Thursday, July 30, 2009

Steak with Spinach Quinoa

Steak with Quinoa and Spinach

Tonight's dinner really hit the spot. Maybe I was just really hungry or maybe it was really as delicious as I thought. It definitely hard to slice up the last half of that steak for tomorrow's salad. I could have stood there at the sink eating the other half straight off the cutting board. And the garlic in the quinoa and the feta.. yum! I can see myself making this side dish again.

The recipe was essentially Steak with Spinach Couscous from the July issue of Real Simple, but since I just made couscous with pine nuts last night, I decided to switch it up with quinoa. And the sirloin steak I had in my freezer was a little more affordable than flank steak.

I love quinoa. I know it scares some people, but it's very similar to couscous, but with a nuttier flavor. I love it. It's cooks in the same amount of time as white rice, but has more nutritional benefits. So it's perfect for a weeknight dinner.

I've used it in recipes specifically calling for quinoa like this Quinoa Stuffed Pepper or Quinoa Salad. (BTW.. wow, my photography has gotten much better in 2 years!) But mostly it gets used interchangeably with rice. I use it in place of couscous like I did tonight or even use it with stir fries instead of rice.

The rest of the day was a typical weekday filled with work and such. Thank God tomorrow's Friday I'm so ready for the weekend. I've got some fun things planned so I can't wait. I may even bring the camera along this time.

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