Cumin-Spiced Quinoa and Millet with Flaked Wild Sockeye Salmon

A friend of mine hosts a class every month and because we all love every aspect of sharing, we all get together for a potluck an half-hour before the class. It's always a good time and most of the time, we don't bother coordinating who brings what. We just bring whatever. Sometimes, this turns out comical - as in the time everybody brought bread - but mostly, there is a nice variety of foods to go around.

Being gluten-free presents a challenge at potlucks when the rest of the potluckers aren't gluten-free. They can all eat what I bring, if they want to, but I cannot always eat their delicious offerings. That's really okay, because I don't expect them to cater to my preferential needs. But it's always nice when they do! And often times, they work really hard to make sure I have plenty to choose from. It's very sweet and a wonderful way to share.

Well, our monthly get-together coalesced last night and I didn't have time to go to the store, so around 3 p.m., I started digging through my cabinets. I pulled out a can of wild sockeye salmon and of course, my favorite staples, quinoa and millet. I threw together this rustic herbed dish and it came out pleasingly good!

It's a great homestyle dish with lots of potential for variation. The salmon could be substituted with chicken, turkey, beef or tuna, or completely left out all-together for vegetarian fare. The grains could be any combination of rice, millet, or quinoa. And the warmth of the cumin and paprika leads to a nice, hearty side dish or main course. Experimentation and necessity really do lead to grand things in the kitchen!

Happy eating, everybody!

Cumin-Spiced Quinoa and Millet with Flaked Wild Sockeye Salmon

Serves 2 - 4


¼ cup millet

¼ cup quinoa

2 tbsp butter or oil

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp paprika

¼ tsp dried cilantro

1 ¼ cup water

½ cup fresh or frozen peas

1 - 7 ounce can of Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon, pre-cooked (or one pre-cooked filet)

Sea salt, to taste


Using a fine-mesh sieve, wash quinoa and millet in cold water until water runs clear. Place grains in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add butter or oil. Add cumin and paprika and a generous pinch of sea salt. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until spices are fragrant and grains are toasted. Add cilantro, water and peas.

Let the grain mixture simmer over medium heat, uncovered, for 18 – 20 minutes, until water is fully absorbed, stirring only occasionally. When water is fully absorbed, remove from heat and cover with a lid for 5 minutes.

Remove lid and using a fork, fluff grains gently. Set aside.

Drain canned salmon and rinse gently with water, if desired, to remove any excess oils that may add a fishy flavor. Fresh salmon should not have this. Flake using a fork and add to grain mixture. If using fresh salmon, once fully cooked, flake salmon using a fork, making sure to remove any bones. Add to grain mixture.

Using the fork, fluff the quinoa, millet, peas and salmon together. Serve warm with a salad, on a bed of greens, or cold as a side salad.

Easy Creamy Pesto Pilaf

Dinner! It should be easy, shouldn't it? Well, that's what I am all about lately. E-Z! Well, simple can be just as delicious as anything else and as you read on, I will show you a little restaurant tip to make food look fabulous.

But food first.

Cooked quinoa

I always have quinoa on-hand for just about any time of day. I like it for breakfast sometimes, as a great start to my day. And sometimes, for lunch, it's quick and simple too. Plus, it stores easily on the shelf and in the fridge for a long period of time, so it's great for re-heating and eating a quick bite. I love quinoa! It's healthy, filling, full of all sorts of beneficial nutrients and it's relatively cheap. I buy mine at Costco in a big bag for $10 and it lasts me forever. Really. Now, a family of four...maybe less than forever, but still - for ten bucks? How can you say no?

And next to my quinoa in the pantry is my millet. I love millet. I've written a recipe or two on here with millet included, mostly in flour form, but I love the grain. Some people like to make fun of it because in this country our idea of millet is the little yellow grain in bird seed. It's true. That is millet. But we are missing out on a powerhouse of nutrition here. And I just love the flavor and texture it brings to dishes - a sweet, nutty, crunchiness that is different than other grains. I love it. Not only is it gluten-free, like quinoa, it's hearty, filling, eco-friendly, highly sustainable, cheap (seriously cheap! No pun intended.) and getting easier to find in health food stores.

