I’m excited to share with you this recipe for Quinoa Chicken Curry, but before I do, I wanted to share a bit about quinoa.
Although quinoa seems to be a bit of a “new” super food, it has actually been around for thousands of years and was considered one of the most important crops of the Incas. This grain-like seed is really easy to cook (you cook it like rice) but is chock full of nutritional benefits. Quinoa’s high protein content makes it a great choice for vegans and vegetarians. It is also a complete protein which means it contains all the essential amino acids. Quinoa is also rich in vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, iron, potassium, calcium, vitamin B, folate, and riboflavin. Quinoa is also naturally gluten free, and can be ground into a flour that allows for gluten free baking. Whew.
I really didn’t know much about quinoa, or how to use it. So I was excited to be given the chance to review The Complete Idiot’s Guide Quinoa Cookbook to learn more about it. The book is full of quinoa recipes, including breakfast, dinner, and even dessert recipes. I wanted to try one of the more traditional preparations of quinoa, but can’t wait to delve into the more interesting uses for it in future posts (Lemon Poppy Seed Quinoa Cupcakes, anyone?) The book had a recipe for Quinoa Indian Chicken Curry that sounded absolutely fantastic!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups chicken broth, divided
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 6 teaspoons curry powder, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 medium head cauliflower, chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp celery seed
- 1/2 tsp fennel seed
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
- 1/3 cup nonfat sour cream
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Yields 5 cups, or about 4 servings.