Quinoa With Mexican Flavours

Quinoa pronounced as Keen-wah has been the latest addition to our diet. So what is Quinoa? Quinoa is a relatively new and unknown super food which has gained a lot of popularity for its nutrition benefits. Quinoa is native to South America and is very high in protein.  The protein it supplies is complete protein which means it includes all the nine essential amino acids. Quinoa is one of the only vegetarian food to have the distinction of being a complete protein. In addition to being protein rich, quinoa is high in fiber and vitamins such as riboflavin, calcium, vitamin E, iron, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, folic acid and beta carotene. It is also abundant in linoleic acid, the essential fatty acid that has proven to benefit the immune response.

Now let me clarify that I am not an expert in nutrition. I have gathered this information from various sources on the internet as a part of making informed and healthy food choices. In addition to being super healthy, quinoa is very versatile and a breeze to cook. Season the cooked quinoa with your favourite seasonings and you have a delicious meal ready in under 30 minutes, just perfect for a week night (or any night) dinner. Today, I have used Mexican flavours to make quinoa. Here is the recipe.

Quinoa With Mexican Flavours 

Quinoa With Mexican Flavours

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water or vegetable stock
• 1 small onion chopped fine
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 zucchini peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 cup tomato puree
• 1/4 tsp red chili powder
• 2 tsp hot sauce/Red Pepper sauce (I used Frank's Hot sauce)
• 1/4 cup cilantro chopped fine

Method

• Put the quinoa in a sieve. Rinse quinoa under running water a couple of times. Please do not skip this step else the quinoa will become a bit bitter when cooked.
• Transfer rinsed quinoa to a saucepan. Add 2 cups of vegetable stock or water.
• Put this mixture on the stove and let it come to a boil. Once the mixture comes to a rapid boil, cover with a lid, reduce stove setting to a low and cook covered for 15 minutes. 
• Remove from the stove and set aside for 5 minutes, then fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork and set aside.
• Immerse the corn in some water and microwave it for 1 minute and keep aside.
• Heat a little oil. Add garlic and sautee till fragrant. Add onions and sautee till the onions are translucent. 
• Add diced zucchini and sautee till it softens. 
• Add tomato puree, red chili powder, cumin powder, hot sauce and salt.
• Add corn and black beans and mix well.
• Add the cooked quinoa and cilantro, and mix well. Serve hot.

Notes

• You can add any vegetables you like.
• Taco sauce can be used in place of hot sauce.
• Adjust the quantity of hot sauce to suit your taste.
• For those of you who are new to quinoa, this is what uncooked quinoa looks like;

Uncooked Quinoa