Quinoa Vegetable Stew

I love quinoa. And I especially love a good quinoa stew. This recipe from the “Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites Cookbook” definitely delivers. It was difficult to stop eating this stuff. I felt like the Augustus Gloop of quinoa! I made this while Jake was still in Alaska and I’m definitely going to have to make it again now that he’s home. This stew is right up his alley. And he’s a peach for putting up with me, as we all know. If you haven’t tried quinoa yet then perhaps this is the recipe you need to start with. Quinoa is great! It’s really healthy for you and actually constitutes a complete protein. Isn’t that great?! You should be eating it right now.

Quinoa Vegetable Stew
3/4 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large bell pepper, chopped
2 medium zucchini, chopped
2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped basil
salt and black pepper, to taste

1. Rinse and drain the quinoa. Then place it in a saucepan with the water. Cover it and simmer the quinoa for 15-20 minutes, or till it’s cooked through and fluffy. Ten minutes into the cooking time, stir the corn in with the quinoa.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, heat the oil in a medium soup pot and sauté the onions and garlic till tender.
3. Then add the bell peppers and zucchini and sauté 5 more minutes.
4. Add in the tomatoes, cilantro and basil. Stir well to mix everything together. Cover and simmer 10 minutes or till vegetables are tender.
5. Add salt and pepper to fit your seasoning preferences.
6. Put the dish together by fluffing the quinoa and spooning the quinoa and corn mixture onto a deep plate (one with a bit of a well in it that can handle some soupiness). Then spoon some of the vegetable mixture on top. Top with extra salt, pepper, basil or cilantro as you see fit.

Quinoa Vegetable Stew