Quinoa - pronounced "Keen-wah"

I've never heard of Quinoa until Jason introduced me to it recently. A couple of little things I learned recently from history of the Quinoa grain is this: Quinoa was a staple food for many native inhabitants going all the way back to at least 3,000 b.c. The ancient Incas called quinoa the "mother grain" and revered it as sacred and used to sustain their armies, who marched for days eating a mixture of quinoa and fat known as "war balls." In the 1500s, there was a 400-yr decline in the production of it and it became a minor crop, only being grown by peasants for local consumption. It is now widely cultivated for its nutritious seeds, referred to as "little rice" in Peru, Chile, and Bolivia. It's only been grown outside of South America for a short time...in Canada and Colorado since 1980's and mainly found in natural grocery stores, like my favorite grocer Trader Joe's! Quinoa is a grain and a rice substitute for most people and I have fallen in love with it! There are different varieties ranging from ivory to pink to browns and reds, almost black depending on the variety. On a recent shopping trip to Trader Joe's, Jason and I came across organic, gluten free Red Quinoa and we just had to try it! There was this AMAZING recipe on the back of the box and all I can say is YUM!!! I had a lot of fun making it and it is so fresh tasting. So go now - and get these ingredients! It's a MUST try for all...and sit and enjoy on a nice summer day. Jason and I grilled some shrimp to go along with our meal. Quinoa is a wonderful side dish.

Black Bean, Roasted Corn, Avocado Salad with Quinoa

Ingredients:

1 cup Red Quinoa, cooked with broth
2 cups vegetable (or chicken if you prefer) broth
1 - 15oz can black beans, drained & rinsed clear
2 cups roasted corn kernels
1 avocado, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
3/4 cup Cilantro Salad Dressing (also found at Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup bunch cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Lime
Pepper

The recipe:

1) Roast corn on the cob on the grill to make a nice roasted corn. Let cool and cut off the cob and put into a bowl to set aside for the salad.

2) Rise and drain quinoa thoroughly in cold water before cooking.

3) Place 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups broth in a quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed for about 10-15 mins. The grain will appear soft and translucent, and the germ ring will be visible along the outside edge of the grain.

4) While quinoa is cooking, combine beans, corn, avocado, tomatoes, and onion. Top with salad dressing and toss gently. Add pepper to taste.

5) Cut lime in half and squeeze lime juice over top of salad. Add 1/2 of cilantro and gently toss once more and set aside.

6) When quinoa is cooked, toss with olive oil; add pepper to taste (can add salt too, but I prefer no salt). Set quinoa aside to cool.

7) When ready to serve, spread quinoa on a large serving platter and top with black bean, roasted corn, and avocado salad mixture; garnish with remaining cilantro, and other half of lime.

Serves 6 as a side dish.

Enjoy! Here is our creation of it with grilled shrimp skewers:



~Made by: Holly & Jason