Mexican Green Quinoa
Servings:6 servings
If you're a fan of Mexican Green Rice (Arroz Verde), you'll love this Green Quinoa! Packed with fresh spinach, cilantro, and a touch of lime and jalapeño, it's a savory and healthy side dish that pairs well with just about everything!
Ingredients
- 1½ cups dry quinoa
- 5 ounces baby spinach - about 4 cups tightly packed
- 1 small bunch cilantro, thick ends trimmed - about 1¼ cups leaves and thin stems
- 1 large jalapeno pepper - roughly chopped
- 1 large shallot - roughly chopped; or half of an onion
- 3 cloves garlic - peeled and smashed
- 1 small lime - halved
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil - optional; omit for oil-free
- 2¾ cups water
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt - plus a pinch
- black pepper - optional
Instructions
- Thoroughly rinse the quinoa. For an optional step to remove more of its bitterness, place the quinoa in a bowl, cover with water, and soak for about 5 minutes, agitating the water several times. Then rinse again and drain very well.
- In a large food processor, combine the spinach, shallot, jalapeno, 2 cloves of garlic, juice from half of the lime, and about ¼ cup of cilantro (mostly thin stems; we'll use the leaves later). Process until very finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl.
- In the food processor, pulse the remaining cilantro, 1 clove of garlic, a squeeze of lime juice, and a generous pinch of salt until finely chopped. Set aside.
- Preheat a large pot over medium heat, and add the oil. Saute the spinach mixture for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the quinoa, water, and 1 teaspoon salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low to maintain a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the quinoa is tender and all of the water has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork.
- Season the quinoa with black pepper and taste for salt. Add the chopped cilantro mixture to the pot, and fluff again to incorporate the greens. Serve hot.
Notes
Substitutions
- Cilantro is a key ingredient in this recipe, but if you're not a fan, the dish is also delicious with fresh basil and parsley.
- If you avoid oil, it's fine to omit it.
- To prepare Mexican Green Rice, replace the quinoa with 1.5 cups white basmati rice, and reduce the water to 2 cups. The cook time is the same.
Nutrition
Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 5g | Fiber: 4g
