Love for the Quinoa

We recently tried Quinoa and it's been a fun new alternative to rice and pasta in our house. So what is quinoa and how do you pronounce it. Wikipedia calls it a pseudocereal and a grain like crop. It can be found near the bags of rice or pasta. It's pronounced like keen-wah.

My first real meal with it was a Quinoa, Spinach and Mushroom recipe (found here). I loved this dish but Brad wasn't crazy over it. However, we attended the Green Fest in Indianapolis in March and a cooking demonstration gave us a new Quinoa recipe. Here it is:

• 1/2 cup quinoa, (rinsed well)
  
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (i used white wine vinegar)
  
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil (i used canola oil)
  
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (i used powdered ginger)
  
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 small mango, diced
  
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

1. Toast quinoa in a small dry saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it crackles and becomes aromatic, 4 to 6 minutes. *Don't burn. Error to lightly toasted* Transfer to a fine sieve and rinse thoroughly. Return the quinoa to the pot and add water. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cover and cook until the quinoa is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk orange juice, cilantro, vinegar, oil, ginger, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl. Add mango, bell pepper, beans and scallions; toss to coat.
3. When the quinoa is finished cooking, add to the mango mixture and toss to combine.

This is a great alternative to traditional cook out side dishes. It even works well for 2 days or so in the refrigerator if you have leftovers.