Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Curried Quinoa



In our home, we are always trying to eat healthier, better, cheaper, you name it! You see, I get bored oh so easily in the ole food department and trying new and exciting recipes is the only way to keep this cook happy. Preparing the same meals day in and day out kills my chef-esque mojo, and in general leads to an extreme lack of gumption to  actually get my buns in the kitchen.

Sadly, I've been plum out of inspiration lately! I have been  rummaging thru cookbooks, scrolling thru blogs and of course snooping about pinterest on the hunt for fresh ideas- something not too difficult, not too time consuming, a little bit out of the box- creativity wise and yet, also chalk full of yumminess and good for you ingredients.




I've been on a huge quinoa kick lately- which is great, because I haven't been able to enjoy it's flavor and nuttiness since I was pregnant with Eleanor. It was one of those weird foods that even the sight of it would make me want to run for the hills. So, I'm just getting my sea legs set and now I'm out to explore all the delicious recipes that can be concocted with this almighty seed(seed right?). 

Thankfully, my sister in law had this little gem tucked up her sleeve, and it is a great one. Easy-check! Delicious- double check! Healthy- check, check, check! It's a total party pleaser. Even my kiddos will eat it and that is saying something. So, here it is, just in case you're in a food rut too:)




Curry Quinoa

ingredients:

2 cups organic quinoa- cooked according to package directions
3 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1 onion
1-2 Tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup raisins
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp tumeric

On medium low heat, warm your coconut oil, then throw in sliced onions, brown sugar, cumin, chili powder, salt and raisins. Stir it all up for a bit, then turn your heat down to low, and let it simmer away til your onions are soft, brown and caramelized. Next, add in your cooked quinoa, curry and tumeric, salt to taste, then stir til combined and piping hot. 




It's really that simple!

This is why I love recipes like this. They are simple and delicious but leave lots of room for playing around. Personally, I enjoy it with toasted coconut and chopped peanuts thrown on top, maybe with a couple extra raisins for good measure. It's great with ground sausage or left over chicken, and a squeeze of lime makes it all the better.

Happy Cooking

I am always to happy to be led to some new recipes if any of you care to share:)
   




26 comments :

  1. Were your kids ever picky eaters? My son is going through such a hard phase when it comes to food. The only way I can get veggies down him is in a smoothie! Please tell me you have some advice!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh how I wish! My big two are great little eaters, then my youngest two seem to only eat yogurt, fruit and cheese- it's a problem. They did eat this- so huge win! I need to try making smoothies though- they would love it:)

      Delete
  2. Looks delicious, Chelsea....I'd never have thought to add spices to quinoa...am going to try this recipe! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've been in a cooking rut lately so this is just what I needed! I've never made quinoa before, but I love curries so I have all of the other ingredients. I'll just have to go pick up the quinoa and give this a try :)

    lovejoanna.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'll give it a try! :) Thanks for sharing. I was just telling my husband that I was tired of cooking the same stuff every week.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yum! I'm always down to try new recipes- I agree, boring same old, same old in the kitchen just doesn't do it for me, either! Gotta mix it up. :)


    -Ashley
    http://lestylorouge.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. yum! We love quinoa and I use it in replace of rice in stir fry or I add it to a lot of soups. I just did a curried israeli couscous dish that was really similar to this but it had a dressing of greek yogurt, white wine vinegar, curry, salt and pepper. really yummy! we cook indian food a lot because lentils are super cheap and healthy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you have a great Indian lentil recipe, please send it my way! That sounds so good!!

      Delete
  7. I don't cook with quinoa very often, but I do like it. This looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  8. this sounds so simple, but so flavorful!
    http://www.rosecolorglass.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. i love quinoa - the texture, the nuttienss, and it's packed with complete proteins! for a vegetarain, it's a dream of a grain. one of my favorite meals actually goes likes this:
    1c cooked quinoa
    1c black beans, rinsed
    1/2 red onion, diced
    1 red pepper, chopped
    1 avocado, chopped
    then you make this sauce: juice from 1 lime + 1/4c olive oil + 1T honey + 1T chili powder + 2T red wine vinegar
    and pour that over the quinoa salad and enjoy! sooooo good!! if you try it, let me know what you think. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yum- sounds so good! Thanks so much for sharing, I will be trying this asap:)

      Delete
  10. kitchen experiments excited must like any other creative endeavor, but my husband is allergic to nuts, seafood, zucchini, and squash, and so experimentation is extremely limited (not to mention he's the quintessential meat-and-potatoes man). when's he's outta town though? curried quinoa is one of my favorite things to make :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my- that would definitely make things a bit trickier!

      Delete
  11. That looks and sounds so delicious! I love quinoa! (I see you installed Disqus ;) Hope you like it! I know I do!)


    Christina
    www.cityloveee.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! I'm only two days in and still finding my way with it, but I think I'm going to love it.

      Delete
  12. This looks so yummy! I am getting a bit bored of the food we normally eat for dinner and I want to eat more healthy. I might try something like this next week. xx

    ReplyDelete
  13. Absolutely going to make this! yum! love quinoa :)

    xoxo



    Kaley



    My Closet Life Blog

    ReplyDelete
  14. I've been looking for a good quinoa recipe! I bought some a while back but honestly haven't figured out what to do with it yet. Thanks for sharing, I'll have to try this.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I've been seeing so many quinoa recipes in my cookbooks and I am desperately wanting to try them out - this one sounds more delicious than all of them put together though! Have got to try it!! I've never tried quinoa and have been so intrigued!!
    Thanks for sharing such a simple and well put together recipe!!


    New follower, hope to keep in touch xxxx


    www.bohemianmuses.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ohhh wow! I love curry and quinoa. This sounds like a real winner!! I must try it.

    ReplyDelete
  17. This looks fabulous! especially when it doesn't require a curry sauce, my fridge is too full with half used sauces.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Made it for dinner, a HUGE hit! We added chickpeas for protein and replaced the onion with celery, SOOO good! Thank you for a great recipe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay- this made me so happy! I love the addition of chickpeas and I celery makes everything better in my opinion:)

      Delete