Lemon and Garlic Quinoa
lemon quinoa
I'm pretty sure I'm obsessed with quinoa. I think everyone is right now because it's super easy, really healthy, and absorbs the flavors you add to it kind of the same way pasta would... and who doesn't love pasta? I get asked all of the time about how I make my quinoa since I use it every day for my salad and when I tell people that I normally just have it plain they look at me weird. I do make it plain and then add a bunch of lemon and other flavors that I am adding to my salad. Soooo I thought it would be fun to make quinoa as a side dish with all of the flavors that I really love that I normally add to my salads. I LOVE lemons! I'm pretty sure I could turn into one from eating so many. It is by far one of my favorite flavors ever. It must be the Sicilian in me. I also love garlic, red pepper flakes, and fresh herbs. That is really all that you need to flavor the quinoa to make a really fresh and flavorful side that it great alongside so many things OR on it's own.
The trick to good quinoa is cleaning it correctly. In it's original state it has a soapy tasting outer coating on it called saponin that needs to be properly washed away. If you have a very fine strainer I recommend using that and washing it thoroughly with the sprayer attachment to your sink. I have read that people recommend dipping the strainer in a bowl full of water then another bowl full of water, then another bowl full of water..... ok I get it, but I make this ALL OF THE TIME and I swear that if you use a strainer and sprayer that will work just as well and not make you crazy. When you first start washing it there will be soapy-like bubbles and you just need to continue to wash until those are gone. Use a rubber spatula to stir around the quinoa to make sure all of it gets washed.
Then there is the flavor! Lemon, garlic, fresh parsley, and red pepper flakes are just meant to be together. Feel free to experiment and add the things you like. Quinoa will be your new favorite thing if you haven't tried it yet. Make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge. It's good cold on salads or warm as a side dish with dinner.
lemon quinoa
Lemon Garlic Quinoa
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove; minced
1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (depending on how much you like you can add more or less)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh parsley; chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
*Thoroughly rinse the quinoa (see above for details)
*Bring the 2 cups of water to a boil and stir in the quinoa
*Place a lid over the pot and turn the temperature to medium/low for 10-15 minutes or until the water has been absorbed
*Turn heat off and let the quinoa sit for 5-10 minutes
*Fluff the quinoa with a fork
*Meanwhile in a small skillet melt the olive oil and butter over medium heat
*Once melted add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes; it will have slightly foamy bubbles
*Cook for about a minute just to cook out the raw flavor of the garlic; careful that it doesn't turn brown
*Pour the garlic and oil mixture over the quinoa and stir to combine
*Combine the fresh lemon juice and zest together and then pour over the quinoa
*Add in the chopped fresh parsley
*Stir to combine all of the ingredients well
*Add salt and pepper to taste
*Serve right away or allow to cool completely then refrigerate until needed
lemon quinoa
lemon quinoa
lemon quinoa
lemon quinoa
lemon quinoa
Lemon and Garlic Quinoa