Cooking with quinoa

If quinoa, the current darling of the whole grain world, hasn’t made it into your weeknight repertoire, it’s time to work it in. Versatile, quick cooking and packed with protein, quinoa (keen-wah) functions a lot like rice or couscous, but it features a tiny round grain that’s both toothy and fluffy.

To cook quinoa, combined liquid to grain, 2:1, then bring it to a boil, reduce heat and cover for 15 minutes. In that amount of time, you can stir-fry strips of pork, chicken or beef and a bag of frozen veggies for a cheap, fast and healthy mid-week supper.

Here’s another take.

Quinoa stuffed peppers

Serves four

4 bell peppers (red, yellow or orange are ideal.)

1 cup quinoa

2 tablespoons olive oil

Half onion, chopped

Half cup chopped pepper (any color)

1 cup sliced mushrooms (white button are fine, baby bellas add more flavor)

Quarter cup chopped celery

1 garlic clove, minced

Quarter cup grated carrot

2 cups fresh spinach leaves

2 cups grated cheese, divided (Your favorite. I like Gruyere or sharp cheddar.)

Preheat oven to 350. Bring a stock pot half-filled with water to boil. While you’re waiting, prepare the quinoa. Combine it with 2 cups broth or lightly salted water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover for 15 minutes. With a paring knife, cut a circle in the top of each pepper, which allows you to remove stem and clean out the seeds and fibers inside. The circle should be wide enough for you to stuff peppers easily. When water in stock pot begins to boils, submerge whole peppers and let them boil for about 7 minutes. You want them tender, but not mushy. Remove peppers and drain then cut-side down on a paper towel. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and sauté vegetables in the order listed, taking time for each to become tender. When quinoa is ready, fluff with a fork, then combine it with the cooked veggies and one cup of cheese. Top each stuffed pepper with remaining cheese, about a quarter cup per pepper. Bake 20 minutes.

Maggie Heyn Richardson’s food writing has appeared in EatingWell Magazine, Taste of the South Magazine and on the public radio program, On Point. She is a regular 225 contributor.