Red Beet Quinoa

Firstly, I must apologize to all my devoted followers for not blogging recently. The truth is, I simply cannot sit inside and type on a computer when the sun is out.  The unusually good weather has been leading me to bike rides to the beach, outdoor dance parties, picnics in the park, and late night walks in the warm evening air.  I've been on the go, filling up every moment with fun and busyness.  But change is in the air now, literally.  The sun is gone, the rain is pouring and the wind is blowing, finally bringing a halt to my solar-energized schedule.  The time has come for some slow cooking and introspection.  The other night, I spent a quiet evening with myself, cooking up a warm and comforting quinoa dish colored pink with beets and beet greens.  Take your time making this, and keep this lovely quote in mind that my friend Eric shared with me:


If you want to be whole, let yourself be partial.
If you want to become straight, let yourself be crooked.
If you want to be full, let yourself be empty.
If you want to be reborn, let yourself die.
If you want to to be given everything, give up everything.

Red Beet Quinoa

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of quinoa
• 1 bunch of beets
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
• salt, pepper, and olive oil

Directions

1. Soak quinoa in a bowl of water for 15 minutes.  Then rinse it in a sieve several times to remove the saponin that coats the quinoa.
2. Cut the beet greens off from the beets.  Wash beet greens and then cut them into bite size pieces.
3. Boil beets with the skins on in a pot of boiling water for about 20 minutes.
4. While beets cook, chop up the onion and peel and crush the garlic.
5. Sauté the onions in a med/large pot until they are sweating.  Add the garlic. 
6. Add the beet greens and saute until they begin to soften.  
7. Add the washed quinoa into the pot and cover with water.  Add salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
8. Bring heat down to medium heat and cover pot and let simmer for about 20 minutes.
9. When beets are beginning to soften, place them in a colander and rinse with very cold water.  Then you can easily remove the skins. 
10. Chop up the beets and add them to the quinoa. Cook the beet quinoa for another 10 minutes.  
11. When quinoa is cooked (soft to bite and the little "tails" pop out) add the balsamic vinegar, and some more salt and pepper.  Enjoy!