Are you looking for ways to incorporate different whole grains but lack creative recipes?  Here is a yummy dish that a friend recently brought for a dinner at our house.

If you are new to quinoa, it is truly an amazing food.  Not actually considered a grain, but a seed, quinoa is actually a complete protein!  It also contains a healthy dose of iron and is also high in B Vitamins.  I have read in several places that in South America, women use it to help increase their breast milk supply!

Experiment with the recipe, adding your favorite vegetables.  Served with a salad and some fruit, this is a meal in and of itself!

Creamy Quinoa Primavera

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c uncooked quinoa (soak overnight in water with 1T acidic medium for maximum nutritional benefits)

3 c chicken broth

3 oz cream cheese

1T fresh chopped basil or 1tsp dried basil

2 tsp real butter

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

5 c thinly sliced or bite-sized pieces of assorted cooked  veggies (broccoli, carrots, zucchini…)

2T grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.  Rinse quinoa thoroughly; drain.  In a saucepan, heat quinoa and broth to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and let simmer 15-20 minutes or until all broth is absorbed.  Stir in cream cheese and basil.

2.  In a skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Cook garlic in butter about 30 seconds, stirring frequently.  Stir in veggies and cook about 2-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until they are crisp-tender.

3.  Add the veggies to quinoa mixture and sprinkle with cheese.  Salt to taste.

Today, I made this for lunch and just added a large bag of frozen mixed veggies.  I sauteed them in the butter until they were crisp.