Yes, it is very healthy for you. Yes, it's a power grain from the Aztecs. And yes, it has a ton of protein. But, at the same time, you can only eat it dry so many times. This delicious recipe came about through a cooking mistake.
I was making a batch of quinoa one day, and I accidentally put to much water in the pan. This caused the quinoa to be overcooked, and completely mushy. I didn't want to throw it out. After all quinoa is kind of expensive. So I was sitting there with a pot of mushed quinoa, and then poof! Light bulb! Grits! Well . . . quinoa grits.
Okay so I added salt, pepper, cheddar cheese, and Parmesan cheese. They where amazing!
As soon as my sister tried them she said, "OMG. These taste like mac' and cheese. Or like Crack and cheese! They are soooo good."
So, I decided to call this recipe Quinoa Crac'an cheese.
These would be great as a side to pork chops, steak, or breaded baked chicken. Plus, in comparison WAY lower in calories then any kind of macaroni and cheese I've ever seen. You also receive all the health benefits of quinoa.
Quinoa Crac an Cheese
2 1/2 C. Water
1 C. Quinoa
1 1/2 tsp Salt
Fresh ground Black Pepper
2 C. Cheddar Cheese
1/2 C. Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/4 C. Cooked crumbled Bacon, optional
1. Bring water to boil in a large saucepan.
2. Add 1/4 tsp salt and quinoa. Cover, and lower to a simmer. Simmer for 20 - 30 minutes until most of the moisture is gone and quinoa is completely broken down.
3. Remove from heat and add rest of salt, pepper, cheeses, and if using, bacon.
4. Stir until completely combined, and all cheese is melted.
5. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Serve warm. The Crac' an Cheese refrigerates and reheats well.
7 comments:
I love it! I have a bag of quinoa in my pantry and I am going to have to try this!
I have it as porridge so its pretty mushy but sooooo good! x x
LOVE this idea Jillian-- I think I'll have to give it a try :)
Wow...never thought of doing this with quinoa! I might have to try this :)
What a great idea!! I just love when a kitchen mishap becomes a success!
That's such a great idea! I'm always looking for good ways to eat quinoa too, I'll have to try this! :)
I was joking with myself the yesterday that, one of these days, I'm going to try to eat every meal in quinoa. When I sat down and tried to plan it out, though, I was short a dish! (Really how many stir fries, cereal bowls and cakes can you eat in a day). This'll be great for a "comfort food" addition and I might finally have a day of all quinoa!
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