Here is a great recipe that I just tried that I received from the latest Weight Watchers e-newsletter. It is made with a grain called quinoa, which was used by the ancient South American Indians and it is very nutritious, being especially high in protein. If you are following Weight Watchers, or simply looking for some great low fat recipe ideas, I highly recommend signing up for the various Weight Watcher’s newsletters. If you go to http://www.weightwatchers.com/, and then follow the links to the various international sites, you can then sign up for each countries’ newsletter, as they are all different.
This recipe was quick and easy, and very tasty. One way of telling that the quinoa is cooked is making sure it is translucent with a white “c” shape ring in the centre.
Barley and quinoa mushroom pilaff
· 4 whole stock cube, (vegetable) dissolved in 3 3/4 cups (900ml) hot water
· 150 g raw pearl barley, rinsed
· 1 spray Gold ‘n’ Canola Canola oil spray
· 2 stick celery, trimmed, finely chopped
· 1 medium onion, (red) finely chopped
· 1 clove garlic, crushed
· 1 tsp lemon rind, finely grated
· 1/2 tsp cumin seed, (ground)
· 175 g mushroom, sliced
· 100 g quinoa
· 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
· 1 medium lemon, cut into wedges
- Bring 600ml stock to the boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low. Add barley and simmer for approximately 1 hour or until tender. Rinse.
- Spray a large non-stick frying pan with oil. Add celery, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes or until softened.
- Stir in lemon rind, cumin, mushrooms, thyme leaves, quinoa and remaining 300ml stock. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring or until quinoa is tender.
- Add cooked barley. Cook for a further 3 minutes or until hot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon into serving bowl. Sprinkle with thyme and serve with lemon wedges.
serves 2 – 6 points per serve
