March: Quinoa

My mom really likes being healthy but she doesn't love to cook the way I do. While I was home and we were discussing healthy food, she mentioned that she had quinoa but hadn't really cooked with it. I haven't cooked with it before either so she gave me some to take home to see what I could come up with.

Thanks to my favorite (and yes, only) little brother, I own Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. Naturally quinoa was in there, because everything is, so I found a recipe for quinoa with roasted corn. I added a few other things, used more chicken stock, and succeeded in general. That being said, quinoa really isn't my favorite dish--it's the texture more than anything I think. However, here's my recipe. It, like so many dishes, I've noticed, tastes lovely with cheese and a fried egg like in the picture.

Quinua with corn, kale, and caramelized onions, adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

-1 1/2 C corn kernels (I used frozen so defrost them)
-3/4 C quinoa, rinsed and drained (I still for the life of me can't figure out how to wash and drain quinoa--it's too small for my strainers and rips the paper towels...so it probably wasn't really washed but still tasted fine)
-1-2 C chicken stock
-1 1/2 white onions, thinly sliced
-1/2 bunch kale, washed, dried, chopped
-olive oil
-salt n pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onions and a pinch of sugar if you like
2. Cook until starting to caramelize and push to the sides of the pan
3. Add quinoa and add a little of the stock once the grains start popping and toasting (a few minutes)
4. Add the kale and corn, cook until almost tender
5. Add the rest of the stock and bring to a boil, stir, cover, and reduce heat to low
6. Cook about 15 without stirring and then test for done-ness
7. Add more stock as needed if it's evaporated (you want there to be enough liquid to cover the bottom of the pan)
8. Cook until quinoa is soft but has a slight bite to it and the veggies are cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with cheese and a fried egg if you like. Also tomatoes are a nice addition.