Avocado Stuffed with Quinoa

Ever since I came back from Peru a week ago I have been dying to make this dish known as Palta Rellena, or stuffed avocado in Spanish. It was commonly served in restaurants in Peru stuffed with various different salads such as chicken salad, vegetable salad, even shrimp salad. It quickly became one of my favorite dishes because I love avocado and because it seemed so ingenious to me.

Another favorite dish I enjoyed in Peru was quinoa salad. Often times it was served cold with some vegetables and cheese mixed in, but quinoa was also used as a thickener for soups and stews. Prior to my trip I had stumbled upon the fact that quinoa is actually native to the Andean region of South America and Peru is the world's largest producer of the "pseudocereal", meaning it is often thought of as a cereal or grain but it is actually a fruit related to beets. Knowing this, I was quite excited to try it when I arrived because back home I have only had it a couple of times. True, it is becoming more popular these days and my first encounter with it was just under a year ago when I made tomato spiced quinoa after being told to eat high-protein foods due to my surgery.

While still in Peru I decided that upon coming home I would combine these two dishes that I had come to love and making avocados stuffed with a quinoa salad. After making them for dinner tonight I realized two things: 1) the avocados in Peru are much larger and lend themselves to easier stuffing with more filling and 2) eating quinoa cold is so much better than warm.

Although my dish did not turn out exactly as I had imagined it, due to the small size of the avocados, I used the avocado shells and filled them with the quinoa salad as well. Since it was only my second time cooking quinoa I had to look up cooking instructions and upon closer examination I realized that I cooked it differently this time as compared to last, with a 1:2 quinoa to water ratio instead of 1:1.5 as I did last time. I think 1:2 worked better but I liked that last time the quinoa was cooked in tomato juices, giving it more flavor, rather than plain water. Next time I think I will try using a chicken or vegetable broth and see how that goes. Either way, I'm going to try using this "pseudocereal" more and experiment with different flavor combinations.

Avocado Stuffed with Quinoa
Note: The quinoa salad makes more than enough to stuff four to six avocado halves and their shells completely, depending on the size of the avocado.

• 4-6 avocados
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups water (can try substituting broth instead)
• 1/2 bell pepper, finely diced
• 1-2 mini cucumbers, finely diced
• 1/4 red onion, finely diced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/4-1/2 cup finely cubed cheese (I was going to use feta but we ran out so I used mozzarella instead)
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Optional: Splashes of red wine vinegar, chili flakes

1. In a medium pot bring the water to a boil. Stir in the quinoa then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed.
2. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes, still covered, then fluff with a fork and transfer to a large bowl.
3. Mix in the rest of the salad ingredients and toss to incorporate. Adjust the seasonings then cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour.
4. To prepare the avocados, squeeze some lemon juice into a small bowl of water. Cut each avocado in half and gently scoop out of the shell, keeping it intact. Dip into the lemon water to prevent the avocado from browning.
5. Once ready to serve, scoop the quinoa salad into the center of each avocado half and scoop additional salad into the shell. Plate each avocado half with its corresponding shell and enjoy!