Quinoa: The Perfect Summer Grain
Quinoa and Root Vegetables
Quinoa (pronounced keen·wä), is showing up in a lot of recipes lately, so I had to find out more about this grain. I found out that it is a nearly complete protein and one of the healthiest whole grains around. There are a lot of healthy things that I usually stay away from….lentils, barley, chick peas, fava beans…so at first I wasn’t sure I wanted to try Quinoa. But I saw a variation of this recipe in Cooking Light and thought I would try to be healthy and at least give it a chance. I was pleasantly surprised!
As with many of the recipes I make, I didn’t really like the original as written. This recipe was heavy on the Quinoa and very light on the vegetables. So I made adjustments, tried it again, and I think this version is much improved. I served it to a good friend of mine who was also skeptical about this grain and had never had it before. I told her it was a perfect time to explore something new. She was a good sport and tried it, liked it, and even had two servings. (I find that most people are very polite and are not going to say they don’t like something when you serve it to them…but they won’t go back for seconds unless they really like it!)
Another ingredient of the recipe that you may not use much is parsnips. For those of you who have never used them in a recipe, they look a bit like light yellow carrots. They are mild, but they really add to this recipe, so don’t leave them out.
Quinoa and Root Vegetables
Ingredients: (makes 8 servings)
- 4 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth (save one cup for later in the recipe)
- 1 ¾ cups quinoa (any type)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes (about 1 ½ cups; more if you like)
- 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes (1 – 1 ½ cups)
- 1 ½ cups chopped onion
- 3 cups kale, chopped (I used baby kale)
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- Salt and pepper to taste
Steps:
Quinoa and Root Vegetables
- Bring 3 ½ cups of the broth to a boil in a saucepan.
- Add the quinoa and return to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until quinoa is tender but chewy, (about 20 minutes). Drain excess liquid.
- Place the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the ginger, sweet potato, parsnips, onion, and kale.
- Stir until the vegetables are well coated and begin to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining broth, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the quinoa to the vegetables, sprinkle the sage, and season with salt and pepper. Gently fold to combine.
Note: You can make this a day ahead. Bring it to room temperature and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil if it is dry.
If you want to try a small amount of this recipe first, cut all the ingredients in half. It makes a lot.
Enjoy!
Dugan's Kitchen 
love quinoa–can’t wait to try this!
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