Palak's Palate: Indian Quinoa Recipe

I've never had quinoa before, but have heard about all the health benefits and how great it tastes, so I picked up a box at Trader Joe's. Its been sitting in the cupboard for a few weeks now, since I had no idea what I wanted to do with it. I sucked it up tonight and decided to give it a go and make it for my lunch for tomorrow. I figured I'd treat it like couscous or rice, and give it an Indian twist. My inspiration is this Indian fried rice dish my mom used to make that I love.

Quinoa Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup dry quinoa (red or white, I used white)

1.5 cups vegetable broth (or water if you don't have any broth)

2 shallots, chopped (use a medium red onion if you don't have shallots)

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

From left to right: Ground Coriander, Ground Cumin, Garam Masala, Turmeric, Cayenne, Ginger Powder

Cooking Directions:

1. Bring the quinoa and vegetable broth to a boil and simmer on medium heat, covered, for about 10 minutes.

2. In a separate pan, sauté the shallots in the olive oil for about a minute, then add the garlic. Add all of the spices and cook for another two minutes.