I just discovered this stuff last night. It’s a sort of barley-like grain (actually a botanical fruit) that has high concentrations of proteins (including lysine) and vitamins (iron in particular.) I’m probably behind the curve here, but does anyone have any recipes or preparation methods/recommendations for this?
Stranger
i cook it with water and butter. can’t give you a recipe because i eyeball it. i love quinoa.
It’s a member of the spinach family, chenopodaceae; I tried it once and was quite disappointed by it - the seeds are just small, gritty and not particularly tasty (I thought). Best I could do was incorporate it into a lamb stew with other grains and pulses. I suppose you could grind it up and sneak it into hoummous (or even bread dough) without even noticing it was there, but I struggled in vain to find a way to make it both noticeable and palatable.
I ate a lot of quinoa back in my food-is-fuel days. I cooked it like rice and substituted it for rice in dishes like stir fry or curry. It was never very palatable unless heavily sauced, but in those days I was just trying to pack in enough calories/protein to get through the day.
Rinse it well before cooking.
Here’s a recipe I like: Cook 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock for 15 minutes. Once liquid is almost completely absorbed, throw in sauteed zucchini, sliced sun dried tomatoes, shredded parmesan and chopped fresh spinach. Cook for another minute or two and serve. Yummm!
More ideas: http://www.quinoa.net/Recipes/Grain/grain.html
and http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/cgi-bin/recipes/htsearch?words=quinoa
Truer words have never been spoken! The hull is bitter, so you really have to wash the quinoa well – I’ve found a couple of minutes under running water generally does the trick.
I don’t really do anything fancy, just use the quinoa generally as a substitute for rice. (Although I have a recipe for a mushroom asparagus stew served over quinoa that’s incredible – I think that recipe was the reason I first tried quinoa.)
I like quinoa, lots, and it’s my husband’s favorite whole grain. (It’s functionally a grain, so I calls it a grain. Botanists, feel free to flame me. 
) The “crunchy” texture is a bit startling when you’re expecting a grainlike “chewy” texture, but I really like it. And it’s a complete protein! What’s not to like?
The kind I buy (New Mexico Organic brand, I think—it comes in bulk at the grocery store) doesn’t need to be rinsed—at least, I don’t, and I’ve never noticed any bitterness.
I think its nutty taste and unique texture is best exploited in a stew with things that have some natural sweetness, like carrots, zucchini or sweet corn.
Cook some quinoa in a small covered saucepan, 1:2 ratio of grain to water, for 15 minutes. Sweat some garlic and onion in olive oil. Add spices if you like: ground cumin, coriander, chili powder. In a large, nonstick pot, saute your favorite veggies: carrots, celery, zucchini, sweet corn, taters, eggplant, green beans, bell peppers, mushrooms, chilis, peas, canned or fresh chopped tomatoes etc., etc., etc. (Add the faster-cooking vegetables later, naturally.) When the veggies are crisp-tender and the quinoa is done, combine them in the large pot. Add some water or broth to make the stew as thick or thin as you like (the quinoa won’t absorb much liquid at this point), and add some orgeno or other herbs. Simmer a few minutes to finish all the vegetables and mingle the flavors. Serve sprinkled with cheese (parmesan, cheddar, feta . . .) and/or (my favorite) toasted nuts (pine nuts, walnuts, crushed peanuts, etc.).