Opera Singer in the Kitchen: Secret Recipe Club: Cheesy Quinoa Pilaf with Swiss Chard

I love being a part of The Secret Recipe Club cause every month I get to discover new recipes and new bloggers who like baking and cooking.

This past weekend we visited an area Farmer's Market where I bought fresh green lettuce and swiss chard. OH my the swiss chard was gorgeous I simply had to buy it even though I did not know what I was going to do with it yet.

This month I was assigned to IlonasKitchen and one I learned is that she keeps as busy as I do! She loves to bake and workout and she features a lot of delicious and healthy recipes. It was REAL hard to choose between dessert or a main dish so I decided to feature a savory dish.

I decided to make her recipe for Cheesy Quinoa Pilaf with Spinach which totally called my name out cause anything with quinoa sells me. I knew that I was going to make this for myself because my husband does not like this grain. He thinks they look like little spaceships and he certainly does not like the flavor. :-)

Did you know that quinoa is a complete protein and a super healthy for you. This is a SUPER quick and easy lunch or side dish that will sell ANYONE on this grain. I made my husband taste it and though he did not prefer it he said it tasted pretty good.

It tasted out of this world good!

Instead of the spinach I added the fresh swiss chard from the Farmer's Market and I added red onion for more flavor. I cut the amount of cheese as well. Wow, this had SO much flavor and it tasted real gourmet.

Thanks IlonasKitchen for featuring a great recipe and I might end up making that Couscous with Swiss Chard, Raisins, chicken, and Feta this week. Yum!
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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients (2 servings)

1 cup quinoa, uncooked
3 Tablespoons olive oil
6 Tablespoons pine nuts
1 small red onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups fresh swiss chard leaves, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Rinse the quinoa. Place quinoa in a medium pot and add 2 1/2 cups water. Boil for 20 minutes until the quinoa has popped or water has evaporated. Leave it on the side after cooking.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, stir in the pine nuts, and cook until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the red onions and garlic, and cook until the garlic and red onions softens, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the quinoa and swiss chard; cook and stir until the quinoa is hot, and the swiss chard has wilted. Stir in the lemon juice, and all but a pinch of the cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted. Serve sprinkled with the remaining cheese.