Bacon Quinoa

It's bacon!! And quinoa. Quinoa is an awesome grain packed full of nutritious goodness. I've made southwest quinoa before and I find it's easy and you can put just about anything in it from veggies to meat and make it a complete meal. For this, I was looking for a side dish to my Mango Shrimp. Hubby is always asking "Can you add bacon to that?" so I did. He devoured it!

Bacon Quinoa Ingredients

1/3 cup slivered almonds

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 teaspoons coconut oil, divided

4 slices bacon cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 small shallot, sliced

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

2 cups chicken stock

1/4 tsp sage 

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

In a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add the almonds and half the garlic. Stir and toast the almonds until golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside. 

 

Add the bacon  and the other half of the oil to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat until the fat has rendered, about 2 minutes. Add the shallot and the remaining garlic and cook, stirring a few times, until softened but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the quinoa, stock and sage and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the stock has been absorbed, about 17 minutes. 

After the liquid has been absorbed, fluff the quinoa with a fork. Stir in the parsley and toasted almonds. 

Season the quinoa with salt and pepper and serve.

For nutrition information, click the Magic button below