Herbed Quinoa (slightly adapted from Food Network, Servings: 4, Total Time: 25 minutes)
Ingredients
· Quinoa
o 2 ¾ cups vegetable stock
o ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
o 1 ½ cups dry quinoa
· Dressing
o ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
o ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
o ¾ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
o ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
o 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
o 2 tsp. lemon zest
o Salt and pepper
Directions
1.) In a medium saucepan, add the vegetable stock, lemon juice and quinoa. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 12 to 15 minutes.
2.) While the quinoa is cooking, in a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, basil, parsley, thyme, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
3.) Pour the dressing over the quinoa and toss until all the ingredients are coated. Transfer the quinoa to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.
I’ll start off by saying that I am not a fan of lemon; however, I had this dish at a work lunch and learn and really liked it, so I thought I’d give it a shot. The only change that I made was using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock (which shouldn't have affected the lemon flavor). I also added some chopped tomatoes to add a little color. Unfortunately, my preparation did not come out as nicely as the one that I had at work. It tasted very much like lemons, even after I let it sit overnight to allow the dressing to really seep into the quinoa. It was not to my liking at all. I expected the herbs to balance out the lemon taste, but that just didn't work.
Fortunately, I had a party the next day and served it there. The people who tried it (I think that a lot of people are still scared of quinoa), seemed to like it. Note to self – go with your instincts when you think that there is too much lemon in a recipe!
