Sweet Ginger Peach Tea Quinoa with Jalepeno, Peaches and Pecans #RecipeRedux

Is there anything better than a freshly made glass of ice cold tea on a hot day? Not really IMHO. One of my favorite go to teas is Ginger Peach Tea from Republic of Tea. It's subtle peach flavor is perfect for sipping on the patio on a hot summer day. We have paaalenty of those sort of days here in the Valley of the Sun.

Have you ever thought of using tea in your cooking or baking? To tell you the truth I hadn't ever really considered it as an option except for maybe this Green Tea Soup and this Miso Green Tea and Ginger Zucchini Noodle Soup. When the Recipe Redux team challenged us to come up with a recipe starring tea I had to rack my brain, then scour some of my favorite magazines for help.

I came across some surprising recipes using tea many of which I've bookmarked to make later. Some of my favorite's and most interesting are these Tea Smoked Chicken in a Wok by Jeanette's Healthy Living. Cooking Light's Green Tea Honey Cake is screaming summer back yard pool party as is this Vanilla Jasmine Sour Cream Tea Cake! I know I won't make it until Christmas without making these Chai Tea Cutout Cookies from Brianne at Cupcakes and Kale Chips.

I finally settled on making a sweet ginger peach tea bowl of quinoa using warm, ripe, juicy peaches and automatic toasted pecans for warmth. I added some chopped mint from our little herb garden to compliment the ginger peach flavors. I suppose this would be considered a side dish, perfect to bring to your next backyard potluck but I was content in sitting on the porch watching the kids play in the pool and eating  two  a big bowl of this.

recipe adapted from Southern Living Magazine May 2011

TIME    30 MINUTES        SERVES 4-6

2 cups sweetened Ginger Peach Tea {make strong}

1 cup uncooked quinoa (I used multi colored)

1 tablespoons coconut oil

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2  fresh peaches, peeled and diced {peaches are on the Top 10 must eat Organic least and only pennies more expensive when in season}

2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

1. Pre make 2 cups of Ginger Peach tea. Leave in pot {or pour from kettle into medium size stock pot}. Add 1 cup *pre-rinsed quinoa. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook on low for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. 
2. Meanwhile, melt coconut oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat; add pecans, and roast, stirring often, 5 to 7 minutes or until toasted and fragrant. Add jalapeno, and saute 1 minute. Transfer to quinoa bowl and toss to combine. Add chopped mint and mango and toss. 

Serve warm. 

notes 

Baked chicken would go good with this if you are a meat eater. However, I found this plenty flavorful and filling all on its own. 

Quinoa has a natural 'soapy' film on it and must be pre-rinsed in a fine mesh sieve. Most quinoa these days come pre-rinsed but I always rinse mine anyway. Nothing ruins a bowl of quinoa like a soapy flavor. 


The tea flavor was very, very subtly in this quinoa and while I couldn't pick it out amongst the quinoa's nutty flavor I did find that it added a bit of depth and interest to the dish. The original recipe called for white rice and I'm sure the tea would be more pronounced. 

   

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