Dirty Quinoa

In honor of Fat Tuesday yesterday, I wanted to make something fun & festive without totally splurging so I decided to make a variation on Louisiana Dirty Rice. This slimmed down, healthier version turned out great and will likely become a regular in our dinner repertoire.

Here's the recipe...

Ingredients

• 3 cups of cooked quinoa
• 1 cup of chopped bell peppers (all colors)
• 1 heart of celery chopped (the very inner part, leaves and all)
• 3 full green onions chopped (save the green part of 1 onion for garnish)
• 1 small (8.75 oz) can of corn
• 2 spicy sausages chopped into small pieces (I used Aidells chicken chorizo; the spicy smokey flavor worked nicely)
• olive oil for sautéing
• salt & pepper to taste
• paprika for garnish

Instructions

1.  Cook quinoa in a separate pan, per package instructions
2.  Sauté sausage, bell peppers, celery, corn and onions in a large fry pan for 5-7 mins or until peppers start to soften (medium heat)

3.  Add cooked quinoa to sauté mix and fold together

4.  Sauté everything together for another 5-7 minutes until everything is incorporated evenly
5.  Spoon into bowls, garnish with paprika and green onions, and enjoy!