Quinoa

I'm new to Quinoa, pronounced, "Keen-wah."  (Who knew?)  I've seen it on menus, and I believe I've even ordered it, but I've never prepared it.  From what I've read, the ancient Incas revered quinoa and the leader planted the first seed with a golden shovel.  This is quite a regal rice substitute!  It can be used in breads and soups and even fermented to make a beer.  It's not a grain in the true sense, but is the seed of the Chenopodium or Goosefoot plant. I had never even heard of this prior to doing some research, and believe me, there's much to read about Quinoa.  The reason I even purchased it is because Eric is trying to lean his diet toward gluten-free foods, and Quinoa meets this need.  After rinsing, there are several preparation choices you can make, but I kept mine fairly simple.

I chopped an onion and a carrot, sauted both in a tablespoon of olive oil for about 5 minutes.  Then, I added the rinsed Quinoa and chicken broth with some Tandoori seasoning (Penzey's Spices) and simmered, covered, for about 20 minutes.  I then added chopped walnuts and parsley.  The walnuts added a nice crunch, and the Quinoa went well with my apricot glazed grilled salmon topped with mango salsa. 

Because of the versatility of this product, it's a nice alternative to rice, potatoes, or pasta.