CreativeCooking : Quinoa Upma

I wanted to incorporate more whole grains, proteins and green leafy vegetables into my diet. I am a picky eater but definitely a foodie with taste buds that crave new exciting flavors all the time. My first challenge - a healthy breakfast. This is where I needed to get a little creative. I headed to Whole Foods to begin with. As I zig zagged through an aisle filled with a thousand variety of cereals my eyes fell upon a package of Quinoa. I had read about this so called superfood in one of my health magazine. It is considered to be of very high nutritional value specifically high in protein (approximately 13%). It is also high in fiber content and contains all 9 essential amino acids. Apparently it can be eaten like oatmeal with a little milk and suger. My reaction - yuck. I have never been into sweet breakfasts especially sweet warm breakfasts that are sticky and goey. So I had to come up with my own creative concoctions.


In my first attempt to use Quinoa I replaced the semolina with Quinoa in the Indian breakfast dish UPMA.

Ingredients:-
-1 cup Quinoa ( Make sure to rinse the grains several times in water. Natural quinoa is suppose to have a bitter outer coating which is removed before being sold. To insure the coating is completely gone rinse several times)
-2 cups water
-1 large onion - cut into small cubes.
-Juice of one lemon
-2 green serano chillis ( optional) - diced small
-1 inch piece of ginger( cut into small pieces or smashed)
-1 tsp black mustard seeds
-4-5 curry leaves( can be left out if you can't find them)
-10 cashew nuts( broken inhalf)
-salt
-2tbs butter ( you can use extra virfgin olive oil )

Instructions:-

Combine the rinsed Quinoa with salted water and bring to a boil in a pot. Once boiling reduce, cover with lid and simmer until all water evaporates and you are left with fluffy quinoa grain

In another pan add butter and heat until completely melted. To the pan add the mustard seeds,cashews and curry leaves. Let the mustard seeds pop. Be careful as they will splutter.

Add ginger, chilis and diced onion.

Fry until Onion is translucent.

Add the fluffy Quinoa to this mixture and combine throughly. Add the juice of half a lime.

Voila you are done.