all is that it is so versatile-  it has a slightly nutty flavor (as some people call it, but doesn't feel like you're eating nuts)  and it really can be made with fruit, honey and milk for breakfast, or mix in some meat, spices and vegetables and eat it for dinner.  You can also eat it hot or cold.  And it is so good for you!  There are a few different ways it comes- either red (like the picture) or a lighter version- kind of cream colored.  I've heard that the red has more fiber though.  You can also buy it pre-soaked or not soaked.  If it's pre-soaked all you have to do is rinse it with in a fine strainer before you cook it in water or chicken (or other type) of broth for about 15 minutes.  If you buy the un-soaked kind you will need to soak it for several hours or overnight to remove the bitter outside.  (I get the faster kind :)

 So the way I fixed it tonight was absolutely delicious.  I found this recipe on Food Network that I kind of went off of.  I love pine nuts but they are pretty expensive, so I left them out today.  I also didn't have fresh parsley on hand, but I did everything else the same.  I also made chicken:

Garlic lime chicken (SO delicious)

My brother always makes this marinade and it works so well on chicken, steak, salmon... ( and probably a lot more)

Cooked red quinoa

(3 chicken breasts will easily be 5-6 servings with the quinoa)

-2 limes juiced (or lemons)
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-either a little dry basil crushed up
or 4-6 fresh basil leaves chopped finely
-5 cloves of garlic-minced
-a sprinkle of salt and pepper

Marinade chicken in this for at least 15 min.  Be sure to turn it over and rub it all around so the flavors get in it.  Then fry it in a pan til brown.  (Save the rest of the marinade in the bowl cuz you'll use it)  After you've made the quinoa and fried up the diced onions for it- take out the chicken and chop it up.  Put the browned onions and the rest of the marinade back into the frying pan so you can cook the marinade to kill all the raw chicken juice.  Once it's nice and hot (steaming but not burnt)  pour in the quinoa, a small apple (peeled and diced) and your chicken.  It is SO delicious!  And quinoa is very filling.  You won't need as much chicken per serving as you might normally eat because the quinoa has a good amount of protein.  I suggest having a salad and a vegetable like broccoli, asparagus or green beans on the side. 

Quinoa recipe from Food Network

You can find quinoa at Whole Foods, health food stores and probably some Publix stores (I haven't really checked yet.)  Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions!!