Quinoa

Sometimes I get in ruts where I start to make the same side dishes over and over. I like to keep variety in my main courses for dinner, but sometimes my side dishes get overlooked. I have heard about Quinoa lately and decided to try it. My husband and I are making a very conscious effort to eat healthy lately, and these little guys pack a major protein punch! So after about a week of looking for the stuff in my grocery store with no luck, I finally found it in my local health food store in the bulk section and was anxious to try it.

I thought it was really easy to make, cooked up quickly and tasted great! You do have to make sure you rinse the Quinoa thoroughly though! I put mine in a big bowl of cold water and then ran it through a fine mesh sieve which worked perfect. I read that it takes on a funky taste/texture if you do not rinse it well.

I will definitely be making this as a side dish again. It tastes great, is easy to make, and is good for you. What more could you ask for from a little grain?!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups chicken broth
2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
A pinch of dried parsley
A pinch of dried thyme
1 small onion, finely chopped
salt
pepper

Directions
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the quinoa, and toast, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, or until quinoa is tender.

After about 10 minutes when the quinoa has absorbed much of the water, add your onions, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper and cook for remaining 5 minutes, or until all of the water has been absorbed and the quinoa and onions are very tender. Serve immediately.