Veggie Quinoa

Whipped up a quick little veggie quinoa for dinner tonight. I am loving quinoa with anything and everything these days. It's great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's filling yet doesn't leave you feeling bloated or heavy. And the texture is really hearty. It kind of "pops" in your mouth which I find quite enjoyable. Clearly I've turned into a crazy quinoa lady. Moving right along..

So this is what I did tonight. First I soaked my quinoa in water for about 20 minutes. I brought it to a boil then simmered for about 20 minutes (until most of the water had disappeared and there was just some moisture in the bottom of the pot).  Meanwhile I sauteed some onions, garlic, red/yellow/green peppers, spinach cherry tomato, and garbanzo beans. Then mixed with the quinoa and served it warm. Yummy.

I sauteed the onion for a few minutes and then added the garlic. Garlic is very sensitive to heat and can burn quickly so I wait until the onion starts to become translucent in color and then add the garlic. And I ALWAYS season them with a little salt and pepper. The salt helps them to "sweat" out their flavors not to mention the aroma is heavenly. Want people to think you're slaving over a hot stove making a delicious meal? Saute some onion and garlic. Job done.

Added into the onion and garlic..

A couple cups of roughly chopped organic spinach

1 yellow bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1/2 green bell pepper

Green bell pepper tends to be a lot more bitter than yellow and red so I always use half as much as the red and yellow. I like a good balance of flavors.

After the onion, garlic and peppers became tender, I added the spinach, cherry tomatoes and garbanzo beans. I added a little more salt and pepper. Gotta keep it seasoned! Also a little secret- if it starts to get a little dry, add a little Italian salad dressing. The flavors meld together incredibly. Once the spinach wilted, I turned the fire off and mixed with the quinoa. 

The flavors were awesome. The sweetness of the onion and red and yellow peppers contrasted with the bitterness of the green peppers and acidity of the tomatoes- perfection. And the garbanzo beans are really mild and neutral and act as the perfect backdrop. 

I garnished with some fresh chives. Bon appetit!