Toasting millet

This recipe came about because I was in the mood for something simple, fast and didn't require me to go to the store for anything. I just wasn't in the mood. We all have days like that, right? Well, I happened to have some thawed pesto on hand (I keep mine frozen after making several batches all at once to save time - a trick I learned from a good friend!) and something creamy sounded too good to pass up. I pulled out the quinoa and the millet and - wala! - dinner was served. So easy. This is a quick night yummy for any household. And if you don't have quinoa or millet or both on hand, just use rice. Use whatever you've got. Sometimes, I like to mix and match - a little quinoa, a little millet, a little rice. Whatever. It's all good!

Note: if you decide to mix and match your grains, just make sure you add enough water to the pot to make sure all of the different grains cook evenly. 2 cups of water : 1 cup of quinoa, 3:1 for millet, and 2:1 for rice. And the same goes for the veggies I included. I had squash on this particular day, but the Creamy Pesto Pilaf would be just as good with asparagus, greens, peas, eggplant, mushrooms - whatever you've got. This is a mix and match, what-you've-got kind of recipe. Experiment and have fun! That's half the fun of cooking!

Fun serving suggestion: This recipe, although delicious, is not the prettiest to put on a plate. It's thick and green, but the flavor is fabulous. So, I did what restaurants and chefs do to make something that isn't exactly pretty into something gorgeous and upscale. I used a cookie cutter. That's right. A heart-shaped cookie cutter. You can use any style - round, square, diamond, oval, whatever. I would avoid too many nooks and crannies, but whatever suits your fancy will work! The cookie cutter/biscuit cutter is what gourmet chefs do to polenta, rice dishes and even oatmeal to make it ten times more appealing on a plate. You'll see what I mean. You don't have to do this, but it's fun and elegant and you  know what? You're worth it! Place a medium or large cookie or biscuit cutter on a plate. Fill the center with the Creamy Pesto Pilaf, pressing everything down gently. Slide the cutter slowly up, holding the pilaf down with a finger or spoon and - presto! - you have restaurant-beautiful pilaf. Repeat for more than one serving or depending on size of cutter. Top with fish or beef and enjoy!

Happy eating!

Creamy Pesto Pilaf

Serves: 4 – 6
Cook time: 30 - 45 minutes

½ cup quinoa, rinsed

½ cup millet, rinsed

1 tbsp butter or olive oil

2 ½ cups water

1 – 2 tbsp olive oil

½ onion, chopped

2 cups squash or zucchini, sliced into ¼-inch half-moons or rounds (about 1 large squash or two small)

½ - ¾ cup pesto of choice (see optional recipe below)

3 tbsp cream cheese, Neufchatel cheese, or non-dairy cream cheese substitute

Sea salt

*Degorge squash, if necessary, by placing rounds in a shallow bowl and tossing with a pinch or two of sea salt. Allow to sit for 20 minutes, then rinse and drain. Set aside.

Rinse quinoa and millet in a fine-mesh strainer until the water runs clear. In a medium saucepan, heat quinoa, millet and butter over medium heat, allowing the butter to melt fully and gently toast and brown the grains, about 2 minutes. Add water and a generous pinch of salt. Allow mixture to boil gently, stirring occasionally, until all the water is absorbed. During last five minutes, place cover on pan and allow to finish cooking. Remove from heat.

Heat a skillet over medium heat, then add olive oil and onions with a small pinch of sea salt. Mix and let brown gently for 1 - 2 minutes. Add drained squash and continue to sauté, adding more olive oil, if necessary. Brown pieces gently on both sides, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Remove cover from cooked grains and fluff with a fork. Add the pesto and cream cheese and place the cover back on top for 30 seconds to a minute. Remove the cover and using the fork, gently combine the grains with the pesto and cheese. In a separate large bowl, place the pesto pilaf, sautéed onions and squash, Mix gently with fork to combine.

*Tip: if degorging squash due to bitterness, do not add any salt to squash during cooking. The salt that remains on the squash after rinsing is plenty unless you like things really salty!


Easy Homemade Pesto

2 cups fresh basil, washed and de-stemmed (or use another herb of choice: cilantro, parsley, mint)

¼ - ½ cup pecans, walnuts, almonds or pine nuts

2 cloves fresh garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder

¼ to ½ cup extra virgin olive oil (or more as needed)

¼ cup grated Parmesan or Parmesan-substitute (optional)

Sea salt, to taste

In a food processor (or if you’re brave – a mortar), combine herbs, nuts and garlic until finely ground. While machine is running, slowly drizzle olive oil into the mixture until a smooth paste forms. Add cheese, if using, and sea salt to taste.

