Quinoa with Chard and Bacon

Mr. S and I went to the Ballard Farmer's Market on Sunday and got a big butch of chard. Mr. S was hesitant to try chard, so I wanted to cook it as deliciously as possible. I saw the recipe of Red Chard and Rice on foodnetwork.com from Rachael Ray and thought Mr. S would like it because it has BACON in it.

I changed the rice to quinoa to increase the fiber and protein of this dish.


Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 3 to 4 slices bacon, or 1 (1/8-inch thick) slice of speck, finely chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, grated
* 1 small bunch red chard, stemmed and chopped
* Freshly grated nutmeg
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika or sweet paprika
* 1 cup quinoa
* 1 3/4 cups chicken stock or water

Directions
Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a saucepot over medium heat. Add the bacon, cook 2 minutes, then add the garlic and stir 1 minute. Add the chard and season with a little nutmeg, salt, pepper, and paprika. When the chard is wilted add the quinoa and stir 1 minute more. Add the stock or water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook 15 to 18 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Fluff with a fork and serve.

*Recipe from food network.



We had the quinoa dish with tri-tip steak from the grass fed cow share that we ordered last year. I bought a bottle of steak marinate from the store and marinated it over night. Then I baked it for around 30 minutes and seared it on a grill pan. It was very tasty, but next time I will try to make the marinade myself.