Quinoa | 20something cupcakes

First off – I’m all about a quinoa salad. It’s super-easy to make, the quinoa gets your protein in, and you can throw in whatever veggies you’ve got on hand and call it dinner.

Chorizo + Quinoa {Stuffed} Zucchini

But because that’s all been said and done in my kitchen, I chose to go a different route with this week’s quinoa inspiration à la The Food Matters Project. Perfect timing because I’ve been craving stuffed zucchini in a major way.

You could take this basic idea and go a number of ways, but since I had some chorizo on hand, I went with that. Chorizo adds crazy flavor to the whole mix, since you’re cooking the vegetables in the fat that renders from it. You could stick with all veggies if you prefer – remember, the quinoa makes it a complete meal for you – or you could… who can guess where I’m going with this… use bacon!

I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions – but on that note, how about a life resolution?

I resolve to share with you more of the things that I eat, like, all the time. Delicious things. Healthy things. Things you should eat.

Things like quinoa.

Have we not discussed quinoa? I don’t believe we have. Let’s see, where do I begin? For those of you who are quinoa-virgins, quinoa is a grain that contains protein. Not only does it contain protein, it’s actually a complete protein, meaning it includes all nine essential amino acids. Most importantly, it’s super-easy to cook, and super-tasty. It’s a great alternative to whole-wheat pasta for fast weeknight meals, because it’s got the protein already included. And did I mention it tastes good? It has a nutty flavor and a unique, almost crunchy texture.