Variety on the palette is perhaps one of the most important aspects to maintaining a healthy dietary lifestyle. Being a frequent dieter in the past, I am familiar with the feeling falling into a rut with groceries, eating mindlessly to try to fill the desire for something new. The seven week itch hits my tongue. My mind wants to be faithful, but my taste bud lust is insatiable. For me, getting bored with my food almost always results in judgment catastrophes, not the least of which is ordering a pepperoni pizza and eating the whole thing. Heck, I don’t even like pizza for the most part and yet boredom sends me there every time. Knowing how easy it is to fall into the trap of Plan Infidelity, I’ve reconnected with some of my old food favorites and some new ones to keep things fresh.
Quinoa is somewhat new to me. I discovered it last year in the natural foods section of my grocery store. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a grain typically associated with the people of South America. It’s tiny and has the dry consistency of coarsely ground cornmeal and is just as versatile. However, quinoa is much higher in fiber and protein content, making it the better PointsPlus choice at 4 PointsPlus per cooked cup (1/4 cup dry). When cooked according the instructions (two cups liquid to one cup quinoa), quinoa is like couscous in texture, making it great for tabbouleh-like salads or as a rice substitute. If you add more liquid to the mix, you get a quinoa mush which is about the consistency of polenta or cream of wheat. It’s slightly nutty in flavor, so it doesn’t take much seasoning to make it tasty. It also doesn’t take much to fill you up. I often use it to bulk up stews or as a rice-like side dish. Here are a couple of my favorite ways to prepare it:
Quinoa Curry with Vegetables
This meatless dish is super hearty and deliciously low on points. You’ll never know it’s vegetarian! Prepared as written, this is a pretty spicy meal which encourages eating smaller portions. However, if you have a wimpy tongue, you can always lessen the amount of curry paste that you put in until you find something right for you.
4 Tbsp Red curry paste
1 Tbsp Yellow curry powder (the kind you find in the spice aisle)
1 cup Vegetable or Chicken Stock, if you prefer
1 ½ Light coconut milk (if you don’t like coconut milk, substitute with either evaporated milk or cow’s milk. Just be sure to adjust the PointsPlus values)
1 cup Uncooked quinoa
2 cups squash, sliced
2 cups Uncooked potatoes, coarsely chopped
1 can Chickpeas, drained
½ cup Golden seedless raisins
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pour coconut milk into a medium-sized pot on a medium high stovetop (I use a cast iron dutch oven). Whisk curry powder and paste into the milk until thoroughly blended. Add broth, squash, potatoes, and chickpeas. Sauté until potatoes are soft. Add quinoa. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the quinoa pops off its hull and becomes al dente. Add raisins and simmer until it reaches desired texture.
Yields 6 servings at 8 PointsPlus per serving
The Many Faces of Chicken Thighs with Quinoa
This is a quinoa mush recipe and it changes to the seasonings you add. Add basil and oregano for an Italian feel. A packet of taco seasoning and some chopped peppers make for a fun Mexican flair. For a creamy comforting dish, replace the tomatoes with cream of mushroom soup, milk, broccoli, and roasted garlic, using Herbs de Provence for an aromatic bouquet. Versatility, thy name is Quinoa!
8 Boneless skinless chicken thighs
16 oz. Crushed tomatoes (or cream of mushroom soup)
1 ¼ cup uncooked quinoa
3 cups Chicken stock or broth
Salt and Pepper to taste
Seasoning to taste
Toss all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on High for 4 hours or until chicken is cooked through and quinoa is cooked to preference.
Yields 5 servings at 8 PointsPlus per serving
A note on Quinoa:
If you don’t know where to look, quinoa can be quite expensive. The best way to get it is to buy it in bulk. I get mine at Costco ($9 for 4 pounds). You can also find it in many organic and natural foods stores. Good luck and happy cooking!
No comments:
Post a Comment