Peruvian Quinoa Stew

Materials

• 1/2 c. quinoa (I just love the red variety)
• 1 c. vegetable broth
• 2 c. chopped onions
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 carrot, cut on the diagonal into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 1 bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (I like red bell peppers provide a nice sweetness)
• 1 c. cubed zucchini
• 2 c. undrained chopped fresh or canned tomatoes
• 1 c. vegetable stock
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder (or throw in some mix of paprika, garlic powder, cumin & cayenne)
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• pinch cayenne (or more to taste)
• 2 tsp. fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried oregano
• salt to taste
• chopped fresh cilantro
• shaved parmesan

Methods

1. Rinse quinoa well* with cold water. Use a fine mesh filter or coffee filter.
2. Place rinsed quinoa and 1 c. of the vegetable broth into a pot and cook covered on medium-low heat for ~15 minutes until soft.
3. While the quinoa is cooking place the onions, garlic and vegetable oil in a soup pot and saute on medium heat for 5 minutes.
4. Add celery and carrots to the soup pot and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring often.
5. Add the bell pepper, zucchini, tomatoes and other cup of vegetable broth to the soup pot. Stir in cumin, chili powder, coriander, cayenne and oregano to the soup pot and simmer covered for 10-15 minutes until vegetables are tender.
6. Stir in the cooked quinoa and salt to taste/
7. Top with chopped cilantro and parmesan.

* Quinoa is coated with saponin to protect the seeds from insects and birds. Rinsing the quinoa is important to avoid a raw or bitter taste. Saponin will cause the seeds to suds a little when rinsed in water.

Source:

Moosewood Restaurant Cookes at Home, Moosewood Collective, 1994

Notes:

You could easily double the amount of quinoa in this recipe - 1 c. quinoa and 2 c. broth

Personal Notes:

I'm usually inspired to find a recipe based on some random ingredient I lust over. This time, it was that wonderful red quinoa. So yummy, and so darn healthy too!