Qunioa!

Most vegans have heard of quinoa, but many have never tried it. I also want to encourage those who are just curious about getting more fruits and veggies to try adding this grain into their diet as well. Quinoa is one of the few plants that have what many call 'high quality' protein or complete protein. As you can see from Nutrition Facts quinoa is very good for you and can be an amazing food to add to a whole foods, plant based diet.

Quinoa also provides sugars, starches, oils(*linoeolic acid!), fiber, vitamins and minerals too. Unlock other grains it's not very sticky, but rather fluffy. And it's very easy to digest, and it's low on the glycemic scale so it is a good option over white rice for a diabetic. It can be used in any recipe that you would normally use rice in and cooks in much the same way. The following is one of my favorite ways to prepare quinoa and I hope you enjoy it as well.

Ingredients:
1 medium sweet onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 TBSP olive oil
~2 cups vegetable broth
1 can chick peas
1 cup quinoa

Directions:
Place stock pot over medium to medium low heat, and add olive oil. Roughly chop the onion and begin sautéing it in the warm olive oil. When onions are just translucent, finely dice and add garlic. While garlic is sautéing rinse the quinoa well. (If you don't rinse the quinoa it has a powder naturally on the outside that can make it taste quite bitter.)

Add drained quinoa to the pot and begin to toast it for about 2 minutes. Then drain chick peas, saving reserve liquid in a measuring cup(if you want, you can only use vegetable stock as well.) Add enough vegetable stock to the measuring cup to bring total liquid to 2 cups. Add this to the mixture along with the chickpeas and bring the mix to a boil. After it comes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, covered.

Turn heat off and fluff it with a fork. Then serve. (You can reduce liquid to as little as 1 and 1/4 cup for a different texture, so experiment to find the best texture for you :) You can also make this in a rice cooker if you have the 'Simmer then Sauté' setting.)

Remember to experiment and have fun. Add some celery and carrots to the onions to give it a French feel or throw in your favorite refried beans at the end and make it a more Latin American version.