quinona ryder

A few months ago I went to my primary care physician for my annual physical. Woo. Normally not something you look forward to, or expect to be humored by, but this most recent trip proved to be different. My PCP is an exceptionally engaging and chatty doctor, who actually makes these visits fun. Fun, I tell you. And here is the most recent example of why.

[Important to the story: the word quinoa is pronounced kee-n’wah]

Dr: Katie, how are you nutrition-wise?

Katie: Great! I’ve been eating much healthier and trying new foods, like barley, quinoa…

Dr: (cuts in excitedly) … QUINOA! I love that stuff. My wife makes it a lot (she’s a great cook) and she does amazing stuff with it. The first time she showed it to me, I looked at the box and I pronounced it: Kwhy-no-nah. I ran around calling it Quinona Ryder all night until my wife got fed up and showed me the phonetic spelling on the box!

Hopefully Winona Ryder isn’t out there somewhere being all offended, but I thought it was a great story – and it made that doctor’s visit priceless. I’m hooked on quinoa and I can’t tell if it’s because it really is delicious, healthy, versatile, etc. – or if it’s because I laugh every time, thinking about Quinona Ryder. I guess we’ll never know.

Dinner tonight clearly featured the beloved grain…

Tomato, Black Bean, Quinoa Salad

• 2 cups quinoa
• 4 cups water
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1-2 tbs olive oil
• 1 (small container) fat free sour cream
• 1 lime
• Salt & pepper to taste

Add quinoa and water to pot – bring to a boil and then reduce to low heat. Simmer for 10-12 minutes (until water is gone) with cover on. Slice cherry tomatoes, zest lime, and rinse black beans. When the quinoa has finished cooking add the tomatoes, lime zest and beans. Add the juice of the lime, salt and pepper to taste, and mix well. In total, this recipe took about 25 minutes from start to finish! Add a dollop of sour cream at the end to garnish.

Serves 4.