Quinoa is an interesting ingredient. It is technically a seed, but grouped in with grains. As one of the most protein rich foods we can eat, it also contains twice as much fiber as all other grains, and abundantly holds iron, lysine, maganese, magnesium, and riboflavin. Essentially, it is a super food that will heal your body. There is a multitude of ways you can prepare the seeds, but one of my favorites is pizza. Who doesn’t like pizza? This version does not disappoint. Try delivering this super seed in pizza form to a picky eater. I’m sure you will be surprised, and they will too.
1/2 c. uncooked quinoa
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/4 cup parmesan, grated
1/2 c. fat free shredded mozzarella
1 t. minced garlic
1 T. dried basil
1 t. dried oregano
pinch of sea salt
pizza sauce or marinara
yellow bell pepper, sliced (optional)
red bell pepper, sliced (optional)
Olives, sliced (optional)
mushrooms, sliced (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil (or olive oil cooking spray). Prepare the quinoa according the package directions, set aside to cool when done. Saute the onion, basil and oregano in 1/2 T. of olive oil, mix in the garlic, saute for 1 more minute, then take off heat. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix the onion mixture into the cooled quinoa. Taste and season more if needed. Mix in the egg, parmesan into the quinoa. Divide the quinoa mixture into 4 equal parts. Form each of the four quinoa portions into a round pizza base. Bake the bases for 10 – 15 minutes or until just starting to brown. Keep an eye on them, each oven is different. Remove the bases and put 1 tablespoon pizza or marinara sauce on each. Add whatever topping you prefer on your pizzas and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake another 5 -8 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.
Other Recipes you could make from the quinoa base:
1. Don’t add the egg and eat it as a side dish. You could even add chopped sun-dried tomato. Yum!
2. Divide the quinoa mixture into a mini muffin pan and make pizza bites. Top with cheese and bake. Dip into pizza sauce!
I recently was teaching a young girl to cook a healthy meal, and used a bag of organic broccoli in a quinoa dish. She asked me why I used frozen over fresh. This is how I explained my decision. Studies have shown that fruits and veggies can lose up to 45% of the nutritional value in transport. Unless you live in California, frozen may be your only option to obtain ‘fresh’ organic vegetables. The farmers use a method called flash freezing to hold the nutrients in place. No matter what time of the year it is you can eat healthy fruits and vegetables due to this native Canadian preservation method.