Cover and place in the fridge for one hour to let flavors mingle. Makes about one cup. Freeze remainder or keep in fridge for a week or two. It's great on bread, pastas, chicken, fish or eggs.

Optional tasty variation: Decrease amount of herbs by one cup and add one cup of sautéed swiss chard, raw or sautéed spinach, or raw or sautéed broccoli. This will add an extra amount of flavor and nutrition! Experiment and enjoy!

Product Review: Tinkyada Gluten-Free Rice Pasta

You know, even for someone who can't have wheat, everybody deserves a little pasta in their life, right? It's chewy, filling, and satisfying in so many ways. And all the delicious things you can do with it!

Okay, truth is, we all know pasta is not the absolute best thing for us especially if all we ever have are cream sauces or butter on it. However - and this a big HOWEVER - if you use it complementarily with all sorts of other delicious and nutritious items, then yes, pasta can be a really great food. And don't despair gluten-free eaters, there are many, many companies who are more than willing to provide you with a whole host of gluten-free options. In fact, in Asia, rice noodles have been used for thousands of years with the most basic ingredients possible - stone-ground rice (rice flour) and water. That's it. Pretty simple and easy to make.

You can walk into any Pho house in the world and you'll find exactly what I'm talking about: good rice noodles steeped deeply in that delicious Pho broth. And if you want rice noodle selection, just peruse your local Asian market (if you have one) and walk down the noodle aisle. One whole side will be dedicated to rice noodles in every shape and size.

Now, for anyone who has tried a rice noodle, it really depends on the noodle, the maker and the ingredients as to how the texture and feel in your mouth will be. Some noodles are sticky intentionally; some noodles fall apart if overcooked; some noodles cook quickly while others take twenty minutes or longer to soften; and some noodles just aren't very good.

Rice in and of itself is not a bad food. It has gotten a bad rap because the glycemic index of it is a bit high and that is a major concern for a lot of people. However, rice is a quick and sustainable energy source, low in sodium, cholesterol-free and full of vitamins and minerals like niacin, Vitamin D, calcium, iron, thiamine and riboflavin. This popular crop feeds more than half of the population of the world and is considered a staple in most countries.

And just think about the vast quantity of types of rice: red, white, black, jasmine, arborio, short-grain, long-grain, instant. The list goes on and on. But the most popular debate has and will probably always be: white or brown? Keeping that outer husk with all its beneficial bran seems a great way to go.

And that is just what my favorite rice pasta company has done.

As more people find themselves on a gluten-free diet, the need for gluten-free pastas are on the rise. Companies are taking hold of this potential and creating new and exciting options that really rival their original wheat-filled counterparts. Penne, spirals, shapes and letters, bunnies, lasagna, elbows, fusilli, fettucini, shells, and more. The rice pasta industry has tried and succeeded at copying just about everything.

But as I have said before, not all pastas are the same. I have tried quinoa pastas made with corn, rice pastas made with organic brown rice, standard rice flour and water pastas, rice pastas that add dried vegetables right into the pasta and more. They all have their positives and their negatives and one of these days, I would love to do a taste, compare and share. But, that's another article.

Today, I am going to share with you my all-time favorite rice pasta and why it is my all-time favorite.

Tinkyada Rice Pasta is the winner hands-down. http://www.tinkyada.com/

Let me tell you why.

I have tried a lot of rice pasta. A LOT.

In my early quest for a great gluten-free diet, I didn't know how to make my own pasta and finding rice pasta was easy. In every natural store, it is abundant and now, in most stores, you can find at least a package or two. I have learned to make my own pasta, but pre-packaged rice pasta is fast, easy and readily available, so why not? That's my theory. And there is no way I am about to spend the hours trying to make my own gluten-free pasta into little spiral shapes. Not gonna happen. Who has time? Or should I say, days?

When I started out, I tried lots of different kinds of rice pastas, always looking for the one that would offer some greater nutritional value, but also a really great product. That's not too much to ask, is it? I didn't think so. So, I bought various package after package cooking them according to direction and remembering the rules of great pasta cooking (believe it or not, with the right rice pasta, it will cook just like the wheat varieties, al dente and all) I found my favorite.

