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Fresh Herb Quinoa


This recipe is fantastic as a side dish to any main course. It's herby, citrusy, and all around delicious. I served this to a friend who has heard of quinoa but has never tried it himself. I found myself at the end of the night giving him step by step instructions on how to recreate it. 

I feel it is the lemon juice that really makes this dish pop, the tangy-ness of the lemon coupled with thyme, basil, and parsely really gives you that feeling of freshness. Very healthy and very easy. Let me know what your tweaks are, for me this dish is perfect as is!


Fresh Herbed Quinoa

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups quinoa

Dressing:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the quinoa
  1. In a medium saucepan, add the chicken stock, lemon juice and quinoa. 
  2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 12 to 15 minutes.

For the dressing
  1. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, basil, parsley, thyme, and lemon zest
  2. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  3. Pour the dressing over the quinoa and toss until all the ingredients are coated. 
  4. Transfer the quinoa to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.








For original recipe by Giada De Laurentiis follow this link:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/herbed-quinoa-recipe.html#lightbox-recipe-video

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