Quinoa Gorgonzola Cheese Risotto
Earlier this year I realized that I’ve never tried quinoa. I have friends who swear by it and calls it the “wonder grain,” and others who are grossed out by how it emerges from it’s shell.
So while I was at Whole Foods looking for tasty grain and legume options to incorporate into our meal, I decided to pick up a small bag of quinoa for the experimenting.
After a search on Google for some quinoa recipes I discovered this Quinoa Goat Cheese Risotto by Cooking Quinoa. What a terrific recipe to try quinoa for the first time, because the grain doesn’t come out dry and crunching like it can in many other recipes.
And though the goat cheese rendition is quite tasty, I’ve switched it out for gorgonzola cheese, to give it a bit of a tart kick. Either cheese choices are excellent.
I’ve had problems (perhaps lack of patience) making risotto before with rice, however this recipe is super easy — it just takes time. So be sure to plan for cooking to liquid down to a nice creamy texture.
Quinoa Gorgonzola Cheese Risotto
- 1 ½ cup quinoa
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 T Butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 lb spinach
- 4 oz gorgonzola cheese
- Parmesan, parsley and lemon zest for garnish
Directions
- Rinse quinoa in a fine metal sieve until your water turns clear.
- Spray a skillet with cooking spray. Sauté spinach until tender. Set aside.
- Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender. Add garlic and cook for one minute.
- Add quinoa, wine and cayenne pepper. Cook until the wine is almost evaporated, stirring frequently.
- Add enough broth to cover quinoa. Simmer uncovered over medium low heat. Add broth as the liquid absorbs and stir frequently. Cooking quinoa will take about 15 minutes
- Stir in spinach in last two minutes of cooking.
- Remove from heat and add salt, pepper and 3 ounces of the goat cheese. Stir.
- Crumble remaining goat cheese, parsley, lemon zest and parmesan over the quinoa.
The Hip Vegetarian 