It is official, I LOVE cilantro. I know I have always liked it, but now I know I love it. I should just collect recipes with cilantro as an ingredient. I don’t think I have met one I didn’t like. Okay, I just got a little off track with the cilantro love... But, I have a reason. Last night, I tried a new recipe. I whipped up a batch of Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa... And yes, cilantro is an important ingredient, hence my rant :)
Overall, it was an easy recipe. Cooking the quinoa was a bit involved, but simple. With all the boiling, rinsing, steaming and resting, the dish took a little longer to make than I was expecting, so I ate later than normal. It actually worked out for the better because my volleyball game was at 9 p.m. The dish was definitely good fuel for three long games (yay, we won!).
You can taste all the ingredients – the nice fresh and crisp flavors of lime, scallions, cilantro and tomatoes. And the “creamy-while-crunchy” texture (as described in Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks – she is right, I couldn’t figure out how to describe it on my own) of the quinoa is fun to eat. I know I will be trying more quinoa recipes. It is nice to have some additional grains in my ingredient arsenal (bulgar too), so I don’t always have to rely on brown rice as a staple.
I am really enjoying this one new recipe/ingredient a week goal I set as part of my 5 in 5 Challenge. I forgot how therapeutic quiet time in the kitchen can be. I am both energized and relaxed afterwards. I know, odd combination. Maybe it is closer to physically energized and mentally relaxed? Either way, I plan to keep this up.
glad you posted this... I have a bag of this stuff sitting in the cabinet waiting to be used, but I didnt know what to do with
Posted by: brooke williams | September 10, 2008 at 07:02 PM
oh my that looks delicious!! I loove black beans too, so I'll have to try this. Sometimes you can find quinoa in a box that is already pre-rinsed, so all you have to do is let it simmer for 15 minutes. There's also a red kind that is quite tasty.
anyway, can wait to see your other new recipes!
Posted by: Katie | August 28, 2008 at 11:16 AM
Oooh, this looks so so good! Bravo for the healthy eating and trying new foods.
Posted by: africankelli | August 28, 2008 at 11:13 AM