About the Recipe
Do you often find yourself underwhelmed with quinoa? You might be making it wrong! The key is to treat it like rice instead of pasta, allowing it to absorb all of the cooking liquid until perfectly tender but al dente.
Ingredients
1 cup dried quinoa, rinsed in cold water
2 cups stock or water, warmed
1 leek, white and light green parts chopped
2 tbsp butter (optional)
any vegetable, sautéd
feta or goat cheese
3 tbsp Cali Kitchen Lemon Garlic Parsley Sauce
toasted nuts (optional)
sea salt
black pepper
Preparation
Step 1
Sift through the quinoa and check for any stray stones. Using a sieve, rinse it in cold water for about 30 seconds, stirring through the quinoa with your hands. (Rinsing the quinoa helps remove the bitterness so make sure to be thorough.) Drain.
Step 2
In a medium saucepan, sauté the leek in olive oil and butter over medium heat until it starts to turn golden in color. Add the drained quinoa and cook, stirring frequently, until the residual water has evaporated and it begins to toast. You'll know it's ready for the next step when you detect a nutty aroma (about 5-10 minutes).
Step 3
Add the warmed water or stock to the pan and stir to mix thoroughly with the quinoa. Do not salt until after cooking! Increase the heat to high, bringing the liquid to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and place the lid on the saucepan. Simmer until all the liquid is absorbed (about 15 minutes). Turn off the heat and let the pan sit for an additional 5-10 minutes.
Step 4
Pour the quinoa out onto a baking sheet to let it cool more quickly and to prevent it from overcooking. Stir in butter (optiona) while the quinoa is still warm, allowing it to melt. Once cooled, stir in about 3 tbsp of Cali Kitchen Lemon Garlic Parsley Sauce along with salt and pepper to taste. Toss with sauteed vegetables or greens, cheese and toasted nuts.