Quinoa Pine Nut Pilaf
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
2 large onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon canola or other vegetable oil
1 red or green bell pepper
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons ground coriander
2 cups quinoa
3 1/3 cups water
1 cup chopped fresh basil
3 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Spread nuts in a single layer on an unoiled baking sheet. Bake for 3-5 minutes, or until slightly deepened in color. Set aside. In a heavy saucepan, saute onions and garlic in oil for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add bell pepper, cumin and coriander; continue to saute for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While vegetables cook, place quinoa in a fine sieve and rinse well under cold running water for 1-2 minutes. Add rinsed quinoa and water to saucepan, cover tightly and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Stir in basil and corn, and cook 5-10 minutes longer, or until quinoa is tender. Stir to fluff it, add salt and pepper to taste and top with toasted pine nuts. Serve hot.
Nutritional information per serving (1/8 of yield): 245 calories, 24% fat (6.5 grams), 63% carbohydrate, 13% protein.
(Note: quinoa is a pigweed (Chenopodium quinoa) of the high Andes who'se seeds are ground and widely used as food in Peru.)
SO HOW'D IT GO?
Made this last night and was disappointed with the dry texture and lack of flavor. Ended up adding some sweet chilli sauce to make it edible.
I don't think we'll make this one again. With all the cumin and coriander, it came out tasting kind of odd. If you make it, I would recommend decreasing the amounts of those spices. But all in all, the flavors didn't seem to fit together very well. It was just okay.