Versatility: Greek Yogurt and Quinoa

One thing I love about our kitchen is how versatile many of our foods are.

For example, I love having plain Greek yogurt around because there are so many uses for it!  (In case you aren't aware, Greek yogurt is strained so that it is thicker than regular yogurt.  Plus, it is higher in protein than regular yogurt.  I also like that it is full of probiotics!)  Sometimes, we garnish soups with a spoonful of Greek yogurt to add creaminess and a cool flavor.  A couple months ago, I made a ridiculously good bean dip with refried beans, Greek yogurt, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and cilantro.

Of course, I also sometimes just eat the yogurt with honey and vanilla, or with whatever fresh berries I have on hand, or with some jam.  I would rather have plain yogurt and know exactly what I'm adding in than buy yogurt with old, unripe fruit and dangerous amounts of sugar.  When I pour in my own honey, I can make my yogurt exactly as sweet as I'd like and be aware of how much sugar I'm putting in my body.  I'm not claiming that I treat myself like a princess, but I would rather have a more versatile product that is also healthier, even if that means I have to use my brain a little bit to figure out.

Another staple in our household is quinoa. It acts like a grain and is a great substitute for rice since quinoa has more protein, iron, and fiber than brown rice. Therefore, it also is way better than white rice, which is good for...nothing?  Just kidding, kind of.  Anyway, quinoa's also great for people who can't stomach gluten because it's not actually a grain; it's a seed.  Yup.  Sounds crazy, so just try it and you might like it.  It's awesome because you can make it in a rice cooker so that you can expend minimal effort and risk the minimal chance to mess up.

fried rice quinoa with barbecue pork, peas, and green onions

Now that you're convinced that quinoa is awesome, you probably want to know how you can eat it.  If you're going to try quinoa for the first time, make sure you don't just eat it plain. That'll be boring. Imagine eating a bowl of noodles or tofu plain. Blah.  So instead of not enjoying your first quinoa experience, try eating a stir fry with quinoa rather than rice.  Alternatively, you can make a tasty salad as a side dish.  If you have some leftover meat hanging around, you could make fried quinoa (think fried rice minus rice plus quinoa).

To make plain quinoa, start off by boiling two cups of liquid (water or broth) for every cup of uncooked quinoa.  Once the liquid begins to boil, turn down the heat, cover the pot, and let the quinoa simmer for about 15 minutes. You'll know when it's done because it will be tender and there will be a little string coming off each seed.

Steve made the fried quinoa, but he's not interested in being a guest author, so I'll try my best to pass on the steps he described to me.  Cook your quinoa in one pot and scramble a couple eggs in a frying pan.  Then, mix shreds of leftover barbecued pork and some frozen peas into the scrambled eggs.  Once everything is hot, add the quinoa. Season with ground black  pepper and dumpling sauce (or soy sauce, if you don't have dumpling sauce).  Finally, top with chopped green onions.  Tada! Now you have a healthy, tasty, quick, and easy meal.  It makes great leftovers because it can be reheated easily without changing its taste or texture.

If you end up loving quinoa, then check out 101cookbooks for more awesome recipes and ideas. She has a whole section on quinoa! Love it!