Monday, March 7, 2011

Easy Quinoa Veggie Pilaf

I like the concept of instant gratification.  Maybe it's a generational thing, but I like it a lot especially when it comes to cooking.  Although I enjoy the process of making some foods with complex flavors, my inability to follow a recipe and complete lack of patience keeps me from making foods like risotto and other slow meals.
This recipe is simple, easy to adapt, full of flavor, and healthy.  It can be served on its own with a salad or makes a great side to a main dish- I present my quinoa veggie pilaf.

Ingredients:
-1/2 box of your preferred quinoa (I used Trader Joe's organic quinoa)
-1 cup stock of choice (I used veggie stock)
-1 cup frozen peas
-1 cup broccoli or any veggie of your choice
-1.5 cups water
- salt, pepper to taste
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- dried dill to taste

*Cook quinoa in water, stock, garlic, and spices, adding the broccoli about 10 minutes into cooking.
*Once 15 minutes have passed, add frozen peas and cover pot to steam the peas and absorb extra liquid
*Serve and feast

Quinoa is one of the staples that I'm still eating up despite being done with our 'cleanse' and it's a filling grain with lots of protein and complex carbs.  It keeps me full long enough to not go looking for my next piece of chocolate, which is surprisingly not my main sustenance these days.
Tonight my husband ate this pilaf with beef tri-tip.  I ate my beef with a mixed herb salad.  For whatever reason, I've been wanting red meat, so I'm rolling with it.  It only took a mere 15 years for me to get back into red meat but I suppose tastes change.  I wasn't going to mention it on here because I have been so bipolar on my diet but everything in moderation, right?

P.S. Happy Anniversary to my parents- 37 years together and still in love <3

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