Image via Pretty Things @ Tumblr

 

Okay, okay. If any food has the air of neo-hippie about it, it’s quinoa. It took me a long while to appreciate it’s charms, put off as I was by the indefinably weird texture and beige-y down-on-the-commune smell, but with a helping hand, quinoa can be tweaked and made great.

This recipe in particular is an awesome one to serve skeptics, because it is so wildly flavourful. Use tangelo juice for maximum impact.

Here are two simple tricks to making yummy, gimme-more quinoa:

♥ Rinse it first! This makes the grain less bitter AND
♥ Cook it with something other than plain old water: vege stock, juice, spices, zest… get creative!

Quinoa so easy to prepare. You just have to keep a close eye on it towards the end, to make sure that just-about-done doesn’t turn into burned-ass-pan.

This recipe could be breakfast, lunch, a snack or even dessert. The quinoa cooks up sweet, tangy, citrusy – the perfect base for pieces of fresh mango and crunchy maple-soaked almonds – and a touch of coriander pulls it all together, adding a pop of colour as well as depth of flavour.

 

Sweet Citrus Quinoa with Mango and Maple Almonds

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1 cup of freshly squeezed tangelo or orange juice (or a mix of both)
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 large mango, peeled and diced (about 3/4 cup)
1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped just before using
2 tbsp almonds, chopped and lightly toasted
1 tsp pure maple syrup

 

What to do:

In a small bowl or cup, combine almonds and maple syrup and set aside.

Add quinoa and tangelo juice to a small saucepan. Set aside for 10 minutes to soak. Add cinnamon and lemon juice. Heat quinoa mixture over medium heat until boiling.

Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Add 1/4 cup water and cook, stirring frequently, until water is fully absorbed and quinoa is done, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside 5 minutes to cool a little.

Add mango, maple-almond mixture and coriander to saucepan. Mix well. Viola!

Serve cool or at room temperature.

Serves 1-2.