Quinoa Sauteed Avocado, and Brie

This quinoa dish, however, was a winner, and it keeps well so it was a lunchtime lifesaver a couple of days this week, too. If you’ve never tried quinoa, what are you waiting for? One cooked cup of this gluten free seed has more than 10 grams of protein, and it’s delicious to boot. If you don’t have the ingredients for this version (or if it simply doesn’t appeal to you), try a similar one with chopped tomato, cucumber, red pepper, and feta.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup seedless red grapes, preferably organic, sliced in half if large
• 1 avocado, diced
• brie cheese, cut into chunks- to taste (I used about 1/2 cup)
• 2-3 tablespoons diced red onion
• 1 handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice), plus more to taste
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer under cold running water. Drain and set aside.

2. In a medium pot on the stove, heat almonds over low-medium heat until they start to brown a bit. Add the quinoa along with 1 1/2 cups water and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed (about 15 minutes). Remove cover and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

3. While the quinoa is cooling, heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add grapes to pan and cook for a minute or two: just until the juices begin to “ooze” and the grapes get hot and squishy. Take them off the heat.

4. Transfer the cooked quinoa to a large bowl and add the sauteed grapes, the diced avocado, the chunks of brie, which will melt a bit (this is good), the red onion, and the parsley.

5. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil along with the vinegar or lemon juice, and toss well. Taste and adjust seasonings, then add salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature, or chilled.