Still having eight servings of (expensive) quinoa stored in my refrigerator I decided to try another new recipe in search of healthful yumminess. This time we tried Vegetable Quinoa Stew from the Tasty Kitchen section of The Pioneer Woman blog.
This meal was more successful than the Mexican Quinoa with Pinto Beans we tried the last time. For one thing, it was more flavorful. Onion, bell pepper, zucchini, garlic and tomato were sauteed and then simmered in vegetable broth giving the quinoa time to take on the full flavor of the ingredients and absorb enough moisture to become a tasty and filling dish. With this dish David did not look longingly at the stove for something more.
For another thing, this dish gave me a better sense of quinoa’s possibilities. I could see it as the base for a yummy paella. We will try a vegetarian version of paella. Onions, garlic, bell pepper tomatoes sauteed with artichoke hearts and tofu. But the seasoning would be saffron instead of Italian seasoning. Hmmm…I still have some quinoa stored in my refrigerator.
YUM! That looks so good – love the idea for the paella, too!
Quinoa is tricky, mainly because no one knows what to do with it. LOL. I like to use it in just the way you mentioned, as a Paella. Now I just got an idea for a post, thank you!
I did make a paella dish using quinoa. I sauted onion and garlic, then added slivered bell pepper, chopped tomato, (canned) artichoke hearts and peas. After it was all heated through I added the quinoa and vegetable broth with saflower and thyme diffused in it. Cook covered for about 20 minutes. Finally I topped it with some sliced vegetarian chick’n. Over all it was good. The seasoning could have been stronger.
Cheers,
Corinna