Quin-What?

I have a secret which may very well get me thrown out of nutrition school: I do not like quinoa. Quinoa is a tiny little grain that has been growing on popularity over the past decade. It's related to spinach and chard, and it packs a mighty nutritional punch. It's gluten free and super high in proteins. Although this is somewhat debated and I haven't found a definitive source yet, it may actually be a complete protein. Meaning it contains all the essential amino acids your body needs, and usually has to get from an animal source. (Non animal sources usually contain only certain amino acids, so if you are eating a variety of foods, you are still getting all the amino acids you need.) Whether it is a complete protein or not, it certainly is considered a "super grain" and very popular among the nutritionists and fellow students at my school.

I have tried to like quinoa, but I don't. You can find it in both regular and red varieties. The red variety takes slightly longer to cook, and I find that version somewhat more palatable. I can also eat them mixed together. I'm not a huge grain fan to begin with. It has taken me a long time to like rice, and now brown rice. I have tried millet and amaranth and all sort of other grains, I just don't really care for them.

But grains are good for you. And eating a variety of foods is good for you. So I search for recipes to try and incorporate them into my diet.

This weekend I tried a new recipe with quinoa: Greens and Quinoa Pie. I figured I liked all the other ingredients, so maybe it would be a good way to "sneak" some quinoa into my diet. And the other bonus was that my husband who does not like leafy greens (except for spinach, he claims they are all too bitter) might be tricked into eating some good greens.

The experiment was successful. Both of us enjoyed the pie which is really more of a casserole. I got this recipe from Vegetarian Times. I couldn't find chicory at my whole foods and didn't realize until I got home that it's endive. Or at least that I could have used endive. So along with the romaine lettuce, I used some beet greens and Swiss chard that I happened to have on hand. I imagine any mix of greens would be good. I didn't find the quinoa to be overpowering at all and so when I make this again I may actually double the amount the recipe calls for in order to eat more of the stuff. I think you could play around with the cheeses too, I think a yummy Gruyere could be good, even a nice white cheddar.

Greens and Quinoa Pie

Serves 6

1/2 cup quinoa (rinsed and drained)

1 large bunch chicory cut into bite size pieces, hard stems removed

1 head of romaine lettuce, shredded

3 tbs olive oil (divided)

2 medium onions thinly sliced (or chopped)

2 green onions thinly sliced (1/4 cup)

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup grated aged goat cheese or Swiss cheese (I used Swiss)

3 eggs lightly beaten

Place quinoa in small saucepan and toast over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes or until almost dry. Add 1 cup water, and season with salt if desired. Cover, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, covered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to large bowl.

Heat large pot over medium heat. Add chicory (or whatever greens you are using) and cook 3-5 minutes until wilted, tossing frequently. Add romaine and wilt 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer greens to strainer and squeeze out excess moisture. Stir into quinoa.

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in skillet over medium high heat (I used the same pot I used for the greens) and add onions, saute 10 minutes or until browned. Add cooked onions, fresh green onions, dill, feta, goat or Swiss cheese to quinoa mixture. Stir in eggs, season with slat and pepper if desired.

Pour 1 tbsp oil into 9 inch pie pan and heat 5 minutes in the oven. Swirl oil to coat bottom of pan then spread quinoa mixture in pan with spatula. Bake 20 minutes. Drizzle pie with remaining 1 tbsp oil and bake 20-30 minutes more, or until golden brown.

I didn't have a pie pan this would all fit into so I ended up using a plain old casserole dish and it turned out fine. I image a Pyrex lasagna pan would work well too. It seems like a lot of steps (most casseroles are) but this was great as a main course and it made a lot, so I am enjoying leftovers now.