Another (Tasty) Quinoa Dish

There are times when I get tired of quinoa. There are a lot of great grains to choose from in making a grain salad or risotto-like dish but I often fall back to quinoa. It could be that it is always in my pantry. But there is something delicious about quinoa especially when it is toasted. It has a great nutty flavour and it doesn’t get mushy and flavourless after it is cooked. This dish is a great “go to” for a healthy side or main meal and as always, my barometer on making something again is: will Aubrey Rose and Shawn like it. Both enjoyed this dish even on its own with no side dish of meat.

I used what green vegetables I had on hand. Something sturdy that can keep its own flavour with the toasted quinoa: broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage are great vegetables. I had cabbage on hand so that is what I used.

I also used vegetable broth but chicken broth would work just as well. Heat the broth first so that you pour hot liquid into the quinoa just like you would a risotto; the reason for this is to keep all the ingredients at the same temperature. Putting cold liquid in will slow the process down.

I’ll try another grain and share it with you… next time.

2 tablespoons vegetable or coconut oil
2 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
1 cup white wine
½ onion sliced
1 clove minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh ginger
1 cup quinoa
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups finely sliced cabbage or other dark green vegetables
1 cup fresh cranberries coarsely chopped (or dried)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds
1-2 cups coarsely chopped parsley
Grated zest of 1 lemon

In a saucepan, heat gently until just simmering the broth.
Heat oil in a larger sauce pan like a cast iron pan and add the onion. Saute briefly until soft about 3-5 minutes. Add in quinoa and stir to coat all the grains in the oil. Keep stirring in the pan until you can smell the quinoa begin to toast.
Add in garlic and ginger. Stir again for 1 minute.
Slowly add in the broth ¼ cup at a time adding more as the liquid begins to evaporate. This should take about 15 minutes. Add in the wine and salt and pepper.
Add in the vegetables, berries and stir together. There should be just enough liquid to steam the vegetables. If all has evaporated, add ¼ more wine, broth or water. Let this mixture cook on a low temperature for about 5 minutes. Add almonds, parsley and zest. Serve.