Sunday, October 14, 2012

Quinoa Taco Meat




Yes, I'm obsessed with Quinoa. I love it. It delights me. It is my favorite grain.

That said... PLEASE START USING IT IN YOUR TACOS!

Or don't, and there will be more for me. More of the earth's quinoa for me is a good thing. :)

You can use it entirely in place of the ground taco meat, for a vegetarian option. You can cook two cups of quinoa with one packet of taco seasoning added to the mix, and add it as a meat substitute to your tacos...

But being a meat-loving sort of gal, I prefer to do it my way.

My favorite way is to cook up a pound of chicken breast chorizo, (you can substitute one pound ground beef and one packet of taco seasoning) and that way, the spices are already added to the meat. I brown it up with half a finely chopped onion, and then cook my quinoa separately in my pressure cooker. You can just cook it on the stove top the same way you cook rice, with two parts liquid to one part quinoa. I also prefer to cook the quinoa in beef broth, to add to the richness of the flavor.

Anyhoo...
Brown up your meat and seasonings. Drain, if your meat isn't super-lean.

 Add two to three cups of cooked quinoa depending on the ratio you like best.

And mix together. (My eight year old is drooling over my shoulder... raving about her love affair with this meat... and now she's laughing at me. Zut alors, the girl can read!)

 Pile it all up in a tortilla with lettuce, tomatoes, a little shredded cheese, sour cream, and beans of your choosing. (I prefer refrieds, or black).



And enjoy!
Quinoa Taco Meat
Cut and Paste Recipe


2-3 C cooked quinoa (cooked in beef broth)
1 lb ground meat (chicken breast chorizo, or extra lean ground beef)
1 packet taco seasoning (if your meat is not already pre-seasoned)

Cook the quinoa in beef broth. For stovetop cooking, add 2 parts water to one part quinoa. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low, put lid on, and steam for 15 minutes more. 
Lift lid and fluff with a fork. 
Brown meat with seasonings. 
Mix together with quinoa.
Serve in place of regular taco meat. 

Enjoy!



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