Oh yum, chenopods for dinner

As I've mentioned in previous posts, our youngest son is a vegetarian.  It's been about a year now since he made the decision to go meatless.  Initially, I thought it was a fad that wouldn't last more than a month or two but I was clearly wrong.  A consequence of his decision is that our whole family eats less meat.  We haven't cut meat out completely, some meals he has to do his own thing with peanut butter or tofu, but we try to find dishes that work for all of us.  The reduction in meat has not gone unnoticed by our oldest boy, who happens to like meat very much.  On more than one occassion, he's looked down at his plate and then shot a glance of resentment his brother's way.

Recently, my wife found a recipe using Quinoa.  Quinoa is grain-like but not quite a grain.  It's actually a chenopod, which means little to me but I offer it here in case you are versed in such things.  It is very rich in protein and other healthy stuff.  We're always looking for ways to get protein into our little vegetarian so she decided to try this recipe.  The dish was billed as sort of a taco salad.  The Quinoa was mixed with some other vegetables and spices to make a taco filling.  This filling was to be served atop a bed of fresh spinach.  All very healthy.

As we sat down for dinner, I watched my wife put some spinach on my oldest son's plate and then scoop the Quinoa taco filling onto it.  The look on his face was one of utter disbelief.  When he wondered aloud if this was really dinner, my wife assured him that there was more.  The recipe also suggested topping the whole works with cilantro, feta cheese and avocado.  She offered these items but he declined.  He stared back at his plate briefly before glaring at his brother across the table.  "This is your fault", he muttered.

Neither boy ate very much dinner that night.  The vegetarian preferred just eating spinach and feta cheese.  In fact, that's what he brought to school for lunch the next day.  My wife and I enjoyed the salad, which was a good thing since there was plenty of it.  I wouldn't mind having it again but I doubt that's going to happen anytime soon.