What's For Dinner?? Quinoa

Quinoa? What the heck is quinoa? Since the addition of food allergies to our family, we've learned about all sorts of grains that Bryce can eat. Quinoa is actually an ancient food, having been a staple of the Incas. It is a very complete food, having a lot of protein, fiber and 9 amino acids. The problem with quinoa (and the other grains I've tried to cook with, like teff & millet) is that I don't know how to make it properly so it's edible. I tried treating it like rice and cooking it on the stovetop with water & chicken stock. Yeah. Not so good. I've tried microwaving it, baking it like a casserole. Nope.

Then I spotted this recipe on a blog I read daily. This blog, 5 Dollar Dinners, is a great resource for pantry-staple meals and fancier meals. She breaks down the cost of each ingredient and typically has step by step photos. While I've read a lot of her recipes, this is the first I've actually made.

Mexican Ground Beef Quinoa Skillet – $5 Dinner Challenge
Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef (could use ground turkey)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 4-oz. can chopped chilies
1 cup quinoa
1-1/2 cup water
1-1/2 T. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin

Directions
1. Brown ground beef and onion; drain excess fat.
2. Rinse quinoa in sieve/colander.
3. Add tomatoes, chilies, quinoa, water and spices to ground beef mixture and simmer (uncovered) for about 25 minutes. (If water evaporates too quickly, cover pan for remainder of cooking time.)
4. Serve Mexican Ground Beef Quinoa Skillet.

I made a few changes. I used ground turkey and added 2 cups of black beans. I omitted the chopped chilies because I didn't have any and substituted a can of petite diced tomatoes with chilies. I added several cloves of minced garlic and doubled the cumin and added chili powder. I served it as filling for tacos, with sour cream, salsa, and cheese on top.

The result? It was a hit. The kids all ate it, Brad ate it. We have enough for several lunch leftovers and I will be making this again.

Finally. When the kids ask, "What's for dinner?" I can say, "Quinoa." and not have them run away screaming!