Tasty Tuesday!
I got a little creative last week as I was trying to ensure that my iron level was high enough to allow me to donate blood. For whatever reason, a steak or good, juicy burger just wasn't interesting me (I know, what's wrong with me?).
On Thursday, I was struggling with what to make for dinner, as it needed to be relatively low effort since I was working from home. And it needed to be something the wee ones would eat. And I wanted it to help me with my iron.
I finally came up with an idea, very loosely based on my take on chicken and pea "risotto". Amazingly, even though I held out the spinach from part of it for Mister Man, both the wee ones loved it with the spinach. In fact, Mister Man asked if he could have it again for breakfast the next day. Who woulda thunk it? Behold:
Quinoa Entree:
Ingredients:
1 c quinoa (ok so I doubled this to ensure that I'd have leftovers)
1 T oil (or butter if you aren't trying to make this dairy free)
2 c chicken stock (make it with veggie stock or water to make it meatless)
1 t dried parsley (or 1 T fresh, but hold it out until the end)
5 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained (or use fresh, but chop and wilt it)
1/2 t pepper
salt, to taste (I don't add salt when using chicken stock)
1 oz Parmesan cheese, fresh grated (no green cans!)
Directions:
Soak the quinoa in water two inches over the dry quinoa for a couple hours. Drain and rinse. Add oil or butter to the pot and replace the quinoa. Heat it on medium, stirring frequently, until it has a nice toasty scent - about ten minutes.
Add the chicken stock (or veggie stock or water) and dried parsley, and bring to a boil. Turn it down to a simmer and cook uncovered for ten minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.
Fluff gently, and add the thawed and drained (or chopped and wilted) spinach. Stir to combine, and add the pepper and any salt desired. Serve immediately, and grate the cheese atop the quinoa.
Enjoy!
And yes, I do have a photo, but my camera is out of batteries. I'll upload it once it's charged!
For more recipes, check out Tempt My Tummy Tuesday with Blessed with Grace!
12 comments:
sounds pretty yummy to me!!
I have never tried quinoa - is it more like rice or like pasta?? Or none of the above?
And what are you waiting for? link this bad boy up! Anything that has kids asking for it for breakfast needs to be shared!
Ohhh I would double it also! I'll have to try it!
I've never had quinoa - it sounds interesting though. Thanks for the neat recipe. :)
Can someone explain why quinoa seems to be either hated or loved? I never have figured out the attraction. {*grin*}
Sounds good! I've heard of quinoa but haven't ever had it.
Sounds yummy! I just love spinach!
I've never had that dish before. Sounds interesting.
Another recipe I'm saving!
Here's a healthy snack with spinach that your kids would like, I think: Green Eggs and Ham...See it at http://www.patandjerry.com/2010/03/green-eggs-and-ham_03.html
We made it in kindergarten yesterday in honor of Dr. Seuss.
Yummy!!!
Rhonda - It is. And hey, if the wee ones eat it, you know it's good. It made its way through the picky patrol.
Kat - Ummm it's kind of both? It's a little crunchy like al dente pasta but nuttier than rice or pasta. Similar in texture to rice though. Sorta. Just try it!
Laura - I did. Ha! You just didn't notice :)
Brenda - It is. And quinoa is my favorite grain.
Alexis - Glad we aren't the only doublers here. I hope you like it!
Upstatemomof3 - It's a perfect food -- it's a grain but full of protein. What more can you want? Oh, and it tastes good!
Dan - Ummm because some people are silly and don't like it? No idea - it's a hit here though!
Sherry - It's worth a try. It's a great meat substitute because of the protein.
Mary - It is a great addition, isn't it? I felt like a genius. For no good reason really, but I felt like a genius anyway.
Kelly - I notice you didn't put this on your "I have to make it immediately" list. Give it a try!
Pat - Oddly enough, we had green eggs and ham with both the wee ones in the past week. Annnnd Little Miss loved it because she loves anything eggs. Mister Man was gracious enough to try it (he doesn't touch eggs) but reaffirmed his dislike of eggs.
Swishy - You got it!
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