Here is our frugal & nutritious dinner of the week (F & N for short). This is excellent as a side dish but can easily be turned into the main dish! We served it this last week along with baked cod (unfortunately, I am still working on my cod recipe, it was a little dry, so I won’t be sharing that yet) and a green salad.
Quinoa is a wonderfully nutritious non-gluten whole grain. Unfortunately, it is not our favorite…but I have been still exploring how to make it and cover its somewhat nutty taste. This is really rather tasty and the hubby liked it too! My friend Kimi shared all about the nutritional content of quinoa here.
1 teaspoon olive or coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (I didn’t pull my broth out of the freezer in time, so I used water. I am sure it would taste even better with broth!)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (I used way more than the original recipe on cumin! Probably more like 1 Tbsp to provide sufficient flavor!)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or make a homemade batch in the crockpot)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I used dried, but fresh would be the best!)
Soaking Step (Learn more about the reasons for soaking your whole grains here): Rinse quinoa thoroughly in a strainer. Allow to sit in strainer over a large bowl and add warm filtered water to cover sufficiently. Add 1 Tbsp of an acid medium (whey, kefir, yogurt, or cultured buttermilk). Cover with plate or towel. Soak 12-24 hours. Rinse once again and add 1 cup broth, and proceed. I use less than the recipe calls for if soaking, because it absorbed water in the soaking stage, and will not need as much to cook. 1 cup was perfect.
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
- Thoroughly rinse quinoa. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
- Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.
Lindsay, can we use olive oil or some other healthy oil? Oh, and I’m getting my first batch of kefir grains next week!
Certainly!
If you put a clove of garlic in the pot with the quinoa while it is cooking it will help take away the “nutty” taste. I make my quinoa east Indian style with turmeric, garlic powder, cumin, bay leaves and throw in some peas…
I love this recipe! We’ve had it as a side, as a main (topped with cheese or scrambled egg added in) or in burritos. Thanks!
I have a whey question I am trying to find an answer to… I make mozzarella sometimes and whey is the byproduct. Is this uncultured, heated whey suitable for soaking? Hope I’m not wastin my time:/
You could let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours to make it cultured.
Thanks! Guess I’ll have lots of whey since I just did the other method too:)
We have been making quinoa at our house and it is tasty. It’s great seasoned with garlic,cilantro and onions- served with chicken. And adding red potatoes somehow balanced the flavor too!
How do you make black beans in the crock pot? Thanks!
I cook all my beans in the crockpot. I simply soak them for 12-24 hours covered with filtered water and a bit of lemon juice or vinegar. After they have soaked, I rinse them and cover them again with filtered water and cook for 6-8 hours on low. The length of time really depends upon your crockpot. Just keep an eye on them and check them till they are soft. You may have to add more water as well. Works very well!
Hi Lindsay I want to kown where do you buy quinoa. Please.thanks
Azure Standard food co-op, Costco, Trader Joes or any whole food store.
This recipe was by far the tastiest way I have had quinoa and I have had plenty! I don’t know if it was the soaking part of it or just the way the flavors all come together. I did make it with kidney beans but I would do it again and will try black beans too. Very light and flavorful! Thank you!
This is the recipe I tried.
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/3686/indian+spiced+quinoa+with+chicken
I actually got a lot from that recipe, I really like the split peas, and have had them with cabbage since and that was nice too.
Thanks for this recipe . we love it.we had leftovers for dinner chili powder and a little tomato sauce and put in a whole wheat tortilla shell with lettuce and cheese.thanks from RENA in oregon city.Lindsey you have a great blog i really loveit .
I just found a recipe that suggested cooking quinoa in carrot juice for a different flavor. I already add finely grated carrot to mine (while it’s cooking) for some added sweetness but this might work even better.
We like quinoa a lot, but I too have been looking for different ways to cook it. Surprisingly I think the kids like it better than my husband and I do.
This recipe definitely sounds great, and perfect for our tastebuds here. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Lindsay,
In one of my books I read that quinoa is supposed to increase milk supply in nursing moms.
Just thought I’d share that.
It’s good stuff, different though.
Lindsay,
I’ve been lurking for a couple months now and decided to comment. I love black beans and I have some quinoa in my pantry. We’ve been cutting meat out of our dinners just because of budget issues. I think I may have to try to make this! Thanks for the recipe!
Lindsay,
My husband LOVES quinoa and I really think he’ll like this recipe! Thank you for sharing it. I have some kefir and could make whey, hmmm…I’ll figure it out.
BTW, I read your blog everyday. I love to read how people are living as closely to the way God intended us.
Blessings,
~Farrah
Have you tried it with a little Braggs? It truly makes all the difference for us. It tastes soy(ish) but not nearly as salty.
Lindsay,
This sounds delicious! I think I’ll try it this weekend.
By the way, I love your blog. Even though I don’t know you personally, I feel like I can hear your voice in your writing. Thanks for sharing your life/recipes/ideas/resources!
This sounds really good. I don’t think I have had quinoa before, but I am always up for a recipe that calls for black beans!
Toni
I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and have been making it for a while now, and really like it! The flavors are just perfect…
Yes, I forgot to mention that the original recipe came from allrecipes.com.