I think we are in agreement with quinoa so far: it is an upgrade from rice nutritionally (we all like upgrades on this website!), and it will absorb sauces...but, a more subtle approach is to infuse the quinoa with a sublime broth or your favorite stock and lay off the strong sauces and accompany it with some lovely grilled or sauteed goodies. IMHO it is a perfect food. Less is more.
Cheers.