Just what it says. I got some and now would like to know what to use it for.
Ha! I did the same thing but it was a little box. Never had it before. Made it tonight… I’m under whelmed. It doesn’t taste like anything and it’s annoying little things that get stuck in your teeth.
I’m thinking maybe I can save the rest for winter and use it for traction on the ice.
Easiest answer is to treat it like rice (or couscous). Cook it up, then toss it with some salad dressing and mix it with dried fruit and nuts. I like doing things like this:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Black-Bean-and-Tomato-Quinoa-238939
Other suggestions:
curried quinoa
http://www.quinoa-recipes.com/
Note that some times you need to rinse it first, check the package.
And you can usually get more flavour out of it if you “toast” it a bit by cooking it gently in a dry pan before adding liquid.
Quinoa, like rice, has very little flavor on its own, but it carries many flavors well. It works well in pilafs, stuffing or salads.
An easy, tasty quinoa salad is cooked quinoa, chopped dried apricots, dried cranberries, pearl onions (the canned or jarred kind, look for tiny ones) or sliced scallions, diced green and/or red pepper, chopped pecans and some raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing.
I use quinoa in meatloaf instead of whatever starch filler I might have used otherwise.
- 1/4 cup quinoa
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 large clove garlic, chopped
- 1 (20 ounce) package ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon water
- Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute; remove from heat to cool.
4. Stir the turkey, cooked quinoa, onions, tomato paste, hot sauce, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire, egg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. The mixture will be very moist. Shape into a loaf on a foil lined baking sheet. Combine the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Rub the paste over the top of the meatloaf.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 50 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Let the meatloaf cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Wish I could give credit but I don’t remember where I got this.
There was a really tasty and quick quinoa salad in the Sept 2010 issue of Cooking Light. It runs a little something like this:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup quinoa
1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp pepper
1 sliced peach - I used canned peaches with no problem, and chopped 'em into chunks
Directions:
Cook the quinoa in the water according to package directions. Cool slightly, then stir in remaining ingredients.
It’s a winner.
Mango Quinoa Salad
2 cups quinoa (cooked, at room temperature or cold)
1 mango, diced
1 cup cilantro, chopped (a handful size)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 red bell pepper, chopped
6 green onions, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Directions:
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 10 mins
1 In a small bowl, combine vinegar, oil and lime juice.
2 Combine everything else in a big bowl.
3 Drizzle liquid mixture over the salad, and toss until well combined.
4 Chill for about an hour.
Calories 383.4
Protein 13.5 g
I made this about a week ago. I didn’t not use cilantro or green onions cause…I don’t know I just didn’t feel like it. I used pretty much the whole box of quinoa and made a ton of it. We ate it as a side dish for dinner than two of us ate it for lunch the next day and I finished it off on the third day.
It’s a really filling, refreshing, healthy dish. I really liked it and I plan on making it again. There is also a recipe for quinoa with spinach, feta, and olives that I plan on making one of these days.
I love quinoa with all my heart.
Here’s my favorite recipe: quinoa, mango and black bean salad. I suggest you whisk the liquids separately because if the mango is super ripe it will have plenty of its own juices and you will need less of the dressing.
I always soak quinoa overnight - or at least for a few hours - before cooking. Shortens the cooking time, among other things. I love quinoa because I find, when cooked properly, it’s moister than other grains. The mango and black bean quinoa is a classic, and quinoa with baked eggplant, mango, and a lime and rice vinegar dressing is also excellent. If you like beets, cook and puree them with some cumin and olive oil, dice up some red pepper and red onion, and mix all together. Oh! Or make a lovely green quinoa with lightly cooked fresh favas, asparagus, green beans, and peas (cook each veg separately - blanching and then into ice water is the best way to keep them gorgeous and green, but not necessary) and a quick lemon and garlic dressing.
Cook it in chicken stock/broth instead of water, for starters.
Second cooking it in chicken broth or throwing in a bullion cube. Add diced onions and some garlic and it’s quite tasty.
Try cooking up two cups or so (and be sure to rinse it beforehand until the water runs clear) then adding a can of evaporated milk, a can of sweetened condensed milk, some raisins, some cinnamon, and maybe some brown sugar or honey if you want. Makes a pretty tasty rice pudding substitute.
Saute some carrots, onions and celery, add water and a veggie or chicken bouillon cube, add the quinoa, cook until done and liquid absorbed. Add a couple tablespoons of chevre (soft goat cheese), mix well.
Its fantastic - I probably make this twice a week.