Quinoa

RockVixen

OK, I'm going to try and jump on the Quinoa band wagon. But I am completely clueless what to do with it. Do I use it instead of rice? How do I incorporate it into my daily menu? Just a heads up, I am all about quick and easy. If there are too many steps or it takes too long I usually don't give it a chance. It makes eating healthy and somewhat "clean" a bit difficult at times.

Other recent food experiments have been Greek yogurt, granola with flax seeds, and steel cut oats. Well the steel cut oats are at least in my cupboard. I will hopefully use them this weekend and make a healthy breakfast for my family. Baby steps

If you have steel cut oat, Greek yogurt, or flax seed tips those are welcome as well. The easier or more simple the recipe the better.

maaalloryy

I cook my quinoa in chicken broth usually. I love it. It can be used in the place of rice, on top of salads, anything really.
I've also cooked it in water, & then added a bit of spaghetti sauce to it for flavor. You could also mix it with your favorite veggies.

akgrl1020

I love ground flax sed. I will sprinkle it on a salad or toss some in a smoothie. You can put it in your oatmeal, too! Quinoa I personally prefer mixed in with brown rice. I just put it all in the rice steamer, together. Quick and painless, and healthy!

britt_fit

Bump...I'm curious to know this too!

Soupskin

Make a small batch with chicken broth in the microwave.

Once you try it, ideas will come to you.

jennyb31

I also cook it in chicken broth, it adds a good flavor. I use a great website for clean recipies it is thegraciouspantry.com. She has a ton of recipies for oats! My fav for yogurt and oats is topped with almonds and honey.

ShellyMacchi

there are some excellent quinoa recipes here in the recipes forum *S* worth a look!

bk2011

I've been inspired by this thread...will try quinoa too and cook it in some chicken broth!

srp2011

I love quinoa - I use it in place of rice - for a real quick meal I like to make up one of the frozen Contessa "On the Stove" stir fry meals, and cook the quinoa in water separately, then mix it altogether at the end (hint - it takes about 30 minutes to cook, so start it before the stir fry - 3/4 cup water to 3/4 cup quinoa, boil, then reduce heat and cover, stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan). For flax seed, I like to sprinkle it on salads.

jennajoehro

QUINOA: One of my favorite ways is to mix it with mushrooms, onions, diced tomatoes, a few sundried tomatoes, all sauteed in a bit of olive oil. Then throw a bit of Parmesan cheese on top.

FLAX: Grinding the seeds is the best way to release all of the nutrients. I've added it to cookie dough, muffin mix, pancake batter, and sprinkled seeds on top of pasta in place of cheese or sprinkle some in my oatmeal.

Good luck!

baisleac

Mmmm... Whole quinoa can definately be a substitute for rice, or cous cous, or noodles (if you don't mind the texture change); stuff you're putting other stuff over.

It can also be used instead of rice in rice pudding.

It's great (pre-cooked and cooled) sprinkled on salads or to add a little crunch to your chicken stuffing (use rice and quinoa instead of bread).

Quinoa flakes also make a great breakfast cereal (a la cream of wheat or oatmeal).

kayemme

i use quinoa in place of rice or sometimes i mix it with other vegetables for a "stir fry" sans fry. using some soup base instead of just water is really tasty.

also quinoa pasta is pretty good.

greek yogurt is not my favorite, but i have a feeling that baking with it would be AWESOME. i use yogurt in my baked goods to replace butter.

my favorite granola is organic blueberry & flax seed.... i put it on regular yogurt.

Peep_chic

I make it in a salad with kalamata olives, fetta cheese, crushed garlic, little olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt & pepper to taste.

Dean31

I've used quinoa and liked it. It has a light, nutty flavor and has more of a firm oats texture than rice, kind of like a blend of oats and rice. You cook it basically the same way as you would rice (or oats for that matter), and it is good served just as you would either of those items. It is quite versatile in that sense. A couple examples would be:

1) Cook as you would rice -add a little salt and perhaps a little margarine or butter if you'd like, and serve.

2) Cook as you would normally (basically like rice) -add a little milk, cinnamon, sugar, butter or margarine and serve (quinoa porridge)

Also, you can always jazz it up a bit by adding some fresh garlic and herbs, and bits of veggies and/or meat (this is a great way to use left-overs! Just chop them up a bit and throw them in the quinoa.

RockVixen

I love MFP! Thanks everyone!!! I really appreciate all of your help and expertise

cabbie461

Quinoa Fritters
Ingredients
•2/3 cup Quinoa
•1 1/3 cups water
•1/4 cup all purpose flour
•1/4 cup grated cheese
•3/4 teaspoon salt
•Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
•4 spring onions, white and light green parts, finely chopped
•1/2 bunch Italian parsley leaves, chopped
•1 egg, 1 egg yolk
•3/4 cup vegetable oil
•lemon wedges for garnish
•Red Salsa for serving
Preparation
Wash the quinoa and drain well. Place a small dry saucepan over high heat. Add the quinoa and toast, shaking and stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent scorching, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large saucepan and add the water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, until the water is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, flour, cheese, salt and pepper. Add the scallions, parsley, egg and egg yolk. Blend thoroughly with a mixing spoon until the mixture has the consistency of a soft dough. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Using two soup spoons, press the batter into egg-shaped ovals and gently slide into the hot oil. Fry until the bottoms are golden and brown, less than a minute. Turn and fry the second side until golden, less than 1 minute. Drain on paper towels and serve warm with lemon wedges and red salsa.

Nutritional Information
The quinoa seed is high in protein, calcium and iron, a relatively good source of vitamin E and several of the B vitamins. It contains an almost perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans. It is exceptionally high in lysine, cystine and methionine-amino acids typically low in other grains.


http://www.flannerys.com.au/recipes/post/quinoa-fritters

OK. Lose the salt. Any commercial salsa has enough in it. Lose the cooking oil and use spay on cooking oil in a hot skillet to brown and then finish off in the oven. Without the cooking oil and salt they are each around 130 calories with 19 grams of carbs. Use the label on the salsa to work out the rest.

LG61820

I have been looking for quinoa to experiment with. What section of the grocery store do you find it in?

Soupskin

It's with the pasta rice and grains. If you can find it in bulk, it's much cheaper.

canaussie

I LOVE Quinoa! This is my favorite recipe:

Quinoa, Avocado and Mango salad

1 C Quinoa (red or white)
2 C Reduced Sodium Chicken broth
1 Mango, Chopped
1/4 C Cilantro, chopped
2 T Chives, chopped
4T Shallots, chopped
1/2 Avocado, chopped
1 T olive oil
Juice of 1 lime

Cook the quinoa in the chicken broth as you would cook rice. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temp. Mix in with all other ingredients and voila! SO YUMMY!

Serves 4
Cals: 287
Carb: 47
Fat: 9
Protein: 8

Pebble321

I've seen at my local market/bulk food store but didn't know where to start.
Can I cook it in the rice cooker? How much water vs quinoa?
thanks!

TamDTam

I've seen at my local market/bulk food store but didn't know where to start.
Can I cook it in the rice cooker? How much water vs quinoa?
thanks!

2 parts water ( or ther liquid) to 1 part quinoa

I use it instead of gri6ts for breakfast or in the place of pasta for dinner.... my pickiest child did NOT complain....

I used 1 cup of water, 1 cup of chicken broth the last time I made it... 2 cups of chicken broth was too much sodium for my liking...