Quinoa Combos for Work Lunches

I intend this post to be a running list for myself of quick mix-ins to do with quinoa that I can make easily during weeknights to bring for work lunches.

I cook 1 cup of dry quinoa in 2 cups of liquid which for me is about right for 2 lunches (I also pack a piece of fruit). My row of cubes keeps a well stocked snack section on hand, so I typically am grazing throughout the day and don't need a huge lunch.

For the liquid to cook the quinoa, I've found a less expensive but still effective substitute to having broth on hand is 2 cups of water with a pack of Mexican-style seasoning. If I'm bored, sometimes I will also sprinkle in some other spices into the liquid such as onion powder and whatever else looks interesting. This substitution is specifically just for when cooking quinoa, I'm not making the claim that this is a fantastic soup base by any means--I've just noticed that it seems to be a waste of good broth when I use it for quinoa.

Right now I'm using Sazon Goya - Sin Achiote (there's different flavors) -- probably only available in Mexican supermarkets:



And of course right after I say it's only at Mexican supermarkets, I do a search for the packaging and it's on CVS.com. Go figure. But I never see this stuff at Ralphs or Vons, even in the Hebrew-Mexican-Asian aisle.

Quinoa Combos
Mix-in the following to some hot, cooked quinoa (1 c dried cooked in 2 c liquid). Sorry there's no real measurements, these aren't meant to be rigid recipes. Add salt & pepper to taste on all these.

1) Corn, Arugula, Mint, Lemon, Goat Cheese
Handful of cooked corn (I just threw in some frozen kernels in the last few minutes that the quinoa was cooking), handful of chopped fresh arugula, small dose of chopped fresh mint, squeeze of lemon, smattering of goat cheese (if you want your goat cheese chunks to remain whole, need to add when quinoa has cooled down).

2) Seasoning Mix, Bell Pepper, Onion, Garlic, Parmesan Cheese, Arugula, Tarragon
This is essentially the filling based for the stuffed pepper recipe I made previously. Saute' 1/2 bell pepper, 1/2 onion, 1-2 cloves of garlic. Cook 1 cup of quinoa in 2 c of seasoning mix broth. Mix quinoa + sauteed mixture, add in roughly chopped arugula and tarragon (lots of arugula, a little bit of tarragon) -- add parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to taste.

3) Onion, Garlic, Pasta Sauce, Parmesan Cheese, Arugula
Essentially the same as above, but just cook quinoa in water. Used 1/2 onion + 1 clove of garlic. Used about 1/4 cup of store bought vodka red sauce.