Spinach Parmesan Quinoa

Hello foodies! Summer is over :(, Fall sped by here in MN, and it’s officially Winter here. Can’t believe it will be Thanksgiving later this week! Many of you must be frantically preparing for Thanksgiving cooking and family visiting. I wanted to share with you a simple, healthy and light recipe to serve either as a side during your Thanksgiving meal, or as a tummy-friendly meal by itself, for the night after eating, drinking and midnight shopping. (I know I’ll do that last bit with much gusto this year).

I recently came across this easy recipe when I was wandering the internets (yes, I said internets.) and stumbled across this amazing blog called Lisa’s Dinnertime Dish. I made some edits to the recipe to make it a little more spicy, tangy, and creamy – I added some chili powder and some lemon juice to suit my tastes. Because I like my quinoa a little creamier, and instead of adding more cheese, I cooked the grain with a mixture of chicken stock and 2% milk.What I also love about this recipe is that it is a perfect meal for one person. 1 cup of quinoa is perfect for dinner tonight, and a work lunch box tomorrow.

I encourage you to please check out Lisa’s recipe and follow her recipe as is. Hope you like it as much as I did!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 shallot, finely minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 cups chicken stock + 1/2 cup 2% milk – warm the mixture slightly
• 2 cups chopped baby spinach
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese or any other cheese of your choice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste

Method:

• In a saucepan, heat the olive oil, and add the minced shallots and garlic
• When soft, add the quinoa and mix well. Then, add the stock + milk mixture, season with salt, pepper and chili powder, and allow to cook on medium heat, with a lid on the saucepan. Cook for 15 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked through
• Add the chopped spinach, cheese, lemon juice, and mix well
• Serve immediately! You could serve it with a side of leftover Thanksgiving Turkey and / or leftover vegetables / sides