K’s Kitchen: Cooking with quinoa

By Kathryn Reed

Some things are worth waiting for – like a recipe.

At a New Year’s Eve party my friend Brenda made quinoa – pronounced keen-wah. Oh, how yummy it was.

This grain has been around forever, but seemed to become all the rage in the United States just recently. It is native to the Andes Mountains – Peru, Bolivia and Chile in particular.

The nutrition content, besides the flavor, is one of the selling points. It is a complete protein. What’s significant is this is the only plant based complete protein.

For vegetarians and vegans this is huge cause soy is often the protein that is relied upon. Quinoa is a fun alternative that can be incorporated in different dishes.

Finally, last month Brenda sent me the recipe she devised. She also brought a smaller container the day we skied at Heavenly. This was quite a treat.

I asked her how the recipe came about.

“I bought some quinoa, decided to make some one day and thought it looked very ordinary,” Brenda said. “I just started pulling things out of the refrigerator to put in it.”

It worked.

Quinoa Rainbow Dish

1 cup dry quinoa

2 T olive oil

3-5 cloves of garlic, chopped

½ red onion, diced

3 mini sweet bell peppers, diced. Use a combination of red, yellow and orange — about 2/3 C total

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 T cumin, split in half

½ C frozen corn kernels

½ C frozen shelled edamame

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Cook quinoa according to instructions.

In a large pan, sauté the garlic, onion and peppers in olive oil. Add salt and pepper.

Add ½ T cumin. Sauté for a few more minutes.

Add corn and edamame. Lower heat and sauté for another 3-4 minutes.

Add black beans. Stir until everything is warm.

Add cooked quinoa to vegetable mixture.

Stir in remaining cumin.

Mix well together in pan.

Can be served hot, warm, or cold.