Yummy Quinoa

Oh how I love quinoa!!! It is perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks! Quinoa is a super health gluten-free grain. It is a great source of protein and is considered a complete protein. It is easy to digest since it does not contain gluten. It is also a good source of fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron. It is prepared similar to how rice is made, but it takes less time to cook. Quinoa is one of my favorite things to make! It tastes great with any combination of vegetables. You can use either water or vegetable broth to make quinoa, but I love using vegetable broth. Here's how I have been preparing it lately:

Serves 2

What You Need

• 1/2  onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/4-1/2 zucchini 
• a few button mushrooms
• handful of frozen corn
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• salt
• black pepper
• cumin
• coriander
• garlic powder
• ground ginger
• cayenne
• lemon juice
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa

So you definitely don't have to use all of these ingredients, these are just my favorite vegetables and spices to put into a quinoa dish. Feel free to put whatever your favorite vegetables or spices are into this dish instead!

Roughly dice all of the vegetables (or chop them up any way that you prefer).

Heat a little water or oil in a pot at medium heat. Add onion to the pot and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables to the pot and cook for about 3 or 4 more minutes. Add 2 cups of vegetable broth. Now add the spices. I do not really use measuring spoons for the spices, but I would guess that I put in about a 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon for all the spices except I only do one small shake for ginger and cayenne. Feel free to add more or less of each spice or use different spices. Add the lemon juice, about a 1/2 tablespoon. Add the 1 cup of uncooked quinoa. Stir.

Bring to a boil and then turn to low and let simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

Enjoy!