Is this not the most beautiful grain you've ever seen? It was almost too pretty to eat. I'd never heard of red quinoa before, which meant it was a splurge purchase at Trader Joe's where our budget always seems to go out the window.

The box said you could cook the quinoa in the microwave. Uh, yeah, that didn't work. My next option was to try the rice cooker. That worked really well and really quickly because it had already partially cooked in the microwave.

I think I found a recipe for a vinaigrette over green beans and quinoa on Food Network, but I can't for the life of me find it now. Anyway, I had some toasted squash seeds in the pantry and added that in. . .and we promptly picked them all out.

Was it just the vibrant color or did this quinoa have a fabulously better taste than the regular quinoa I use? Or maybe it's just cause it was Trader Joe's.

I'm not done with the box, yet. I suspect I'll be using it up at Thanksgiving. But I'm going to already be keeping my eyes pealed during our upcoming travels to stock up on more of this gorgeous ingredient. I'll let you know the cost when I find it again. (It's hard to keep all your receipts in your suitcase.)