Quinoa and Black Beans

My friend Peggy introduced me to quinoa a couple of months ago. I had read about it before in health food articles but had never actually seen it or tried it (and I didn't know how to pronouce it: keen-wa). It's really good and, even better, it's really good for you!

This excerpt is straight from Wikipedia: "Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%), making it a healthful choice for vegetarians and vegans. Unlike wheat or rice quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest."

So there you go! Try it!

Here is the recipe I tested on my family while in Idaho. It gives the quinoa a Southwestern taste and contains black beans...so what's not to like?!?!

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

*I actually use about 1 1/4 teaspoons of taco seasoning instead of the cumin and cayenne.

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 can black beans

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.

2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with spices. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

3. Stir in corn and simmer until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.