Double Garlic Quinoa

Photo by Olga Eglite

Here's one of my favorite ways to serve quinoa from my 2nd book, The Two-Week Wellness Solution:The Fast Track to Permanent Weight Loss and Vitality. Hope you enjoy!

Garlic likers, move on. There’s nothing to see here. Garlic lovers, put on your seatbelts. This bad boy is quick, delicious, light, and super nourishing!

• 1 cup whole quinoa

• 2 cups water

• 6 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed

• 1 tablespoon each: minced fresh parsley and minced fresh basil (both very well packed)

• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and drain well. Place in a pot with the water. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until all of the water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, you can get all of the other ingredients ready. First, place the sliced garlic and olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Once it begins to sizzle, turn the heat down to medium-low and stir often. As soon as the garlic turns a beautiful shade of golden-brown, remove from heat. If you wait too long, the garlic will over-brown and become bitter.

3. Place the cooked quinoa in a large bowl and add the garlic-oil mixture. I like to use a rubber spatula to scrape all of the goodness out of the pan and into the quinoa, as it makes a difference in how the end product tastes.

4. Add all of the remaining ingredients, including the salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently with a spoon and serve. This will keep for several days, refrigerated in an airtight container. Buh-bye vampires!

Serves 3/GF/SF/Green, according to the guidelines in my cookbooks and coaching programs