Through a few bad pasta experiences, I found some gluten-free pastas to be dull or lifeless, grainy or starchy, overly chewy or gummy, and so many of them with all the great rice bran just fell apart when you cooked them. That's not any fun. Food should be pretty, as well as enjoyable. If it is possible, why compromise for second-best? Again, that's my theory.

And that's when I stumbled upon Tinkyada. Okay, stumble is probably not the right word. Fell would be more like it. How could I not when in the majority of the stores I went into it was either the only rice pasta they carried or it filled the entire shelf. Tinkyada has such a vast variety of types, shapes and sizes, most stores don't even carry all they offer. So, with the store stocking so many, it must be good, right?

This is where I wave my little red flag. Note to all gluten-free eaters: just because a store stocks several varieties of a particular brand does not, and I repeat, does not mean they are actually any good or even the best. Tinkyada is the exception here. As a matter of fact, they are quite the exception because their pasta is good. Okay, not just good, but goooooooooooooooooooooood. Can you hear my lips smacking just thinking about them?

Tinkyada offers lots of options from organic brown rice pastas to spinach brown rice spaghetti noodles (one of my favorites) to multi-colored vegetable spirals with carrot, tomato, and spinach in the pasta itself. Probably the one and only noodle I have yet to have tried is their lasagna noodle. No, wait. I believe I did try that some years ago, but it has been awhile. I just haven't gotten around to making any sort of lasagna. But, I will!

You can eat the noodles cold or hot (a big problem for many manufacturers), you can sauce them or eat them plain, and nearly all the noodles contain rice bran for extra nutrition, texture and flavor. And only one is made with white rice; the rest are filled with the beneficial brown rice variety. Delish.

So, what is one to do with a rice noodle?

Whatever you want to.

Literally. Make spaghetti with marinara sauce and add a meatball or two; make a cold pasta salad on a hot summer night; add some to make chicken noodle soup; make a delicious cream sauce and serve up some fettucini; or do what I do: make your own sauce concoction and devour. *See below for my latest offering.

Here are some tips for pasta lovers (and really, these are pretty standard pasta making tips whether you eat wheat pasta or rice):

1. Salt the water generously. This will make the pasta more flavorful and you'll have to add less salt to your dish later. (Of course, for those of you who don't eat salt or prefer not to, this is completely optional. Tinkyada is just as delicious without added salt.)

2. Cook the pasta just until al dente, which literally means, "to the tooth." The texture should still be a bit chewy and firm. The pasta will continue to cook once you remove it from the heat, so if you overcook it prior to that, by the time it gets to the plate and in your mouth, it will be mushy. Unless you like that, then have at it.

3. If you need to stop the pasta from continuing to cook (aka, you overcooked it), then run it under some cold water to stop the cooking process. Some of the packages of rice pasta will recommend that you do this anyway. You don't have to do this with Tinkyada's pasta. Not necessary. And on the plus side, then your pasta won't be cold when you want it to be hot. Some of the other brands recommend you do this to also remove the excess starch from the outside of the noodle. After having cooked some of them, I can see why. They start to clump in the water and that's just a gooey mess. This is not a problem with Tinkyada. Ever. No need to rinse unless you really want to.

4. If you are going to refrigerate any leftover pasta or you are going to serve it by itself (where people can put their own toppings on, etc), then remove the pasta from the water, rinse if you must, and add a little olive oil and gently mix it around. This will prevent the pasta from sticking together, which does happen whether it is wheat or rice. If you are putting a sauce or dressing on it right away, this step is unnecessary. But remember, as with all pastas, the pasta is going to absorb the dressing somewhat. Add more later if you need to.

And that is pretty much it. Pretty simple, pretty fast and pretty delicious.

Happy eating everybody!

Creamy Italian Squash and Carrot Sauce

Great with pasta or over turkey or chicken! Delicious!

