I read lots of magazines- Shape magazine (thanks, Jennie!) comes in my mailbox, so does Women's Day (thanks free subscription). And when I'm at the gym, I read whatever I can find and a good half of what I find, the half that isn't trashy magazines, is composed of more women's magazines. A trend that I've been seeing in magazines that focus on healthy eating is cooking with quinoa. Quinoa is new to me, I hadn't cooked with it until today, but I have tried it. It is a super-grain. Quinoa is a complete protein (amazing for a plant!), it has fiber, phosphorous, magnesium and iron, and is not a calorie-heavy food. Basically, it rocks. Rocks so hard that I don't even care that I sound like someone is paying me for writing about quinoa.
Being bold in the kitchen (far, far from where I started when I began cooking), I decided to try my own recipe for quinoa rather than use an existing one for my fist time cooking it. The inspiration for this recipe came from a salad that my mom loves. I decided to use the quinoa as a vehicle for the three main ingredients of the salad to make a delicious, one-bowl dinner. Yummy and nutritious!
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups chopped golden beets (chop the beets into small pieces. think very bite-sized)
grapeseed oil (or olive oil)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups arugula
feta cheese
lemon juice (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Soak the quinoa in cold water for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.
3. Toss the chopped beets with oil and salt. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, until softened.
4. Put the quinoa and chicken broth in a pot. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cook until all the broth is absorbed, (10-15 minutes on my super-stove). Fluff with a fork.
5. Add the roasted beets and arugula to the quinoa and mix together as well as you can (the arugula will not mix in well yet). Cover and let is stand for 5 minutes. Finish mixing everything together (the arugula will now be wilted enough to fully mix in). Serve topped with feta cheese to taste, and lemon juice, if you want. Season with additional salt and pepper if you desire.
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