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.

Overnight Hot Tea Oatmeal

Here's an excellent method for making oatmeal overnight in the fridge.  A lot of overnight oatmeal recipes have a raw oat flavor that I don't care for, but these oats are made with a hot tea/milk mixture that eliminates that raw taste.  I love the convenience of being able to serve freshly made oatmeal on a busy morning without having to stand at the stove, cooking and stirring.  Simply pull these out of the fridge and eat them cold or, if you prefer, zap them in the microwave for a minute or so.  

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate link)

• old fashioned oats https://amzn.to/3GdIVe0

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Overnight Hot Tea Oatmeal

makes 1 serving

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup whole milk

• pinch fine salt

• 1 tea bag (your favorite variety)

• 1/3 cup old fashioned oats

• sweetener of your choice

• optional toppings: fresh fruit, nuts, dried fruit, etc

Directions

1. Heat milk to scalding (just below the boiling point).

2. Add tea bag and steep for 4 minutes; remove tea bag and discard.

3. Stir in oats.

4. Pour mixture into an airtight container; chill overnight.

5. Serve hot or cold with your choice of sweetener and optional toppings (I used a sprinkling of brown sugar and sliced almonds in the photo above).

Note

• Be sure to use your favorite tea - English Breakfast and Constant Comment are my current favorites. Chai is particularly nice in cooler weather.