Quinoa Cocteaucoction

Some light and fresh quinoa and veggies!

1 cup of quinoa per person...add more or less depending on appetite and fit the recipe according to your servings =)
3-4 cups quinoa
6-9 cups water
2-4 tbs of water for cooking the veggies
1/4 zucchini per serving chopped in cubes, or 1/4s your preference!
1 small can of corn drained
1 large mushroom or several
1 clove of garlic minced
pepper to taste
ras el hanout to taste
nutmeg to taste


First I started to cook the quinoa with the cups of water since it takes about 10-12 minutes in a medium nonstick saucepan...It's about 2 cups of water for 1 cup of quinoa (I have had to use a couple of tbs more so it doesn't stick, and no need for oil!). While that was cooking I started chopping up the veggies and getting a saute pan ready with a dime of olive oil at medium heat. Add the chopped veggies once the saute pan is at temperature as well as the spices to taste. Once the veggies have absorbed most of the oil, add the tbs of water instead of adding more oil. Once the veggies are cooked through, mix them with the cooked quinoa. I also added about a tsp of the fresh garlic to the warm quinoa so it released the aromas beautifully, this of course is up to you.

Serve as a side dish and enjoy! Or add a lot more veggies to eat as a meal. I served this on a bed of mixed lettuce (mesclun) with a lil balsamic vinegar and truffle oil, then the quinoa cocteaucoction, and as my protein on top of that...lentils! I loved how in Egypt they served the couscous with a red sauce so I added a couple of tbs of red sauce(marinara, arrabiata) on top and served with creme fraiche.

Redacciones:
Couscous or bulgur wheat instead of quinoa
Use eggplant instead of zucchini or even yellow squash
Serve with ground beef instead if you are a meatatarian by choice =)
Cook quinoa with saffron for a more aromatic experience
If you don't appreciate the spices suggested, you can use all types of curry, season's all, badia complete seasoning, sage, cumin, red/green/white peppercorns, possibilities of course endless

Bon appetite!

<3,
Lolo