quinoa vegetable paella

This is the dish that made me love quinoa. It is Susan V's Quinoa Vegetable Paella. Oh. My. Goodness. It has to be one of my favorite meals. My daughter even likes it and she hates everything. I've made this a hundred times, I'm sure.

I just wonder how it is that I hated it all those years? Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-whah) is a complete protein and contains more calcium than milk and is rich in iron. And it cooks super fast. It's almost a perfect food. What's not to love? The odd, bitter taste it has if you don't rinse it well, that's what. Quinoa needs to be washed well. Simply put it into a bowl, cover with water and sort of work it in your hands almost like you're scrubbing it - but be gentle. Strain it and rinse with fresh water. I do this several times, stopping when the water is clear.

Just like all other recipes I prepare, I made changes based on my likes and dislikes. I don't like artichoke hearts in this so I leave them out. I will only use zucchini when it's in season and even then I generally won't use it. And I really, really, really love the kidney beans, so I like to add more. Sometimes I add a diced carrot to it and sometimes I use half quinoa and half white rice. This is Susan's recipe and in red I have indicated what I prefer to use.

Quinoa Vegetable Paella

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup quinoa (sometimes I like to use a combination of quinoa and white rice)
1/4 teaspoon saffron, crushed
2 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
dash cayenne
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes (fire roasted diced tomatoes are the best)
1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 14-ounce can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (2 1/2 cups red kidney beans)
2 3/4 - 3 cups vegetable broth
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced (use only in season - when not in season I use 8 oz. frozen green beans)
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed and cut into quarters (1 cup lima beans)

I add all of the beans together at the same time the quinoa is cooking. The peas are last, of course.

I suppose this could be renamed Quinoa Bean Paella or Quinoa Legume Paella (which sounds kind of strange). A great addition are slices of Tofurky Italian Sausages. Create your own paella. What's great about this recipe is that you can use it as a base recipe and just build on it from there, turning it into your own. There is no right or wrong with it.