Quinoa and Ground Turkey Skillet Meal

Ever heard of quinoa? Maybe you have heard of this rice-like whole grain, but never tried it. Quinoa is an excellent food of choice for vegetarians or anyone who desires to eat healthy. Quinoa is packed with the typical whole grain nutrients, but my favorite is protein! For approximately one serving of cooked quinoa you get about 10 grams of protein. Now, this seedy grain is not the cheapest, but by far the easiest and most versatile grain to cook with. Here is a recipe we love courtesy of this blog below (I added some of my own variations to the original recipe):

http://debbidoesdinnerhealthy.blogspot.com/2011/03/mexican-ground-turkey-quinoa-skillet.html

1 lb of ground turkey
olive oil (to help brown turkey)
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of black beans (drained, then rinsed)
1 can of corn
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 can green chilies
1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 c water
Salt to taste

Brown turkey in a little olive oil (I like to add salt during this process), add onion and garlic to sauté. Add all spices, stir, then add quinoa and I let the seeds brown just a little, then add all cans of veggies (you can also use frozen corn) and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, covered for 20 minutes.

This is such an easy skillet meal! We have also used chopped chipotle peppers for a nice spicy/smoky flavor and added mushrooms. I've even used ranch seasoning (dry package). You could experiment with this and use different variations of spices. Here is a quick tip, omit all spices listed above and use a pack of taco seasoning mix instead! Let me know what you think about this recipe.