Mexican Quinoa

My, my, it's been a while!

Of course, I had finals last week and have spent my time home either hanging out with my friend Mod or sleeping. Except Friday--we had a day-long tribute for my Grandpa at BU. It was absolutely incredible. People flew in from all over the world just for the day to give speeches on how Grandpa impacted their lives. I saw him in a new light, and my already immense respect for my grandpa rose even more. What a professor! So many people around the world would not have been doctors if it weren't for him, not to mention all the patients seen by these doctors and so on and so forth. His residents made a book of all their memories together and even wrote a song set to the tune of Can You Feel the Love Tonight. It had everyone in tears.

My dad gave a speech about Lebanon during the war and how my grandpa was a beacon of light amidst all the chaos. He really was a hero. He commanded authority while bombs were raining on Beirut and would calm everyone. Even when he and his family managed to get away from all the fighting, he went back to make sure everyone else was okay.

Mod coined a new term when we were talking about my Grandpa--WWAD? What Would Amal Do? I personally think it's the best thing to turn to in any situation. He was always so caring and kind to everyone--his smile discriminated against no one. His smile was what was talked about most on Friday...such a beautiful smile, full of light.

Anyway, on Thursday, my mama was way too tired to cook anything, so I asked myself...WWAD? Why, he'd make dinner for the family of course! Well, probably not make it, but he'd definitely eat it. "Absolutely!"

So, I cooked dinner while mama took a well-deserved nippity-nap. And what did I make? Mexican quinoa. I've made it 4 times in the last 2 weeks and it is absolutely amazing! I originally used the recipe from Closet Cooking but I've been improvising with it quite a bit since then.

Mexican Quinoa
adapted from Closet Cooking
Ingredients

• 2 small onions, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 c quinoa
• 3 c vegetable broth
• 1/2 c tomato puree
• 4oz. can diced green chiles
• 15oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 15oz. can refried beans
• cheese of choice
• cumin
• chipotle chili powder
• oregano
• dehydrated red bell pepper flakes
• cilantro

Instructions

1. Fry the onions in a bit of olive oil until tender. Add garlic and spices and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
2. Add quinoa, broth, tomato puree, black beans, chiles, refried beans, and s&p. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat, cover, simmer for 15 minutes until water has been absorbed.
4. Stir in cheese and cilantro.

And that's about it! It's a very simple recipe, quite adaptable too! I added chicken the other day for my siblings and they liked it. It's so....cheesy and delicious. It's awesome cause my stomach is getting better with cheese, too. I've been slowly reintroducing it to my system and so far, so good! Hopefully ice cream is next.

I don't really have much else to say so I'll just post more pics of quinoa, lolz.

......et cetera.

Anyway, it's getting late and I should go to bed. 9 more days until I leave for Lebanon, woo!!

Song of the Day-- September by Earth Wind and Fire. Mod and I were blasting this all day. The best!!

Recovery Link of the Day-- outcomes of eating disorders.

With a mouth full of quinoa,

Carina (hey that rhymes)