Quinoa Vegetable Wraps

Is that queena?

...said the husband when I showed him what I had packed him for lunch. Yup, we're turning over a new leaf up in here.

This was my first time making quinoa (pronounced 'keen-wa'), and boy did I outdo myself! It's actually very simple to make. The key is adding flavor to it so it will actually taste like something.

These wraps are delicious! But don't take my word for it, try them yourself:

So you're going to need to do some chopping and what not. Mince your red onion as small as you can get it, especially if you don't like biting into big pieces of raw onion. Dice up your bell pepper (by the way, red bell pepper would look and taste great in these wraps. I used green because that's what I had in the refrigerator). Chop your parsley. Dried parsley can be substituted for the fresh. Juice your lemon (or be like me and just use the bottled stuff).

Okay now, I got a little fancy with my carrots. You like? I used a vegetable peeler to peel them into these gorgeous little strings. But you can just grate them or even buy the grated kind. A carrot is a carrot.

Now rinse your quinoa and add it to 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on low for about 20 minutes. Taste it. If it's tender and there's no water in the pot, you did it. You cooked queena.

Transfer the quinoa to a bowl and let it cool for a few minutes. Then add the olive oil, lemon juice, red onion, bell pepper and parsley and give it a good mixing. Now taste it and add salt and pepper to your liking. Try to not start devouring it by the spoonful at this step. Because it's that good.

Now it's time to build the wraps. Spread the hummus on the tortilla, then the quinoa, then the spinach, carrots and sun-dried tomatoes. Be careful not to over-stuff it because you still have to fold it into a burrito. I used soft taco-sized tortillas, but you can use the bigger burrito-sized tortillas for a bigger wrap.

And you're finished! Enjoy!

Quinoa Vegetable Wraps

Yield: 8 small wraps (soft taco-sized), or 4 big wraps

For the Quinoa:

1 Cup quinoa, uncooked, rinsed

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 Tablespoon red onion, minced

3 Tablespoons bell pepper, diced

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried)

Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Wraps:

8 whole wheat tortillas (soft taco-sized), or 4 burrito-sized tortillas

1 Cup hummus (I use roasted garlic flavored)

2 Cups fresh spinach leaves

2 Cups carrots, shredded

1/2 Cup sun-dried tomatoes

Prepare the Quinoa:

Bring the quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Fluff it and set it aside to cool. Once cooled, transfer to a bowl and stir in the olive oil, lemon juice, red onion, bell pepper, fresh parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble the Wraps:

Spread each tortilla with hummus. Spread the prepared quinoa over the hummus. Add the spinach, carrots and sun-dried tomatoes. Fold the two ends in and tightly roll the wrap. Boom.

So, how did you like your Quinoa Vegetable Wraps? Are you a vegetarian? Are you trying to eat more vegetarian meals? Please let me know in the Comments Section!