Quinoa Two Ways

Quinoa, as my readers know, is one of my favorite superfoods to use in my kitchen. A grain from the South American Andes, quinoa is a complete protein and filled with fiber - it's really fantastic. So I decided to play the culinary experimentation game and make two very different quinoa dishes with the same base grain, to show the great range you can do with this soon-to-be staple. Here were my two dishes:

1) Indian-spiced quinoa with fresh mango, chickpeas, bell peppers, tofu, and dried cherries: toast Indian spices in a dry pan on low heat (I used tumeric, cumin, chili, tandoori spice, mustard, ground ginger, and curry) while quinoa cooks, sauteeing chopped bell peppers and tofu in skillet. Add a cup of water into the toasted spice pan and pour into the quinoa, stirring to coat the grains in the spice mixture - this will give it a vibrant yellow color. Mix in the chopped fresh mango, chickpeas, peppers, tofu, and dried cherries - the sweet fresh mango and tart dried cherries will pop in your mouth with the savory Indian spices, creating an unexpected harmony of strong flavors.

2) Pesto quinoa with sauteed mushrooms, roasted grape tomatoes, and spinach: this quinoa dish uses classically Mediterranean elements with the South American grain - such international fusion in these dishes, I love it - that works incredibly well. Make pesto while the quinoa cooks, roasting the grape tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and a pinch of salt, until they burst. Heat the pesto on the stove in a pan and saute the mushrooms with olive oil and minced garlic, seasoning with pepper and thyme. Wilt the baby spinach into the warmed pesto and pour the quinoa in the pot, stirring to cover the quinoa in pesto - this should give it an earthy green tinge. Stir in the tomatoes and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper to taste - you won't believe how well quinoa and pesto work together!