Keen on quinoa

I've seen quite a few recipes that use quinoa (pronouced "keen-wah"), so I decided to give it a try. Quinoa is very high in protein, which makes it a perfect addition to a veggie dish... this particular recipe from Whole Foods was not only a nice, balanced meal, but super easy to boot!

Zesty Quinoa with Broccoli and Cashews



Here is the recipe if you are intrigued enough to try it:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
Salt to taste
1 cup small broccoli florets
Pepper to taste
1/2 cup roasted cashew pieces
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Heat oil over medium heat in a medium pot. Add onions and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth, wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Stir in quinoa and salt. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Arrange broccoli on top of quinoa, cover and simmer for an additional 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and toss gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper, transfer to plates and serve garnished with cashews and green onions.

Really, this was a very tasty dish. Quinoa seems to be something you could use in place of rice, so perhaps try substituting it here and there to up your protein.

In other news, Clean Fresh Hubby and I have a date tonight... dropping our daughter off at grandma's and heading to the city. We are going to eat dinner at an all-vegetarian restaurant, so I am excited to see what's on the menu. I'm even more excited that Clean Fresh Hubby has agreed to give it a whirl. He saw a picture of a "rib" sandwich on their website (made from seitan) and thought it actually looked good.

After dinner we're going to see a show that is BYOB, so I have a new bottle of wine to try this evening (Stellar Organics Cabernet) that I'll review this coming Wine Wednesday.

A weekend with good food and wine, doesn't get much better than that!