Quinoa & Veggie Pilaf

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 TBSP coconut oil, butter, or ghee
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 carrot, grated
3/4 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup chopped parsley (optional)

• Rinse the quinoa well in a fine strainer.
• Bring the water to a boil & add the quinoa.
• Cover & simmer 25 – 30 mins.
• In a medium skillet, heat the oil (or butter) & saute the onions for a few minutes.
• Add the carrot, peas & corn.
• Cover, turn off heat & let sit until the frozen veggies are heated through.
• Stir quinoa into saute pan with veggies & toss together.
• Add parsley if desired.

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SIDE NOTES:

~ Adapted from “The Chicago Diner Cookbook”

~ Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is often referred to as a *super grain* as it’s highly nutritious and in fact one of the few vegetarian foods that is a COMPLETE PROTEIN in & of itself. It looks almost identical to millet (but paler in color – millet is more yellowish) and cooks relatively fast compared to other whole grains. Quinoa is pretty available these days at regular grocery stores – try the gluten free aisle, nature’s place area, or rice aisle.

~ The reason you need to rinse quinoa before cooking is because as it grows, it produces its own natural defense against bug infestation in the way of a coating on the grain. It make the quinoa taste a little bitter & a become a bit hard to digest if you forget to rinse.

~ You can of course substitute any veggies you happen to have on hand.

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