Carrot Tomato Spinach Quinoa Pilaf

I've recently learned about quinoa (it's pronounced keen-wa) and its health benefits. So I picked some up at Whole Foods last week and cooked this dish below tonight. It's fresh, colorful and super healthy. I'm happy to report that David liked it....Brad did not, but that's no surprise.

The recipe is here.

Here are some quinoa facts:

1. Price - Quinoa is inexpensive.
   
2. Quinoa is gluten free
   
3. Quinoa is a good source of protein.
   A ½ cup serving of dry quinoa has approximately 11 grams of protein. When cooked, one cup of quinoa is about 254 calories and has almost 9 grams of protein.
4. Quinoa is loaded with minerals
   Quinoa contains potassium, magnesium and manganese. Of these three minerals, magnesium is one of the most common mineral deficiencies in the body. Magnesium helps regulate the absorption of calcium, energy production and aids with muscle contraction.
5. Quinoa is easy to cook.
   One of the easiest ways to make quinoa is to take 1 cup of quinoa and boil it with 2 cups of organic chicken broth. This normally takes about 15 minutes. As the quinoa is finished, add 1 Tbsp of curry powder. Now you can sprinkle in anything you want from raisins to sautéed mushrooms and enjoy.