There is a neat tea shop here in the city that makes quinoa with tea flavoring. It’s seriously crave worthy. We’ve had a little box of quinoa chilling out in the pantry for a good month or two. I finally decided to bust it out and try my hand at making some tea spiced quinoa— it paired perfectly with grilled veggies and balsamic grilled tofu. Perfect weekday lunch!
Tea Spiced Quinoa
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup water
1 cup veggie stock
4 black tea bags
1 cup quinoa- rinsed
Bring water and veggie stock to a boil. Add tea bags and remove from heat. Let tea bags brew for 5 minutes. Remove bags, squeezing to remove excess liquid, and bring mixture to a slow simmer. Stir in garlic powder, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Add quinoa, turn heat to low, and cook covered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cooked quinoa sit covered for 5 minutes before fluffing and serving.
Balsamic Grilled Tofu
3 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp honey
1 tbs Italian seasonings
1 package of extra firm tofu
Press and drain tofu for at least 20 minutes. Whisk together balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, honey, and seasonings in a small bowl. Slice pressed tofu into 1/4 inch slices and place in a ziplock bag. Pour marinade over tofu and refrigerate for at least an hour. Grill for 10 minutes until tops have grill marks and have firmed up.
Enjoy!
-Charlie
Thrifty Foodies 