RECIPE OF THE MONTH FROM THE QUINOA TASTING
~~Leslie Gecy
We tasted a variety of quinoa recipes at our last Saturday tasting. I have to say that comments were generally evenly divided among the Parmesan Quinoa, the Quinoa-Black Bean-and-Corn Salad and the Pineapple Quinoa. We did not have Teresa’s parmesan recipe at the time, so here it is. The other recipes are at the co-op in the recipe stand in the bulk foods section. The quinoa salad makes a great summer dinner, the pineapple quinoa works great as an addition to southeast asian inspired dishes (and was a childrens’ favorite). The parmesan quinoa was just a favorite that can work anytime. Since quinoa is a complete protein it does not need to be combined with other foods to obtain a full complement of amino acids.
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Teresa’s PARMESAN QUINOA
Ingredients:
1 C quinoa
2 C broth
1 C chopped vegetables (the version tasted used asparagus and carrots)
1/4 C shredded parmesan cheese
1 T organic or free range butter, as desired
Directions:
Rinse quinoa very well and place in a pot. Add the broth and the chopped vegetables. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat. Let stand for 20 minutes. When done, fluff with a fork and add the parmesan cheese and butter. Make sure to use free range or organic butter to get a better ratio of omega-3s than conventionally produced butter.
Note: This method of cooking quinoa results in a more creamy texture and is less fluffy.
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We had a number of questions about the recipes for the items at the Tasting Fair. Most of the recipes were available at the Tasting Fair. If you lost your copy, you can get others at the co-op. The cilantro-pesto-couscous recipe will soon be in the recipe stand by the bulk foods to pick up.
We were also asked if you can cook quinoa in juices other than pineapple juice as we tasted earlier. The answer is yes, both apple juice and orange juice work very well with quinoa as a liquid cooking base.