Always a hit with Health Barn kids, quinoa (“keen-wa”) is a whole grain that’s a complete protein, fiber-rich and chock-full of vitamins and minerals. Substitute couscous if you can’t find quinoa. Toast the walnuts in the oven for 5 minutes, as they impart a lot of flavor to this dish.
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups water
5 ounces fresh baby spinach
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup walnut pieces, toasted
½ cup freshly grated
Parmesan cheese
Basil leaves
Instructions
1. Place quinoa in small bowl, add water to cover, and swish to rinse. Pour into fine mesh strainer and drain well.
2. Heat oil in large skillet. Add quinoa. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until golden, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add salt and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook over medium-low until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
3. Add spinach and tomatoes. Cook over medium heat until spinach is almost wilted and tomatoes are warmed, about 1 minute. Stir in walnuts and cheese. Garnish with basil leaves. Serves 4.
Recipe courtesy of Health Barn USA, Relish Cooking with kids, April 2008.
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 360 calories, 19g fat, 37mg chol, 13g prot., 37g carbs., 6g fiber, 510mg sodium
Here are some of the current comments about this recipe. To read more or post your own comments,
On 7/15/09 7:07 AM stacey wrote:
i was excited upon seeing this recipe and trying something new. then i saw the fat count-yikes! can't figure out from the ingredients why it's so high. i have heart disease so this isn't an option-any insight????
On 7/17/09 3:12 PM The Relish Editors wrote:
9 grams of the fat comes from the 1/2 cup of walnuts and nearly 3 grams of fat comes from the Parmesan cheese. If you like, you could cut the quantities for the nuts and cheese and half and save nearly 6 grams of fat.
On 8/2/09 1:46 PM quinoa wrote:
I really liked this recipe! I used it to replace meat in the meal so I wasn't concerned about the fat, especially since we eat walnuts everyday any how. Walnuts are very healthy. As for the cheese, Parm has a very strong flavor, so less worked well. I didn't have spinach on hand so I cooked Kale separately, but will use spinach next time. Thanks for a great recipe!
Post your comments on this recipe
