Meatless Monday: Quinoa

Last month I heard an NPR story about the rising demand for quinoa that sparked my interest in the seed, which is high in protein and iron. Since then, I've started to see quinoa everywhere - in salads, wraps and on every other shelf at Trader Joe's. Quinoa has a nutty flavor that lendss itself to many dishes, but its more notable for its chewy texture. So far I've had a pretty casual food relationship with quinoa, adding it to lunch wraps and "cooking" frozen Trader Joe's Quinoa Duo with Vegetable Melange dishes, but nothing that requires extensive preparation or effort. If you haven't tried quinoa, easy or pre-prepared dishes are a great place to start.

But now that I've established that I like quinoa and mastered the easy preparation, it's time to stop being lazy and get cooking. So this week, I'm going to try a recipe for Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro and post the results in next week's Meatless Monday blog.