My New Favourite Food

We have newly rediscovered quinoa.  A few years ago I learned about this superfood, and Tyler attempted to make it and then quickly decided he didn't like it, so aside from using quinoa flour in some baking we never tried it again.  He was convinced it wasn't any good.  Lately I have really wanted to try it again, so I bought some and looked up some recipes.  I started with a simple quinoa and vegetable pilaf, and voila!  We loved it!  Now we have replaced rice with quinoa in all our meals.  Not that I felt unhealthy from eating rice, but it doesn't get much healthier than quinoa so I feel really good about eating it a few times a week.

 

So far I have mainly been doing the same pilaf style dish when I make it, using whatever vegetables we have in the fridge.  I also like to add various nuts and seeds to give it more oomph.  Since it's rather bland on it's own I also add herbs and a touch of whatever salad dressing we have on hand.

 

A few weeks ago we made it to go with cashew lettuce wraps instead of making plain white rice, and it was fantastic!  I didn't even bother putting it in the lettuce wraps, rather I just mixed it up with the cashew and chicken and ate it more like a stirfry.

 

I'm finding new ways to incorporate the quinoa into many of our regular meals.  Last night I made homemade macaroni and cheese which I added quinoa to as well.  I like how it immediately ups the health content of any meal, and I also like how I can use it to get all the elements of a complete protein without having to eat meat with every meal.

 

Next I'd like to try some different kinds of quinoa salads.  I've also been meaning to try it as a breakfast dish, done up kind of like oatmeal with maybe some cinnamon and maple syrup.

 

There is a book called Quinoa 365 that I've got my eye on.  It's filled with recipes for adding quinoa to all different kinds of meals, even desserts.  I've baked with quinoa flour before with good results.  I will have to try using it again!

 

I'm so excited to be on the quinoa bandwagon and I'm hoping this is just one step closer to a healthier diet.  Now, if only the kids loved it as much as we do.....