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Cilantro Lime Quinoa
$2.62 Recipe/$0.66 Serving
Cilantro lime quinoa is a quick and easy side dish and pairs perfectly with Mexican inspired meals. This healthy side dish can be made on the stove or in the instant pot in about 20 minutes with just 5 ingredients.
Add the quinoa and water to the instant pot or the pot. (1.5 cups to instant pot, 2 cup to pot).
Set the instant pot to high pressure, cook 1 minute. For the stove, bring the quinoa and water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, turn down to low, put the lid on (slightly ajar to allow some steam to escape) and cook 15 minutes.
Once the instant pot has come to pressure and cooked 1 minute, allow to naturally release pressure 10 minutes then manually release.
Chop cilantro while waiting for quinoa to cook.
Fluff quinoa with a fork. Add the lime juice, salt, garlic powder and chopped cilantro. Stir well and serve immediately or at room temperature.
Notes
Top tips
Be sure to rinse the quinoa well - quinoa is coated in a sour/soapy tasting coating call saponin that needs to be rinsed off. Even if quinoa says it was rinsed, I typically rinse it again just to be sure.
Easiest way to cook quinoa is in the instant pot - this way you don’t have to worry about the pot boiling over and it's ready at the same time.
Make the quinoa even more flavorful by using vegetable broth or chicken broth instead of water.
Time saving tip: You can cook quinoa in advance and reheat on the stove in a large skillet over medium heat with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Once warm, add the rest of the ingredients. If you plan on making a large batch of quinoa during meal prep, know that 1 cup dry quinoa makes about 3 cups of cooked quinoa.
Storing leftovers
Fridge: Store in the fridge for 5 days, in a well-sealed container.
Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months. Depending on how you will be using the leftovers, you can freeze the leftover quinoa in ½, 1 or 2 cup servings using Soupercubes. Once frozen, you pop the frozen quinoa from the silicone molds and transfer them to a freezer safe bag. Be sure to label the bag with the name, date and use by date.
Reheat on the stove (medium low heat with 1-2 tablespoons of water) and a lid or in the microwave 1-2 minutes. If frozen, allow to defrost in the fridge or on the counter for 30 minutes before reheating.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
164
Fat
3
g
Carbohydrates
30
g
Fiber
4
g
Sugar
1
g
Protein
6
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
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