Spanish Style Quinoa

My usual Mexican restaurant experience goes a little something like this. Sit down at my table, dance a little jig to the fun Mariachi music playing over the speaker system, and immediately stuff my face full of chips and salsa. Yet I still always seem think I can order a combination meal complete with rice and beans after consuming massive amounts of homemade salsa. I don't know how I didn't think of this before, but I came across Spanish-style Quinoa, instead of rice. The quinoa is simmered in tomato sauce and vegetable broth, and comes out a beautiful red color! This makes a great side dish, and is great as leftovers with some black beans or chicken added to make a great burrito filling.

Spanish Style Quinoa

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 cup uncoked quinoa
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)

Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium pot. Add the quinoa, garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the onion turns soft.

Slowly add the tomato sauce, broth, peas, chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the quinoa simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes.