Quinoa Jeuvos Rancheros

Mmmm... Quinoa. Where were you for the first 28 years of my life? GGC introduced me to you last year, and I've never looked back. Rice and couscous - I'm sorry, but you're dead to me. It's just the way life goes!

Quinoa:
Tastes AWESOME.
Is super versatile.
Is gluten free.
Supplies complete protein (it includes all 9 essential amino acids)

There are about a gazillion other benefits (how's that for specificity?), and you can read about them here.

Oak mentioned quinoa in her post this week, and Amanda threw in her own recipe in the comments. This inspired me to share my own recipe (can I call it my own if it's actually an adaptation from GGC?)? I like the way Ky (Two Pretzels) puts it -

I subscribe to the notion that if I cook/bake/assemble a recipe at least once I can claim it to be my recipe.

Amen, sister. :-)


SO, without further ado, here is my low cal version of GGC's quinuevos rancheros.

Ingredients:
1/4 c. Quinoa (white or red, whichever you prefer)
1 Egg
1.5 oz Avocado
3 Tbsp. Salsa
Sprinkle of shredded cheese
Cilantro (fresh if you have it!), Salt, & Pepper to taste


Without the cheese, this dish is just under 350 calories - if you prefer, you can add in some cheese. I love cheese, so when I'm not trying to lose weight, I always sprinkle on whatever cheese I have in the fridge!


Preparation:
1) Cook up the quinoa according to package directions. Some comes pre-washed, some does not. If it does not come pre-washed, you MUST wash it in cold water before cooking. I usually cook up a cup or two at a time and store it in my fridge because I use this in so many dishes. If you do that, then this entire breakfast will take five minutes to assemble. 
2) Cook up your egg - I prefer mine over easy, but you can do scrambled or whatever you'd like!
3) Top heated up quinoa with the egg and immediately sprinkle some cheese so it melts a bit. Add slices of avocado, spoonfuls of fresh salsa, and whatever seasoning strikes your fancy (I try to use fresh cilantro and some S&P). 


Serve immediately - this dish is best while piping hot! 

When I cook this for my hubby, I'll use a little extra quinoa and two eggs, which makes it around 450 calories. He loves it!

                       Calories   -       Carbs -        Fat -    Protein

Per Dish:       345                 42                        15g               14g