Quinoa with Roasted Garlic, Tomatoes, Spinach, and Pine Nuts

by Pam on April 3, 2013

I found this Cooking Light recipe on My Recipes ^[1]and new it would pair perfectly with the chicken dish I was making for dinner. I was super excited to see that I also had every ingredient I needed on hand – you can’t that! I wondered how my family would feel about this side dish because I haven’t made quinoa much in the past. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that they all loved it! The roasted garlic gave the quinoa a really delicious flavor and I loved the color, texture, and flavor the tomatoes, spinach, and pine nuts added. The salty Parmesan topped it off perfectly and we gobbled it all up. This was a easy, healthy, and delicious side dish that would pair nicely with many main entrees.

Prepare the roasted garlic^[2]. Click the link^[3] for instructions. Once the roasted garlic has cool, separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins. Set aside.

Toast the pine nuts. Heat a small dry skillet over medium low heat; add the pine nuts, then toast for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until golden brown. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Heat a small pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, and shallot. Cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. Add the quinoa to the pan and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth then season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover with a lid and reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; stir in garlic pulp, spinach, and tomato. Pour into a serving bowl and top with shaved Parmesan. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

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Quinoa with Roasted Garlic, Tomatoes, Spinach, and Pine Nuts

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 5 min.

Cook Time: 15-17 min.

Total Time: 20 min.

Ingredients:

1 bulb of roasted garlic (see recipe & link above)
2 tsp olive oil
Dash of crushed red pepper flakes
1 shallot, finely diced
1/2 cup of quinoa
1 cup of chicken broth
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 cup of baby spinach
1 tbsp toasted pine nuts
Shaved Parmesan, to taste

Directions:

Prepare the roasted garlic. Click the link up above for instructions. Once the roasted garlic has cool, separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins. Set aside.

Toast the pine nuts. Heat a small dry skillet over medium low heat; add the pine nuts, then toast for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until golden brown. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Heat a small pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, and shallot. Cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. Add the quinoa to the pan and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth then season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover with a lid and reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; stir in garlic pulp, spinach, tomato, and toasted pine nuts. Pour into a serving bowl and top with shaved Parmesan. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net
Original recipe by Cooking Light – My Recipes

References

1. ^{^} My Recipes (www.myrecipes.com)
2. ^{^} roasted garlic (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
3. ^{^} link (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
4. ^{^} Print Recipe (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
5. ^{^} Save to ZipList Recipe Box (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)