Quinoa and Sweet Potatoes

I unfortunately only got a blurry picture of this one, but it still looks pretty all the same. I used a quinoa mix I got at Trader Joe's - that's why there's some multi-colored grains going on in there. I didn't have currants or scallions, so I left those out, but they would probably be a nice for additional flavor (without them, I felt like I was lacking a spice or something). Definitely an easy recipe and good for lunches! I'm beginning to think I need to cook through the Moosewood cookbook, since every recipe I've made from it has been awesome....


Basic recipe:
3/4 cup quinoa
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced onions
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups diced, peeled sweet potatoes
1 2/3 cups water

Moosewood's favorite elaboration:
2 cups lightly packed finely chopped fresh spinach
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup currants
1 tbsp minced scallions
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and ground black pepper


Rinse and drain the quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer to remove any residue of the grains' bitter coating.

Warm the oil in a covered saucepan. Add the onions and salt and cook on low heat, stirring now and then, until the onions are transparent, about 8 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, water, and drained quinoa, cover, and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat. Stir well and add salt and pepper to taste.

To prepare Moosewood's favorite elaboration, just before removing from the heat, stir in the spinach, pine nuts, currants, scallions, and lemon juice. Let sit for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.