Quinoa Pilaf

Quinoa is like rice....well almost, can be substituted for rice in a lot of recipes! But unlike rice  it has all the good stuff. We all know about the health benefits - it supplies the complete protein i.e  all nine essential amino acids and so on. Even after I knew everything about this magic grain or seed, I was not sure if I was going to like the way it tasted...well I was in for a surprise....I LOVED IT!! Even thou I have not been able to substitute it for rice on a regular basis...It is a perfect meal for any weeknight. It is not like I have developed the taste for it over the years, I loved it the first time I made it and still do.

I have tried quinoa in a couple of recipes and this is one of them, hope you enjoy it as much as I do. :)

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa

1 cup chopped vegetables  of your choice

1/2 onion finely chopped

2-3 stems of green onions/spring onions- chopped

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp cumin seed

1/2 Cinnamon stick

1/4 tsp  black pepper

1-2 cloves

1/4 tsp turmeric

salt to taste

juice of half a lime

cilantro finely chopped for garnish

1 and 3/4 cup water

Heat oil in a saucepan, add cumin followed by all the other spices, add onions saute till onions are golden brown in color add the finely chopped vegetables, and the washed quinoa. Add salt, saute, add water bring to boil, cover it and lower the flame and cook for 10-12 min or more till the quinoa is cooked. Add juice of half a life for a nice tangy flavor....garnish with cilantro ! enjoy!!!