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cooking with quinoa
UncleMac
Posts: 14,076 Member
I've only used quinoa a couple of times as a substitute for rice. The instructions said to rinse the quinoa thoroughly prior to cooking otherwise it can have a sharp or bitter flavour. I did the rinse each time. Today, my lunch buddy brought a chicken stir fry with quinoa. She did not rinse it prior to cooking... and I couldn't tell the difference.
Anyone have an idea about this rinse requirement?
Anyone have an idea about this rinse requirement?
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they say it's because it can taste bitter. some quinoas are pre rinsed. i never noticed that it tasted b itter either way.0
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The outer coating is the bitter part. And some people, like me, are not bothered by the so called bitterness -- certain not worth the effort to rinse. Anyway, most of the quinoa sold these days is pre-rinsed.
There is this: http://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/does-quinoa-need-to-be-rinsed-articleThe good news is that grain expert and cookbook author, and avid Instagrammer Maria Speck doesn't think rinsing is necessary.
"I almost never rinse my grains," Speck says. "I’ve been eating grains my whole life, and I’ve never seen such clean grains as the ones sold today."1 -
Thanks to you both! I'm glad I'm not the only one who can't tell the difference. I was thinking maybe I'm missing something... apparently not!0
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Never noticed a difference myself. I have forgotten to rinse and had no bitter taste. I do think most quinoa products are pre-rinsed anyway1
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My son looks at quinoa with a certain amount of suspicion... When he was a wee gaffer, his first nanny was Filipino so he developed a strong affinity for sticky rice...0
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My son looks at quinoa with a certain amount of suspicion... When he was a wee gaffer, his first nanny was Filipino so he developed a strong affinity for sticky rice...
I still look at it with suspicion. When my daughter still lived here, while going to school, she would cook it but I wouldn't eat it.0 -
It's good to try a variety of grains and quinoa appears to have decent nutritional value. I don't see a remarkable difference in flavour but my son does.My son looks at quinoa with a certain amount of suspicion... When he was a wee gaffer, his first nanny was Filipino so he developed a strong affinity for sticky rice...
I still look at it with suspicion. When my daughter still lived here, while going to school, she would cook it but I wouldn't eat it.0 -
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As always, I'm careful with the ingredients (except the icing) so it's actually pretty healthy too!
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Well it looks yummy. I love to bake and it's fun finding healthier alternatives to the things I grew up baking.1
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banana pecan loaf
4 bananas
2 eggs
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup oatmeal (I use Scottish oatmeal which is ground fine)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Pre-heat oven to 350f.
Mash the bananas, then mix in all other ingredients. I use a hand mixer to make sure everything blends and no lumps. It should end up as a thick batter. Either lightly oil or use baking parchment to line an 8"x 8" baking pan. Pour in the batter and then bake for appx 40 min or until top is nicely browned. I used off the shelf icing because I'm too lazy to make my own.0 -
Thanks UncleMac!0
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My grandmother was a great baker and had a banana cake she used to make with chocolate frosting that was to die for, so I may go with chocolate on top or inside.......saving it for an occasion though....
I just made a chocolate chip cheesecake for Mother's Day and left it at my daughter's after having a very small sliver.....LOL1 -
It's safer to leave the cheesecake if you're watching your weight.
On Mother's Day, I make maple apple crisp for the group and left the remains although it was disappearing pretty quickly...
I find baking therapeutic and cathartic whereas daily cooking is just kind of annoying. When I get dinner invites, instead of bringing a bottle of wine, I arrive with dessert... and my kids grew up eating my cookies instead of store-bought ones.0 -
It's safer to leave the cheesecake if you're watching your weight.
On Mother's Day, I make maple apple crisp for the group and left the remains although it was disappearing pretty quickly...
I find baking therapeutic and cathartic whereas daily cooking is just kind of annoying. When I get dinner invites, instead of bringing a bottle of wine, I arrive with dessert... and my kids grew up eating my cookies instead of store-bought ones.
Just like me...........I'm a decent cook and don't hate making meals but I love, love making desserts. Apple crisp is my favorite dessert and one that we can actually eat without worrying about our waistlines too much.
I'm in maintenance now so I'm trying not to drool over all the dessert ideas and get carried away and go back to square one!0 -
If you've never tried using maple syrup as a substitute for sugar in apple crisp, go for it... so delicious!!It's safer to leave the cheesecake if you're watching your weight.
On Mother's Day, I make maple apple crisp for the group and left the remains although it was disappearing pretty quickly...
I find baking therapeutic and cathartic whereas daily cooking is just kind of annoying. When I get dinner invites, instead of bringing a bottle of wine, I arrive with dessert... and my kids grew up eating my cookies instead of store-bought ones.
Just like me...........I'm a decent cook and don't hate making meals but I love, love making desserts. Apple crisp is my favorite dessert and one that we can actually eat without worrying about our waistlines too much.
I'm in maintenance now so I'm trying not to drool over all the dessert ideas and get carried away and go back to square one!
Maintenance is a fair distance away for me; around 40 lbs or so, in fact. In the past couple of years, my focus was more on flushing the drama out of my personal and professional life. As I'm making progress on both, I'm hoping I will also make progress on my fitness.
I'm currently 255 lbs; my start weight was 283lbs. For a while, I got as low as 249 lbs but then the divorce thing happened. I know the BMI isn't the best measure, especially for those of us who are built for power rather than speed... but 216 lbs at 5'11" is the BMI of 30 and the onset of the medical definition of obesity.
Although I'm lifting fairly heavy weights, I'm working on functional strength rather than body building. Can I strip enough body fat to reach dip below 215 lbs while maintaining solid muscle? I'm hoping so... My lowest adult weight was 180 lbs back in bootcamp at age 25. I gave up lifting whatsoever and was doing a ton of cardio work.0 -
I haven't used it in my apple crisp but will give it a try. I have some of the "pure" variety which should be good.
It sounds like you're doing fine and I think it's best to take your time and do things right without adding more stress to your life.
It took me nearly 3 years to get here and I'm still at the upper end of healthy BMI for my height. But like you said, BMI isn't the best measure anyway. I just know I feel good, and I feel strong, so that's good enough for me, especially at 66 years old. I feel better than I ever imagined I'd feel at this age.
I'm never going to be "thin" and I don't really care that much one way or another. At 5'7" I still weigh a hearty 155 lbs.............LOL, maybe I'm built for power too!0 -
I'm using waist/hip ratio as my indicator. You can't fit BMI numbers if you lift weights more than a cardio bunny.3
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Yup... that's me alright... a big bald cardiobunny...1
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Before we had the firehall gym I used to work out at the university gym every day with kids 1/3 my age. I told the guys at the hall I could walk in there naked and on fire and not get a second glance.0
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Tis the nature of the students... self-absorbed is the politest term.0
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I just found this thread...amused by cardiobunnies and naked & on fire...and that banana thing looks amazing!
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This thread is a bit bananas in and of itself... The banana & pecan loaf is very tasty and easy to make.Montepulciano wrote: »I just found this thread...amused by cardiobunnies and naked & on fire...and that banana thing looks amazing!0 -
I wouldn't mind being a cardio bunny if I could also be a badass weight lifter!1
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Hah, hubby would probably agree with the demon part, hehehe!
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DH prefers quinoa cold rather than hot, although I mix a little bit into the rice every so often.
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This discussion has been closed.