I've been making a lot of really big meals lately. I've been in kind of a cooking rut this summer. Although that does tend to happen when things get busy and I don't have the time and/or the energy to come home from a long day cooking to cook some more! I'm getting more into the swing of things with Enchiladas and an absolutely abundance of Pizza, Barbecue Pizza, and a double batch of More Pizza. I must have eaten pizza every day for the last two or three weeks. So, today I'm not making pizza. I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do with Quinoa w/ Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, & Garlic? Although, I can guarantee you that it won't be pizza. In all likelihood, it'll be burritos.
Me from the future: It was in fact predominantly Burritos. Although I did also add it to Pasta. Which is objectively kind of weird, but you can't go all that wrong with pasta. Just about everything tastes good in burrito, pasta, and nachos form. There's nothing like a bland carbohydrate to pretty much universally go with every food.
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Variations of Spinach Quinoa
I really like sweet potatoes and spinach in quinoa. I almost always add in sweet potatoes because it balances out the slight of quinoa. Then, I'll just toss in whatever else I have lying around. Quinoa's an incredibly easy dish to make. The only preparation time involved is cutting up any fruits fruits and vegetables pressing cook on the rice cooker. You can easily mix and match in different produce and spices for different occasions and culinary preferences. But the same basic principle is very simple and a good staple to have on hand.
This Spinach Quinoa consists of sweet potatoes, garlic, tamari, rice vinegar, and a mix of cumin, coriander, cloves, smoked paprika, ginger, salt, and pepper
Add all of the ingredients to a rice cooker.I'll usually start with the larger ingredients, like sweet potatoes, and end with the spices on top. But this is more or less a matter of personal preference. Everything will eventually cook in!
Press the cook button on the rice cooker. While quinoa is not rice, it does cook the same and oftentimes better than rice in a rice cooker. It typically takes 30-45 minutes.
When the quinoa is fully cooked, fluff with a wooden spoon and serve.Do not use a fork or other metal utensil to fluff! It will scratch off the nonstick surface on the rice cooker. This will leach Teflon into your food and cause future dishes to stick to the bottom.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
While quinoa is not rice, it does cook the same and oftentimes better than rice in a rice cooker. For more tips and tricks to rice cooker quinoa, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Making Quinoa, including a stovetop version if you don't have or don't want to use a rice cooker.
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