[keen-wah]. You thought it was [kwin-oah], didn’t you? 😉 That’s ok, so did I at first. Up until a couple of years ago, I had never even heard of this stuff, much less know how to cook it. But it’s become pretty popular lately- mostly due to how healthy it is (very high in protein and fiber), but also because it’s extremely versatile. You can bake with it, eat it for breakfast (like oatmeal), make a salad with it, cook it like rice and throw in lots of yummy vegetables…the list goes on! It’s a grain-like seed with a texture similar to a cross between rice and couscous (you can read all about quinoa here). Joel and I both loved the texture and thought it was all-around a delicious new food to add to our menu rotation! I cooked it with red and yellow bell peppers, red onions, garlic, baby portobella mushrooms, black olives and feta cheese for a flavorful Mediterranean twist – absolutely delicious! I’m so happy I finally decided to try quinoa and can’t wait to experiment with all kinds of flavors and dishes!
Mediterranean-Style Quinoa
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed thoroughly
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
6-8 baby portobella mushrooms, cut into quarters
1 small can chopped black olives
1/3 cup feta cheese
salt and pepper
Bring the quinoa and chicken broth to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes, until all the liquid has absorbed.
In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the onions, peppers and garlic until beginning to soften, about 7 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off heat.
Add the cooked quinoa to the pan with the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the lemon juice, black olives and feta cheese. Serve immediately. Serves 2-4.
Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper original
This looks wonderful! I’ve never tried quinoa, but now I have a great place to start!
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Comment by Lisa (Dishes of Mrs. Fish) — March 23, 2011 @ 5:10 AM
Thanks for the great recipe. I recently added to quinoa to my diet as well. Surprised with how tasty it is!
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Comment by Mam — March 23, 2011 @ 6:16 AM
YUM! This is my kind of meal! It looks great!
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Comment by Celeste — March 23, 2011 @ 11:36 AM
I absolutely adore quinoa! I use it so often because of its versatility. I often use it in place of rice in Chinese dishes and made it Mexican style with burritos! It’s seriously awesome.
And this is one way I’ll have to try it! Anything with peppers and feta is a plus for me!!!
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amy Reply:
March 23rd, 2011 at 4:27 PM
That’s a great idea, Kim! I’ll have to try that!
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Comment by Kim — March 23, 2011 @ 1:48 PM
Hi, i am a new fan reader and I have a question. I got Quinoa last week at the supermarket and i only saw a Quinoa that is black… Do you know the difference between them? Thanks,
,
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amy Reply:
March 23rd, 2011 at 8:46 PM
Hi Ginnette,
There is not much difference in taste as far as black vs. red or white quinoa; I’m told they are all very similar in taste. Apparently the black is a little bit “earthier”. You probably won’t be able to notice a difference. Hope you enjoy it!
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Comment by Ginnette — March 23, 2011 @ 8:29 PM
This looks so easy and ridiculously delicious! I am making this for lunches next week!
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Comment by Dana — March 24, 2011 @ 10:18 AM
YUM! I can’t wait to try this! I fell in love with quinoa last year and I’m always looking for new dishes to try it with! Keep up the great work Amy! I love your blog!
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amy Reply:
March 24th, 2011 at 2:30 PM
Thanks so much, Melissa! 🙂
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Comment by Melissa — March 24, 2011 @ 2:27 PM
I absolutely LOVE quinoa! You really can do anything with it! I’ve made mac (quinoa) and cheese, meatballs (quinoa-balls?), the only I haven’t made quinoa is breakfast!
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Comment by Amanda L. (Tales from a Kitchen Misfit) — March 25, 2011 @ 9:47 PM
Your blog is so beautifully elegant! I looove quinoa (however you say it!) so I appreciate the new idea for how to make it. I’d never thought of having it for breakfast so I’ll have to experiment with that for sure! Happy eating to you!
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amy Reply:
March 30th, 2011 at 10:12 AM
Thanks so much, Karen! So happy you like my site! Hope you enjoy the quinoa!
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Comment by Karen (Let There Be Food) — March 30, 2011 @ 9:21 AM
I just found your blog and am really enjoying it. I used your quinoa recipe last Friday and then again this Friday because I liked it so much. Couldn’t find any good peppers at the market today, so I subbed shredded zucchini and a sweet white onion. It’s great to have a quinoa recipe that is so versatile. Thanks, Amy.
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Comment by Bella — April 1, 2011 @ 3:15 PM