Spanish Quinoa

Hi Everyone.  It's time for this month's Secret Recipe Club, where each month, a group of bloggers are assigned a blog, and we get to choose a recipe from that blog to feature on our own blogs, then we all reveal our assigned blogs on the same day.

This month I was assigned the blog:  2CookinMamas by Linda and Christina, a mother daughter blogging team devoted to making nutritious family-friendly foods, including many gluten free recipes.     

Linda and Christina have so many wonderful recipes on their blog, choosing just one to feature here was not an easy task.  I was hoping to find a new quinoa recipe to try and I was delighted to find not one, but ten - Quinoa Spinach Cakes, Quinoa and Roasted Broccoli Salad, Quinoa Stuffing, and more.  My selection:  Spanish Quinoa, a healthy take on spanish rice.  It was absolutely delicious and I will most definitely be making it again and again.  Excellent recipe, ladies!

Drain the canned tomatoes and chiles, reserving the juice.

There's a lot of flavor in that juice.

To the reserved juice, add enough chicken stock to equal 2 cups of liquid. 

Heat a little oil in a large skillet.

Saute the onions and peppers in the oil.  Season with a pinch of salt.

Mmmm!

The peppers and onions are done.  Look at all the wonderful fond in the bottom of the pan.  Fond = flavor!

Next I added the tomatoes and green chiles.

Give everything a stir and make a little well in the center.

Add the chili powder.

Stir well, sauteing that chili powder to "bloom" the flavor.

Quinoa has a natural coating called saponin which can taste bitter or soapy.  Rinsing easily removes the saponin.  Even if your quinoa claims to be pre-rinsed, play it safe and rinse it anyway.

Back to the recipe, add the reserved canned tomatoes and green chile juice mixed with chicken stock.

Give everything a good stir. 

Bring to a boil.

Cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• braiser https://amzn.to/2SPd6lO

• mesh sieves https://amzn.to/3fCDbP5

• quinoa https://amzn.to/2SQXXjX

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Spanish Quinoa

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 3/4 cup chopped onion

• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

• pinch of salt

• 10 ounce can diced tomatoes

• 4 ounce can green chiles

• 2 teaspoons ground chili powder

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed

• 2 cups chicken broth (try my homemade)

Directions

1. Drain canned tomatoes and green chiles, reserving liquids in a 2-cup measure; add enough chicken stock to equal 2 cups.

2. In a large skillet, saute onions, peppers, and salt until onions are translucent and starting to caramelize, about 5 minutes.

3. Add canned tomatoes and green chiles; stir for a minute or two; add chili powder and saute for 30-60 seconds.

4. Add the quinoa and chicken stock mixture; stir well to combine.

5. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and serve.