2-on-Tuesday: Cheesy Mexican Quinoa

This has become a favorite in our home in keeping with healthy, nutritional choices and plant-based recipes using Quinoa (sounds like KEEN-wah) an ancient and very nutritional grain-seed! It is the creation of Lindsay of The Lean Green Bean blog. You should follow her nutrition and fitness blog!

Cheesy Mexican Quinoa

1/2 Onion, diced
1 Red or Orange Pepper, diced
1 Green Pepper, diced
*1 Jalapeno, chopped (highly suggested!)
1 can Black Beans
1 can of Whole Corn
1 clove Garlic, minced
1-2 teaspoons Cumin
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
2 cups Quinoa, cooked
1 cup Low-Fat Cheese, shredded
1 cup Soy Milk or Skim Milk
1 tablespoon Butter or *Coconut Oil or Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Flour
Toppings/Sides: Tomato, Salsa, Avocado, Cilantro, Cheese

• In a pan, saute onions, peppers, garlic and spices until softened
• Add black beans, corn and prepared quinoa. Mix well
• Transfer mixture to a bowl and set aside
• In the same pan, melt butter or heat oil and whisk-in the flour
• Slowly add milk while whisking to minimize lumps
• Add cheese. Stir until melted
• Combine quinoa mixture and cheesy mixture
• Transfer mixture to baking dish. Bake 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through
• Serve with Toppings/Sides

Occasionally, when my supply of an ingredient (paprika or cayenne pepper) the recipe calls for is depleted, I will substitute with a similar ingredient for the same taste effect. For example: instead of using cayenne pepper, opting for a small can of green chilies.

It's ok for cooking t0 take on your personality! It's not an exact medium. Let your creative juices flourish! 

Tip: You can find Quinoa from Walmart to Whole Foods Market. Simply follow the package directions, much like those for cooking rice. The fun thing to note is that most often when Quinoa is ready...the cute little spiral appears! Also, Quinoa takes on the flavors it's cooked with and, sometimes, can trick meat-eaters into thinking they're consuming meat! Is Quinoa considered Gluten-Free? Yes!