I was in the mood for quinoa, so I checked to see what Weight Watchers recipes came up and found a tasty sounding one with mushrooms and spinach. The recipe was very similar to cooking kasha where you brown garlic and onions in a pan, then toast up the quinoa, then add in liquid and let it absorb.
(Side note: Does anyone else find it annoying to rinse quinoa? It’s so delicious, but I can’t find a good way to rinse it without it getting everywhere)
Then at the finale, you top it with fresh spinach (which is always surprising how much it reduces in size!) and let it steam down and stir it in.
We paired it with faux fried catfish (it’s faux fried because it’s coated in ground up Fiber One cereal and then baked… it’s a really delicious and diet friendly way to “fry” just about any white meat or fish).
It made for a great meal, although the more I eat catfish, the less I like it. I just don’t think it’s my kinda fish.
My favorite part about this meal, however, was making the leftovers for lunch the next day! I topped the quinoa and spinach with 2 poached eggs and the mushy yolky goodness was purrrrrrrfect with the nutty quinoa and spinach. Delish!
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RECIPE
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Ingredients
| 1 Tbsp olive oil | |
| 1 large onion(s), minced | |
| 1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced | |
| 1 cup(s) quinoa, rinsed | |
| 2 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth | |
| 1/8 tsp black pepper | |
| 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional (we left this out) | |
| 4 cup(s) spinach, baby leaves, packed, coarsely chopped | |
| 1/2 tsp table salt | |
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add quinoa to skillet; cook, stirring frequently, until quinoa starts to turn golden brown, about 2 minutes.
- Add broth, black pepper and red pepper flakes to skillet; bring to a boil. Cover skillet and reduce heat to low and simmer for 13 minutes; stir in spinach. Cover skillet and cook until spinach and quinoa are tender and liquid is absorbed, about 3 to 5 minutes; season with salt. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.
