I have tried to cook quinoa many ways, but never as a risotto.  The inspiration for this recipe came from a recipe I found in Epicurious.com. (They have some great quinoa recipes!)   I made a few changes to it to spice it up a bit and I think the results were pretty good!  This is not my healthiest quinoa recipe but the indulgence is well worth it to me. (Goat cheese has got to be one of my all time favorite foods – YUM!)  Try it out and let me know what you think!

Quinoa Goat Cheese Risotto

1 ½ cup quinoa

1 T olive oil

1 T Butter

1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

3 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)

½ cup white wine

1 lb spinach

4 oz goat cheese

Parmesan, parsley and lemon zest for garnish

Directions

1. Rinse quinoa in a fine metal sieve until your water turns clear.
2. Spray a skillet with cooking spray.  Sauté spinach until tender. Set aside.
3. Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion and sauté until tender.  Add garlic and cook for one minute.
4. Add quinoa, wine and cayenne pepper.  Cook until the wine is almost evaporated, stirring frequently.
5. Add enough broth to cover quinoa.  Simmer uncovered over medium low heat.  Add broth as the liquid absorbs and stir frequently.  Cooking quinoa will take about 15 minutes
6. Stir in spinach in last two minutes of cooking.
7. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper and 3 ounces of the goat cheese.  Stir.
8. Crumble remaining goat cheese, parsley, lemon zest and parmesan over the quinoa.