Red Quinoa Bowls And Veggies
By Aurora Ibarra
Quinoa is a South American grain, with a vast array of nutritional benefits. It has a high protein content (12-18%) and, since it contains a surprisingly balanced set of essential amino acids (lysene among them), it is one of the few complete protein sources among plant based foods. It is also a good source of fiber, phosphorous, magnesium, and iron.
Quinoa is gluten free, and thus easy to digest. So, these are some of the reasons as to why Quinoa has become a staple in our home. And, since it is also really easy to cook (just like rice), I usually make a big bowl of it once a week . You can find, white, red, and black quinoa, this time I used the red one — nutty goodness!
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon butter, or other high heat cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon turmeric or yellow curry
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika, optional
- 1/2 cup uncooked red quinoa
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- Assorted roasted veggies
- Avocado and Parmesan cheese to top
- Vinaigrette, optional
Directions:
- Rinse quinoa thoroughly over cold water (2-3 times). You need to rinse this much in order to remove its saponins and thus its mild bitter flavor.
- Heat the butter over medium heat in a small pot, add the turmeric, paprika, and quinoa. Sauté for 2 minutes until the grain is well coated with the spices. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cover. Cook for 30 minutes until the germ separates from the seed (it will look like a small white tail).
- Serve over roasted veggies and top with avocado, feta or Parmesan cheese, and vinaigrette of choice!
- This time I served it over roasted zucchini, broccoli, and shallots, and topped it with chopped avocado, Parmesan cheese, and a Dijon mustard dressing.
