Quinoa with Sweet Potato & Mushrooms

Quinoa is an amazing food.  It is considered a grain but is a relative of leafy green vegetables like spinach and swiss chard.  It is the only non-meat food that supplies a complete protein  This means that  it includes all nine essential amino acids and therefore it is a great choice for vegans, vegetarians, and all of us meat eaters that like to have other options.  It is also very rich in magnesium, folate, and phosphorus. AND it's gluten free!!!

You can find this amazing grain at most grocery and health food stores. Be sure to rinse the grain off before you cook it since it is a seed and it has a naturally occurring resin much of which is removed from the processing method but it could cause the quinoa to have a bitter taste. 

Ingredients:
1 cup of Quinoa
2 cups water
1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup of mushrooms, chopped

Cooked quinoa in the background.

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, diced
2 leaves of swiss chard
2 tablespoons of sesame oil, you can also use olive or another oil you desire
1/2 cup white wine
red pepper flakes, optional, to taste
1 teaspoon sea salt (to aid the boiling process)
1 teaspoon smoked sea salt, optional

Cook quinoa as per instructions on the box.  Ideally you cook 1 cup of quinoa in 2 cups of water or chicken broth for more flavor.  Rinse the quinoa and add to the water.  (I add a pinch of sea salt to the water to speed up the boiling).  Bring the water and quinoa to a boil and cook for about 15-20 minutes.  When the quinoa is finished, there will be little white curls and the grain will be translucent.  

Swiss chard

In a saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms, onion and garlic.  Sauté for about 5 minutes.  Add the sweet potato, half the white wine, red pepper, smoked salt and stir.  Cover the sauté pan, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.  Chop the swiss chard leaves, after removing the stems and ribs (they are bitter).  Add the rest of the wine, turn the heat back up to medium and add the swiss chard.  Cook until the leaves become dark green and are soft, about 5-7 minutes.

Spoon vegetable mixture over the quinoa and ENJOY!!