A few days before I left for vacation -- click here if you want to see the adventure I took with the boys! -- I spatchcocked a whole chicken and cooked it on the grill. Cleaning up I couldn't throw away the bones. I just couldn't. So I grabbed a pot, pulled out some frozen celery hearts (I freeze scraps now specifically for this) and decided to make stock.
The only problem: my freezer is already overstocked with broth in bags because I haven't had much need for it over the summer months.
I didn't let the stop me though, I boiled those bones knowing I'd figure something out... and I did!
Once the broth was done and strained, I used it immediately to make some brown rice and quinoa. Then I froze them in flat single-serving bags like this.
The flat freezing makes for fast and easy defrosting. Simple soak in bowl of hot water for a minute or two and voila!
Yesterday I pulled one out and did just that to make a simple, quick dish using from fresh strawberries and thyme from my garden.
This is what I love most about quinoa. You can simply toss it with anything you have on hand and it's deliciously yummy. It has such a fun texture and absorbs flavors beautifully. It's also super easy to cook and takes less than 20 minutes. Although having it pre-cooked in the freezer is even faster!
- 150g cooked quinoa (About a cup - this kind of dish doesn't have to be perfect)
- 1 cup halved, fresh strawberries
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- ~10 sprigs of fresh thyme
- ⅛ tsp kosher salt
- A bit of feta for the top (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
Toss.
Enjoy.
| Servings | Amt per Serving | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ½ the recipe ~ 1 cup | |||
| Calories | Fat | Fiber | WWPs | |
| 150 | 5g | 4g | old: 3 | new: 4 |
| Sugar | Sat Fat | Carbs | Protein | |
| 6g | 1g | 22g | 4g | |
Looks delicious! How do you cook your quinoa?
Basically the directions on the back of the box but sometimes I use broth instead of water. It's 1 to 2 ratio of quinoa to water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer about 15 minutes.