Thursday, July 1, 2010

Quinoa in my taco meat!


I learned about quinoa about a year and a half ago and I have been trying to incorporate it into my cooking ever since. Quinoa is a grain like food that cooks up similar to rice but is a complete protein. Here is a link for the whole foods website that gives you more information on Quinoa.

Quinoa has a very mild nutty flavor and has a consistency similar to rice once it is cooked. Even though it is more expensive than say rice or other grains, it expands to 3 times its original size, making it much cheaper than good meat. I purchase it in bulk; cook it just like rice and then I can add it to many different foods. Today I am talking about adding it to ground turkey or ground beef for tacos. You can very easily play with the portions of quinoa that you add to your meat but I generally use half ground meat and half cooked quinoa. From there I season my taco meat with a homemade taco season blend or you could add an MSG free, store bought taco seasoning. My children and guests alike have not noticed the addition of quinoa and it makes for a healthier and more frugal meal.

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