Quinoa Pilaf With Tomato, Spinach & Pine Nuts (crockpot recipe)

1 cup quinoa
2 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 cups loosely packed baby spinach

1) Rinse quinoa thoroughly in cold water. Drain well.
2) In a large skillet, warm oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and broth and increase heat to high. Bring to a boil, then carefully transfer to slow cooker. Stir in quinoa and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low until most of the liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 2 hours.
3) Place pine nuts in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook, shaking skillet constantly, until pine nuts are light golden and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Immediately transfer to a bowl.
4) Remove slow cooker cover and stir in spinach and pine nuts. (If pilaf looks dry, add up to 1/2 cup more broth.) Cover and cook 15 minutes longer, or until the spinach has wilted completely. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Review: I had not realized this was a crockpot recipe, which eliminated the possibility of making this after work. I really prefer these dishes on the weekends, as it allows me to do other things while the meal cooks. However, this one involved more work than is typical. Wilting spinach is one of the easiest things to do, in a skillet. It's soooooo difficult in a crockpot!! It took some doing and I almost gave up. But, it eventually came together. This dish didn't have a strong flavor, so I added quite a bit of salt. It was hearty, but would have benefited from some garlic, and maybe some oregano.

Adapted from:

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/red-quinoa-pilaf-tomato-spinach-50400000116325/