Recipe courtesy of Michelle Hankes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 cups baby carrots or regular carrots chopped into 1” pieces

½ acorn squash, seeded, peeled and diced

1 cup water

¼ cup milk of choice

1 tsp dried thyme

2 tbsp dried oregano

2 tbsp dried basil

2 bay leaves

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp dried tarragon

½ - 1 tsp salt (add more or less to taste)

Dash cayenne pepper

½ onion, diced

1 tbsp olive oil or butter

½ tbsp butter or natural margarine

2 oz. Neufchatel cheese or vegan cream cheese alternative


Place carrots, squash, and water in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until squash is tender and carrots are easily cut or pulled apart with a fork, about 15-20 minutes. Place cooked squash, carrots and water mixture into a blender or VitaMix. Add milk and blend until smooth.

Return pureed mixture to saucepan and add thyme, oregano, basil, bay leaves, garlic, tarragon, salt and cayenne pepper. Reduce heat to low and allow sauce to gently simmer.

Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil or butter on medium-low heat. Saute onions until tender, not browned, about 3-4 minutes.

Add sautéed onions, butter and Neufchatel cheese to saucepan with pureed mixture and stir gently to incorporate. Gently use a whisk to incorporate the cheese, if necessary.

Remove bay leaves, salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

Baked Marinated Salmon on a bed of Herbed African Millet with Curry and Sage

Today, I had the inspiration for something simple and delicious. My cupboards are a bit bare, as I need to journey to Whole Foods or the like, so while rummaging around, I realized I had some fantastic marinated salmon from Costco (gluten-free, of course) and as always, I have plenty of herbs and millet - one of my staples.
You know, I love millet because of its crunchy and unique texture, its nutty aroma and flavor and well, because it's incredibly good for me. With plenty of iron and zinc and vitamins of every imaginable kind, millet is a little powerhouse of nutrition. If I had the choice, I'd choose this little tiny yellow ancient grain over rice any day.

Don't get me wrong. I love rice. Really.

I just love millet more.

And here's why: Millet is a highly sustainable and incredibly self-sustaining little powerhouse grain that has nearly faded from our global diet simply because we favor what's cheap and easy: rice, wheat, and anything in a package. Millet is still the staple for many cultures outside North America and there are many good reasons why. First, millet is a grain that can be re-grown in the same soil for three cycles, unlike the single farrow of wheat (meaning, the soil must be replenished and renewed every intermittent cycle because wheat drains the soil of nutrients, which is interesting because if you look at the nutrient composition of millet versus wheat, you'd never believe that to be true); second, millet is a powerhouse of nutrition with tons of protein, iron, zinc and phosphorus, B vitamins of many kinds and so much more - in comparison to wheat and rice, millet is a better choice because it's nutrient-dense (meaning you get more for your money and have to eat less to feel great); and third, millet's cheap. Yes, that's right. It's cheap, easily accessible at most natural health food stores and it costs less than rice most of the time. At my local health food store, the millet flour (which I use for almost everything) is almost fifty cents cheaper per pound. Why? Supply and demand. People just don't know what to do with millet.

And that's where I come in. I am not afraid of any little yellow grain. It's savory and it can be made sweet. It has a slightly nutty flavor that is enhanced if you toast it first, but that's not even necessary to get a great quality flavor. It will sit on your shelf or in your food storage for years without degrading and you could even plant a few and grow it easily, if you lived where it was dry enough. Millet likes arid conditions to grow and interesting enough, we Americans do grow it. It's virtually everywhere, you just don't know it.

Go outside. Sit on your back porch. Take a glass of tea or chardonnay with you and watch the clouds pass by. Now, look at your bird feeder. Are there any little chickadees or finches fighting for seeds and grains? How about any little yellow grains about the size of a pin head?

Look familiar?

It should. That's millet. Some farmers call it hershey - not to be confused with the chocolate creators in Pennsylvania - and the birds love it. So do cows and sheep and goats and many, many other animals. The farmers across America grow it to feed to our animals because, you guessed it, it's cheap, easy to grow, highly sustainable and incredibly nutritious. The animals live better and longer eating millet than oats and wheat. Hmmm. We should learn from that.

Why are we feeding this little yellow deliciousness only to our beloved animals? Time to feed ourselves that kind of nutrition too.

So, what do you do with millet?

Well, there are lots of things you can do with millet. Make it into a flour and bake with it, which I do often. Or buy the flour and use it to thicken sauces instead of wheat flour or cornstarch for a little extra nutrient punch without any difference in flavor. Use the grain instead of rice in stuffed squashes and peppers. Make a nice side dish to complement any type of meat, poultry or fish. Use it to make a breakfast cereal with a little extra added sweetness like they do in Africa. But be forewarned, you may come to love this ancient little grain. It has been around for thousands of years and it's about to come back into style.

