i spent the weekend at my parents' house in maryland. i enjoyed a much needed break from thinking about, talking about, and being around all things grad school related.
when i came home late this afternoon, i was so high on my wave of weekend serenity that i dreaded the thought of having to go shopping for dinner ingredients. feeling the frugal fairy on my shoulder, i suggested that rather than spend 25 bucks on takeout to first assess the items already in the pantry and fridge to see if we couldn't invent something ourselves. here's what we came up with:
ingredients:
2 cups quinoa
1 can chick peas
raisins
1 apple
1 red pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
lemon juice
salt and pepper
cinnamon
method:
combine quinoa and water and cook according to method you're using (we use the rice cooker, so it's just 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa.)
while quinoa cooks, mince 3 cloves garlic. set aside. core and dice one medium apple and red pepper and set aside. drain and rinse chick peas and put in serving bowl. add handful raisins, apple, and garlic to bowl.
rinse cooked quinoa quickly, drain and add to bowl. stir to combine all ingredients. season with juice from one lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper and cinnamon to taste.
the addition of cinnamon was a very last minute idea. i was searching through the spice rack for something "green", but i knew basil, oregano or dill might taste weird. the cinnamon kind of spoke to me, and it was a delicious decision, albeit one that was unexpected.
next time, if we have a little more green-age in the crisper, i would think of adding sprouts, arugula, or even some sauteed kale or spinach. i'm starting to really love using quinoa, and i'm sad that we ended up devouring all of this dish, so now there is none left over to have for lunches this week!
p.s.
for part one, go
here.
