Asian Quinoa

(Before I post the Asian Quinoa recipe, a quick update: R's surgery went well, he is doing great and recovering quite nicely. G goes in for a quick surgical procedure tomorrow morning, but it should be a walk in the park compared to R's hernia surgery. Yes, quite a week for the Sweet Pea family, but at least we will have this all behind us by week's end)

If you haven't tried quinoa by now, it is time to reconsider. A newbie to quinoa myself, I am loving it's versatility (think of it as a variation of couscous) and simplicity. But here's the cool thing: it is a complete protein. Yep, soy and quinoa are the only two plant based complete proteins. Maybe this fact alone doesn't exactly get your fire started, but just know that if you include quinoa in your diet, you are doing your body a favor.

This recipe for quinoa is a great balance of salty, sweet and umami in one dish. What's umami you ask? Click here.

Asian Quinoa

Sauce:
1/4 cup apricot preserves or orange marmalade
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash cayenne pepper

Quinoa Mixture:
2 cups water
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 cup shelled edamame, cooked until tender
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup roasted slivered almonds

In a medium bowl, mix the sauce.

In a medium pan that has a lid, bring the 2 cups of water and quinoa to a boil, and then cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the water has fully evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool.

Mix the quinoa and sauce together, stirring well to fully incorporate the sauce. *Add the edamame, cilantro and almonds, tossing well.



Serves 6.

*I added only the edamame and almonds to R and G's quinoa, since they are still learning to love green bits in their food.

SPC