Quinoa - anyone tried it?

AZIZAELLAZIZA

Yes, but I don't like it. I normally eat brown rice, barley or farro when I want whole grains.

jenilla1

I always thought quinoa was just OK, until today. For lunch I had some sort of cold quinoa salad with cilantro, lime, and a feta-like cheese. Not sure what else was in it, but it was pretty amazing.

Zara_Pi

So I bought some today. Bought a bag that contained red, black and white quinoa.

Here's what I did:
I cooked the quinoa in water as per the instructions on the packet.
Then i lightly fried half a red onion in a drop of olive oil, added some tinned red kidney beans, then added the cooked quinoa and some fresh spinach leaves.
This was served with foil cooked spicy salmon fillet and lots of steamed veg and salad.

And I must say I really enjoyed it.

Rebecca0224

I hate it because of the texture.

sgt1372

Quinoa fine. I can take it or leave it. It is more expensive than rice but easier to prepare. I eat on occasion as an alternative to rice, pasta or potatoes.

Gisel2015

Zara_Pi wrote: »

So I bought some today. Bought a bag that contained red, black and white quinoa.

Here's what I did:
I cooked the quinoa in water as per the instructions on the packet.
Then i lightly fried half a red onion in a drop of olive oil, added some tinned red kidney beans, then added the cooked quinoa and some fresh spinach leaves.
This was served with foil cooked spicy salmon fillet and lots of steamed veg and salad.

And I must say I really enjoyed it.

I usually cook the quinoa and also brown rice, with caramelized onions too. It tastes very good indeed. I have also added sweet peas, either canned or frozen and steamed. By adding additional veggies, I reduce the amount of quinoa and therefore the calories and carbs, if needed.
But like I posted before, I can't eat quinoa too often due to diverticulosis.

Natso29

pdxwine wrote: »

I love quinoa and farro.

Omg i just had farro for the first time, YUM! my husband was like what is this stuff is really good (he NEVER says that about healthy foods lol it made my weekend)

yayamom3

JohnnyPenso wrote: »

Been eating quinoa for a good decade now. Love it, far superior to rice in all ways for me. Haven't eaten rice at all since I discovered quinoa.

Agreed. I love how light and fluffy the texture is. I eat quinoa almost every day. I also love that it's so easy to prepare. I've found the cheapest place for me to buy it is at Costco.

peleroja

I'm going to be that person and suggest that, if you buy quinoa, to make certain it's fair trade. It is a staple crop in the Andes (especially Bolivia) and its popularity over the past several years in North America/Europe has been disastrous for a lot of people in South America, as the price has risen sharply and a lot of the people who used to rely on quinoa as a major part of their diets can no longer afford to eat it themselves, which has had a lot of negative impact on health and well-being among the people of the Andes.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/16/vegans-stomach-unpalatable-truth-quinoa
http://www.stanforddaily.com/2016/05/24/potential-ethical-ramifications-of-the-quinoa-craze/
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/the-more-you-love-quinoa-the-more-you-hurt-peruvians-and-bolivians/article7409637/

(and one to counter these pieces in the interests of fairness, which states that economically in the short-term it hasn't been as problematic as people feared but that long-term environmental issues are coming as a result)
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/03/31/472453674/your-quinoa-habit-really-did-help-perus-poor-but-theres-trouble-ahead

I understand that there are ethical implications to nearly everything we eat and slapping a "fair trade certified" label on something isn't a guarantee that it's helping people, but it's kind of a pet issue of mine since visiting the region, so...presented for your information, anyway.