talk to me about quinoa

cbcarden · January 2013

H and I have been trying to eat healthy. We live in the south, and I had never even heard of quinoa until here and pinterest. Can someone compare it to something or give me some recipes they use it in?

Sept07b2b · January 2013

It's kind of like couscous. They are very different foods, but in terms of size, texture, etc., they are pretty similar.

2chatter · January 2013

Kind of grits texture. The little seeds open up and turn into these little spirals, I like the way it looks. I make it with chicken broth, but all of a sudden DS won't eat it. I was adding it to purees before he started to figure out how to chew mashed table foods or when we were eating something like pizza for dinner.

Jchirico · January 2013

It's amazing! DH and I (and now Alex) eat it at least a couple of times a week. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but its the only non animal source of a pure protein. Like, peanuts, for example, have protein, but you'd have to eat them with something else in order to get all 7 parts of a protein for your body. We eat vegetarian most of the time (mainly for environmental reasons) so it's great that way. But most importantly, its like eating a carb, but not, because its technically a berry (I think!), and like I said, its got protein. You do make it like rice (2 parts liquid, I usually use half water and half broth) to one part quinoa. Bring it all to a boil, then simmer about 20 mins till all the liquid is gone). Its great because if you let it go a bit too long, its fine, not like pasta, that would be ruined if overcooked by 5 mins.... What I really like though, is that you can make a whole bunch, then use it hot like rice one night, then cold in a salad another night. There's tons of recipes out there for cold quinoa salads. I all like the book Quinoa 365 and Quinoa Revolution (just came out).

ETA: I just read my post, and no, I don't work for a quinoa company, lol. I just really like it

christinak22 · January 2013

I'm not all about it, but try to make it at least a few times a month because it's so good for you. It is a lot like grits texture, like pp said, but a bit crunchier, maybe? And not at all the same flavor--more nutty.

I like to add cheese and some seasoning to it. Or mix it up with a bunch of small-chopped vegetables or steamed spinach.

Shawnee11507 · January 2013

We like it, including DS. We usually mix it up with some veggies like a pilaf. It is a complete protein and is also gluten-free.

Just make sure you rinse it before cooking. It has a waxy protective coating that leaves a bitter taste if you don't rinse it off well. It has a mild, nutty flavor and tends to take on the flavors of the food it's cooked or served with.

To cook- use two parts liquid to one part quinoa. Bring the quinoa to a boil using a medium saucepan, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the grains are translucent and the germ has spiraled out from each grain. It has a crunchy texture when cooked for about 10 minutes and a soft and chewy texture when cooked for about 15 minutes. Quinoa tastes great in soups, stews, casseroles, stir fries and even cold in salads.

Mar5195 · January 2013

I love it! I cook mine in a rice cooker.

Feed it to the kiddo. When I'm cooking it for lunch/dinner I use chicken broth for the cooking liquid. I sautee veggies and mix them in with it. Throw a little parmesean on it.

I haven't eatten it cold yet but I've been pinning some recipes to try out.

I'm a long distance runner, so I eat it for bfast (I run in the a.m.) sort of like an oatmeal. I cook it with water then mix in 1/2 and 1/2 and some cinnamon. It's yummy!

footnotegirl · January 2013

My favorite quinoa recipe goes a little something like this:

1/2 cup quinoa.

1 cup chunky-but-wet salsa.

1/2 cup water or chicken broth.

1 can green chilies

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 onion sliced roughly

1 each green and red pepper, sliced into strips.

1/2 TBSP vegetable oil.

Put oil in large skillet (I actually use a wok) on medium high, add onions and green and red peppers, saute for a few minutes until softened. Push veggies to the sides, pour in the rinsed, drained quinoa, let 'toast' for a minute or so, then pour in the salsa and water/broth, stir while heating to boiling, then reduce heat to simmer, cover, and leave for ten minutes. Open, stir, add chilies and black beans (and/or corn, chopped tomatoes, chopped cooked chicken, taco seasoning or chili seasoning or just chipotle powder). Stir, cover, wait 5 - 10 minutes, remove from heat.

Makes a great taco filling, chip dip, main course, etc. Also wonderful served with slices of avocado, sprinkling of cheddar cheese, etc.

Want a personalized experience?

talk to me about quinoa

Re: talk to me about quinoa

Choose Another Board

Search Boards