Sunday Shout Out to Quinoa.

Happy Father's to all the dads out there especially my dad, step dad and brother who are all wonderful fathers and I am unbelievably grateful to have each of them in my life.

There's only one more shout out that is going to happen in this entry and that goes out to yet another superfood that is packed with a lot of awesome, the lovely quinoa.

Contrary to what most think, quinoa is a seed, not a grain. It is actually in the same food family as swiss chard, spinach and beets.  One cup of quinoa contains 40 grams of carbs, 8 grams of protein and 3.5 grams of fat.  It also has 20 percent of our total daily value of fiber.  It is one of the few plant based food sources that has all eight essential amino acids as well as an adequate amount of protein. Sounds like a vegetarian's dream food to me.

I am a big fan of quinoa because although it is not a grain, it is a good substitute for rice because it has a similar taste, just a different texture.  It can be eaten cold mixed in with a salad or hot as a side dish with your favorite spices.

One of my coworkers shared with me one of her top quinoa recipes that I would like to pass on to you.  Quinoa by itself is very simple to make so just tack on a few more ingredients and you have a full meal that tastes delicious and doesn't take a lot of time or effort to prepare.

Here is the list of ingredient for Quinoa with Artichoke and Parsley:
1 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 c. onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 can artichoke hearts, the recipe calls for frozen but I couldn't find them anywhere so I used the canned ones.  Make sure to rinse the hearts to get rid of excess sodium.
1 c. low sodium chicken broth
1/2 c. quinoa, uncooked
1 c. fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. kosher salt.
*I also added in frozen edamame to incorporate more veggies.

1. Saute onion and thyme in olive oil for five minutes until onions are tender.  Add the artichokes and edamame and saute for 2  more minutes.  Add broth and quinoa and bring to a simmer.
2. Cook for 18 minutes or until liquid is completely absorbed.
3. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, juice and salt.  Serve warm or room temperature.  Enjoy the deliciousness.

Now if I could just figure out what to make with my yellow squash, arugula and mushrooms this week...well whatever I come up with, I'm sure it will give me something else to blog about. Happy quinoa making everyone.