The word I'm about to say is going to cause mayhem. Some of you will stick around, but others (you know who you are) will run screaming for the hills. I'm afraid to even say this word. The blog might explode. Dinosaurs might take over the earth. Snookie might show up for coffee.
The word is quinoa.
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Is anyone still here?
I'm eating a lot of red quinoa these days. I can't help it. I cook up a big batch and let it linger in a giant glass container in the fridge. Every morning I scoop some into a cereal bowl, splash it with skim milk, sprinkle it with toasted pecans, cinnamon, brown sugar, and cardamom, and then nuke the bejeezus out of it until it spits forth hot, steamy plumes. Then I sit down and watch the rain try to swallow my house.
(The whole red quinoa porridge idea was Heidi's. Go yell at her.)
Then last night I set out to make chicken sausage meatballs, but instead of breadcrumbs, which I find boring and dry, I dumped in a generous mound of red, cooked, straight-from-the-fridge quinoa. With all the sausage and Parmesan, I figured no one would even notice.
And they didn't, which made me feel kind of sad for the quinoa, because now perfectly normal people will continue to avoid it, and snicker behind its back.
Poor quinoa.
Poor, poor quinoa.
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Recipe for Chicken Italian Sausage Meatballs with red quinoa
You can buy red quinoa at Whole Foods in the bulk aisle. To prepare, first rinse it very well in a fine-mesh strainer, then place in a medium sauce pot, cover by an inch or two with cold water, bring to a boil, and boil gently for 12-15 minutes. Drain. When it cools, store in the fridge for quick morning porridges or meatball making.
Makes 25 meatballs
1 pound chicken Italian sausages (I used sweet ones, but you can use hot)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup cooked red quinoa
Your favorite marinara sauce, for serving (from a jar is fine)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray and set aside.
If your sausage has casings (mine did), slit them and force the gooey meat into a large mixing bowl. Add the cheese, egg, and cooked quinoa, and stir well with a fork to combine.
Set a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Coat with cooking spray. Portion the meatball mixture using a 1-1/2" scoop and drop about half of the balls into the hot skillet. (Do not crowd.) Brown deeply on all sides. Using tongs, carefully remove to the greased broiler pan. Repeat with the second batch.
Place the meatballs in the hot oven and cook for about 16 to 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are dark brown and cooked through but still juicy inside.
I served these on little skewers with some marinara (from a jar!) for dipping. They really don't require pasta, and I do not say those words lightly.
