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Friday, March 7, 2008

Quinoa: Not Just For Vegetarians



Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a South American grain-like foodstuff that is prepared like rice. It contains more protein than most grains which make it perfect as a base for a vegetarian meal, or less-starchy side dish.

Inspired by this recipe on 101 Cookbooks, a fabulous source for vegetarian recipes, I made a bowl of quinoa topped with zucchini, leeks, hard-boiled eggs and scallion vinaigrette. The dish was ready in 30 minutes.

Izzy ate up the entire serving pictured...the leftovers would do well packed in a lunchbox and also work well as a cool summer meal. The recipe lends itself to endless variations which I will most definitely try in the future.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I discovered quinoa a few years ago.. LOVE IT.. I make a wonderful lasagna with it (substitute ground beef with ground turkey and cooked quinoa for pasta) - it helps to put the dish in the fridge overnight then cook it - the quinoa stays together better then.