Quinoa Two Ways

 I swear this is the last pesto/tomato post from me for a while. But I have a giant bag of quinoa sitting in my cupboard and it just kept looking at me helplessly from its shelf, longing to be united with my leftover pesto.

Since this is my first time making quinoa, I decided to split the batch in half and try it two ways.  I ran quickly ran into my first dilemma. The package said to rinse the quinoa before you cook it. Because the quinoa is so small I initially ruled out the colander. Instead I tried tried an assortment of cups and bowls, and then in desperation a colander over a pot, which just turned into a giant mess. I just couldn't seem get that rinsing effect. By the end I think I had pretty much just drowned it before I gave up and threw it into the pot.

BUTTER AND GARLIC QUINOA:

This first recipe is the result of attempting to translate a plain pasta with a butter and garlic sauce into quinoa form. It was quite tasty, but definitely leaves a lot of room for experimentation! Next time I am going to try cooking the quinoa in vegetable or chicken stock instead of water in order to make it a little moister and add a little extra flavor.

 

You will need:

1 c. quinoa    

1-2 fresh tomatoes with basil (or try adding roasted veggies instead!)

2 cloves of garlic

Half of a small onion, finely chopped

Butter or olive oil

Parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Follow the cooking instructions on your bag of quinoa. Saute onions and garlic in butter or olive oil and add to the quinoa with the parmesan cheese. Remove from the heat, mix in the tomatoes and garnish with the basil. If it feels a little dry, try adding a little more olive oil or butter, or a little water, to loosen up the quinoa. 

Serves 3-4

PESTO QUINOA:

 

You will need:

1 c. quinoa

1 batch of Amy's Superfluously From Scratch: Basil Pesto

1-2 Tomatoes

Half of a small onion, finely chopped

Parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Pine nuts (optional)

Follow the cooking instructions on your bag of quinoa. Saute onions in olive oil and add to the quinoa with the pesto. Remove from the heat, and mix in the tomatoes. Garnish with the parmesan cheese. YUM!  Try topping with some toasted pine nuts for an extra crunch!

Serves 3-4