Wave 1 - Quinoa Squash Pilaf
 

Another one from Light & Tasty magazine from Feb/March 06. I haven't tried this one either so let me know what you think!

Quinoa Squash Pilaf

Yield: 8 servings (3/4 cup each)

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can vegetable broth
1/4 cup water
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 medium yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 cup chopped leeks (white portion only)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large tomato, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups baby spinach, chopped

In a large nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, toast the quinoa over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

In a small saucepan, bring broth and water to a boil. Add quinoa. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed; set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, saute the zucchini, yellow squash, leeks and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the tomato, cilantro, seasonings, and quinoa; heat through. Add spinach; cook and stir until spinach is wilted.

Nutritional information per serving:
126 calories, 3 g fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 377 mg sodium, 21g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 5g protein.
Diabetic exchanges: 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 fat.

Was there any nutritional data included with the recipe?

Also, don't know if you've ever cooked leeks but they are a lot of work.

Yep, there was - I'll add it in a few minutes.

I have cooked with leeks several times in the past, but don't see them any more work than any other vegetable.

I recall a lot of washing to get sand out?

I don't usually have too much problem with a lot of sand in my leeks. But what I do for that is cut them in half lengthwise and trim the end off, then rinse - that way you can rinse in all the various layers. And run the water from the cut end down.

Hope that helps!

If you go ahead and chop the leeks before you wash them, and then put them in a big bowl of cold water, the sand will sink to the bottom. Not too difficult!