Quinoa with Goji Berries

You all know how much I love quinoa!  Said to be one of the three grains that’s a complete protein, it sprouts when it cooks.  Its mild buttery flavor takes on whatever personality you choose to give it.  So I vary this recipe endlessly….  When I have children coming over, I let them mix in what they want, and they love it!  What things?  Assorted veggies, nuts, dried fruits, olives.

This time we’ll add goji berries (aka wolfberries), which are new to me.  Grown in the Himalayas, China, Tibet, and India, they’ve been used in traditional Asian medicine for countless generations.  Some of the world's longest living people eat goji daily, and there are countless legends about how this tiny little red fruit conveys anti-aging properties.   Today we think it’s a nutritional powerhouse with antioxidant properties unlike other fruits we are used to eating.

Research from Harvard, recently published in the highly respected peer-reviewed Journal of Clinical Nutrition, has now proven that women who eat the most whole grains lose more weight and maintain that weight loss better than women who eat the least amount of whole grains.

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil.  Stir in quinoa, cover pot, simmer for 15 minutes.  Turn off flame and let pot sit covered for a bit.  When warm, add remaining ingredients.  Using a heat resistant rubber spatula and folding motions, mix everything.  Quinoa will be coated by dressing and goji berries will be dispersed throughout too.