Baked Marinated Salmon on a bed of Herbed African Millet with Curry and Sage

Serves 4

4 marinated salmon fillets (I used Morey's Marinated Wild Alaskan Salmon from Costco), thawed or frozen

1 cup whole grain millet

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp rubbed sage

2 tsp oregano

1 tbsp butter, natural margarine, or olive oil

3 cups water

½ tsp salt

1 tbsp honey, agave nectar or maple syrup

Salt to taste


Bake fillets according to package directions. (If cooking 4 frozen fillets, wait to start millet until fillets are about 25 minutes from being done.)
Wash millet in a fine mesh strainer under cool water until the grain runs clear about 30 seconds or so. Place millet in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add curry, sage and oregano and toast millet and spices over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

When spices become aromatic, add butter, margarine or oil until melted and mix thoroughly. Add water and salt and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook millet, stirring often, until all water is absorbed, about 20-25 minutes.

When water is fully absorbed, remove millet from heat and stir in honey, agave or maple syrup. Add salt to taste.

Make a bed of herbed millet on each place, placing one salmon fillet on top. Sprinkle on a little parsley, if desired, and enjoy!

Happy eating!

New Recipe: Black Quinoa with Caramelized Onions and Turkey Sausage

I had the inspiration after reading about black quinoa to add a little more to my diet. I love quinoa and millet and lots of other ancient grains, so it's fun to try new things. According to The Splendid Grain by Rebecca Wood, quinoa was revered by the ancient Mayans. They called it the "sacred mother of all grains" and prized it for its high quality nutrition, including a complete protein file, iron, phosphorous, B vitamins, zinc, potassium, calcium, and vitamin E. The World Health Organization considers quinoa to be the nutritional equivalent of the protein balance of cow's milk, the highest protein content of all grains at 20%. Millet and hard spring wheat following closely after.

The other fantabulous fact about quinoa is due to the calcium oxalate crystals packed into the tiny shell, quinoa is severely drought tolerant and can withstand solar radiation in places on earth where nothing else survives. Quinoa can grow on peaks of 14,000 feet and higher. A little washing and drying removes the outer protective coating and we have a delicious and nutritious little powerhouse.

So, here's an enjoyable new recipe to try out this little morsel and discover for yourself.

Happy eating!

Black Quinoa with Caramelized Onions and Turkey Sausage
Serves 4


1 cup black quinoa, washed (or any quinoa variety)
1 ½ cups water
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp salt
1 tsp garlic (or garlic blend)
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ cup onion, sliced into long strips
1 tbsp honey or cane sugar
½ cup sweet potato, diced
½ cup turkey sausage, diced
½ cup zucchini, diced
½ cup fresh or frozen peas
Oil for sautéing
Salt and pepper to taste


Wash quinoa thoroughly, as directed on package, or if buying in bulk until water runs clean. Add to large saucepan with water, cumin, salt, garlic and smoked paprika. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally. Reduce heat and allow to simmer until water is absorbed about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large cast iron or saute pan on medium heat. Add a small amount of oil to pan and onions. Cook onions until almost translucent, about 4-5 minutes, then add honey or sugar. Coat evenly and allow onions to continue to caramelize.

If your pan is large enough, push onions to one side and place sweet potato chunks on opposite side, making sure there’s enough room not to mix them just yet. If you need to use two pans, do so. Add a small amount of oil to sweet potatoes and mix, letting them brown just a little, about 2-3 minutes. Add turkey sausage. Mix potatoes and sausage to intermingle their flavors and continue to stir and cook another 5-6 minutes.

When potatoes and sausage are nearly cooked, add peas and zucchini and mix, keeping onions separate still. When quinoa is cooked and all remaining ingredients are soft and tender, give the quinoa a quick toss, then add onions, potatoes, sausage, peas and zucchini. Toss gently to mix, then serve.

Enjoy!



Variations:
· Use stock instead of water for extra flavor.
· Use a variety of other veggies for extra punch and crunch.
· Substitute millet, red quinoa or white quinoa for different textures and flavors.



Recipe courtesy of Michelle Hankes and http://www.traveleatplaywrite.blogspot.com/