Mexican Quinoa Deliciousness

I have said before, I am not yet an expert chef, but I am aspiring to be! I love to experiment with healthy recipes and see what works. 

I found this picture on my phone of one of my lovely dinners from last week (better quality to come in the future, promise!). As a college student, I do not have a kitchen full of spices and many staple ingredients that most homes do. So, I work with what I got! This day, I was in the mood for something light and refreshing and whipped up a quick and easy quinoa dish. Quinoa is a lovely pseudograin with a fluffy texture. When I say pseudograin, I mean it is actually a seed, related to things like spinach, and is not technically a grain like rice etc (even though it looks like it). Quinoa is a plant-based source of complete protein (with around 6g per 1/3 cup of uncooked quinoa) and is also rich in iron, fiber, potassium, phosphorus, and riboflavin. Oh, and did I mention it’s gluten free! Basically it’s awesome. I rarely eat rice anymore because quinoa gives me the same grainy taste with much more nutritional value. You can dress it up truly with any flavors you like. This time, I went Mexican.

What you will need:

-Quinoa…however much you feel like cooking up at the time. I often make a batch of one cup dry quinoa and have left overs for a few meals to come.

- Fresh Pico de gallo

-Lime Juice

-Mango

-1 avocado

-Cilantro

-Salt and Pepper

- Other options- corn, red onion, or black beans

               

          For me, when it comes to quinoa recipes, there is little need for exact measurements. It all depends on the size batch you are making. Adding a little more mango or avocado will not make or break your dish. What I usually do, is just add the ingredient until I see it’s uniformly present throughout the batch. It is all personal preference.

               

 Instructions.

1. Prepare your quinoa. I use arrowhead mills organic, which can be found by the grains in most any chain grocery store.

                - Rinse the quinoa to remove any outer seed coverings. Place the quinoa in a small bowl or pot, gently fill with water and either place a plate or knife just covering the edge as you carefully drain the water into the sink, trying not to lose too many seeds!

                - Place your rinsed quinoa in an appropriate sized pot and fill with twice as much water as quinoa. For example, if you used one cup quinoa, use two cups water.

                - Bring the quinoa to a boil.  Once it is boiling, reduce to low or simmer and cover. Depending on the size of your batch it should take anywhere between 10-20 minutes. For a batch of one cup dry quinoa, it usually takes 15 minutes. It’s ok to take a peak occasionally to see how it’s doing. You want all of the water to be absorbed, and for the quinoa to become nice and fluffy. Be patient, it’s very hard to completely ruin quinoa…just keep an eye on it and wait until its ready. If things are going painfully slowly, it’s ok to turn the heat up a tad to keep things going.

2.Once your quinoa is done, scoop it into a large bowl and let it cool for a bit.

3.Gradually add lime juice. Pay careful attention to this part. I once made a very soggy batch of this. You just want enough to provide a little moisture and flavor. Don’t forget, you’re adding pico de gallo too!

4.Add pico de gallo, again this is just for moisture and flavor…use sparingly, you can always add more!

5.Toss in cubes of mango, avocado, or whatever other ingredients you are choosing to use from the list above.

6.If you have it, add a few leaves of cilantro

7.Salt and Pepper to taste.

               

 - Can be enjoyed right away, but delicious served chilled as well!

As you can see, this is a very relaxed recipe that can be tweaked to your own preferences. As long as your ingredients all go along with the same flavor theme, it should result in pure deliciousness. As a young woman, for portion size, I usually make a total batch of one cup dry quinoa, and split my batch into three servings once it is made. This gives me about 160 calories from the quinoa alone, as every 1/3 cup of dry quinoa is about 160 calories ( a good amount for the carby-er portion of my meal) .

I hope this has served as some inspiration! Enjoy making your own versions, and do not stress if you vary on the ingredients. As long as you have the lime juice and salsa, you will get the same flavor profile!

             Be Well.

              

             Love, Julie