Quinoa and Freezer Department Disappointment

For a long time now, I have been hearing about the wonder grain quinoa (pronounced like keen-wah). Quinoa is actually the seed of a grain crop called goosefoot, or if you want to get technical - chenopodium. It is a great grain to eat if you are on a diet since it is not a heavy starch! I mostly have seen it used to stuff other foods such as bell peppers, or served under meat. Tonight I decided to finally use the box I bought. To be honest, I was SHOCKED at how expensive it was! I found it 30% off at a store I shop at and threw it in the cart - I mean really, at that price I just could not turn it down! Having never prepared it before, I pretty much had to wing it tonight. I was serving the quinoa along side steamed broccoli and lemon-butter fish fillets. I decided to go simple. I did manage to prepare more than I will ever be able to eat, but it will make for great leftovers for lunch this week! 

When I prepared my quinoa I simply added 1 small diced onion and 1 large chopped clove of garlic before the water started boiling!

Waiting for the quinoa to boil!

This is what the seeds look like when they are done cooking!  They will have also absorbed all of the water out of the pan.  They have a very silky texture when you eat them!

 A delicious and filling meal!

I do have to say that I was disappointed with the fish I made for dinner tonight, though.  I have a tight grocery budget, and don't buy fish that often.  My sister and I are not huge fans of seafood, so when she asked to have fish for dinner, I could not deny her!  I drove my cart past the fish counter for a few reasons: 1.) I hate the smell of the fish counter 2.) I hate waiting in the line at the counter in the gross fish smell 3.) It is EXPENSIVE, which I find ironic considering how close we live to the coast!  I made my way to the frozen foods section with high hopes.  I have always had reassuring experiences with both Mrs. Paul's and Gordon's fish products!  I scanned over the shelves in the freezer, and finally found grilled, flavored fish fillets.  PERFECT!  My sister was excited about the flavor, so in the cart they went. 

My excitement quickly turned to disappointment tonight when I took them out of the package.  The fillets were MINUSCULE!  I swear on my life, one of the fillets was literally 2 inches by 3 inches - and that is a generous measurement!  I ended up throwing some capers I had in the fridge on the fillets before I put them in the oven to add some extra flavor.  They were tasty, but I felt like there was barely any fish in the boxes!  

If this is something you want to make for dinner, I would recommend putting white fish fillets in a foil packet with lemon wedges, butter, and capers!  Cook it slow at 300 degrees or throw the foil packet on the grill on a low temperature!  DO NOT ADD SALT if you fish is an ocean dweller!  If it is a fresh water fish you can add a little salt!