Wednesday, August 25, 2010

For the Love of Costco

Cheap gas, toilet paper to last a lifetime, and enough pasta to feed everyone in Italy. What's not to love about Costco? Though buying in bulk may not always be the best choice for a household of two---there are only so many humongous bags of mixed berries and spinach & cheese ravioli that can fit in the freezer---I always love to peruse the aisles for a good deal to make a tasty meal. 

On our last trip we picked up a four-pound bag of quinoa and 48 ounces of Craisins (quite a daring purchases since I'd never had quinoa in my life and only use a handful of cranberries on the infrequent intervals we have salad). But I'm happy to conclude that quinoa is now one of most favorite things and, packed with protein and delicious flavor, is a fantastic addition to my dwindling meat eating tendencies.

Today for lunch I made a small dent in each of those purchases and made a yummy toasted almond and cranberry quinoa salad (I should mention that this recipe came right off the bag of quinoa---how easy is that??).

Quinoa with Toasted Almonds and Cranberries
1 c. quinoa
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1 1/2 c. boiling water and cube of stock (I just used 2 c. veggie broth)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cinnamon stick (I subbed a dash of cinnamon)
1 bay leaf
1/2 c. dried cranberries

Over medium heat, toast the almonds until golden. Toss the quinoa in with the almonds and toast for a few minutes more. 

Start boiling all the other ingredients in a saucepan. Add the quinoa/almond toastiness into the nearly boiling liquid. 

Once at a boil, cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and eat!

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