Quinoa: Love it, like it, hate it, never tried it?

Lemon Quinoa with Roasted Grapes & Walnuts

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 20 mins
Serves: 4

If you’ve never tried roasting grapes, this side dish is the perfect way to enjoy both the sweet and savory side of them.

Ingredients

1½ cups red seedless grapes
2 tablespoons honey, divided
1 cup cooked red quinoa
¼ cup almonds, roughly chopped
1-2 tablespoons feta
juice of ½ lemon
salt & pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Lay grapes on baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of honey, salt & pepper.
Roast grapes for about 15 minutes until they start to wrinkle and pop.
While grapes are roasting, combine quinoa, almonds and feta in a large bowl.

In a separate small bowl whisk together remaining tablespoon of honey & lemon juice.
Add roasted grapes to the bowl with quinoa and toss to combine.
Pour honey & lemon dressing on top and toss together.

Season with additional salt & pepper.
Serve warm or cold.

http://www.runningtothekitchen.com/2012/05/lemon-quinoa-with-roasted-grapes-walnuts/

Cheddar Quinoa bites

Prep time: 25 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 45 mins

Serves: 12 bites

Cheesy cheddar and corn Quinoa bites with a spicy yogurt dip.

Ingredients
Quinoa bites

½ cup uncooked red Quinoa
1 cup water
½ cup cheddar, grated
1 egg
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small shallot, minced
⅓ cup corn kernels (fresh or thawed from frozen)
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt & pepper

Dipping sauce
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon sriracha


Instructions
Quinoa bites

Rinse Quinoa then combine with water in a small sauce pan.
Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer until water is absorbed (about 20 minutes).
While Quinoa cooks, combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.
Add Quinoa to the bowl when finished cooking and combine all ingredients with clean hands.
Form mixture into golf ball sized balls (this will be messy but they should come together enough to form balls. If not, add a bit more breadcrumbs) and place on baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes.
If any of the balls have cracked while cooking, reshape them while still hot then let cool to harden.

Dipping sauce
Combine yogurt and sriracha in small bowl and stir together.

http://www.runningtothekitchen.com/2012/06/cheddar-quinoa-bites/

I love it. We usually use it with a veggie stir fry. I like to put some flavor in while its cooking (teriyaki sauce or different meat rub flavorings). This gives us some variety...especially since we use the quinoa as a cheap meat substitute (12 servings of quinoa costs the same as 1.5 servings of meat).

like it but its just so damn expensive in my neck of the woods (no Costco period and a Sam's club if they even carry it is too far away to justify a drive for quinoa)

Love it. My standard use is to roast a bunch of veggies, boil the quinoa in salty water, stir together, add some nuts.

Apparently if you let the quinoa steam by putting a lid on it, taking it off the heat and letting it sit for 10 minutes after you boil, it makes it very fluffy. Will try that next time. Also, washing the quinoa before hand improves the texture.

Thanks to the person who posted the tricolour quinoa - looks awesome...

I've had mixed experiences with it. I tried to make a quinoa version of stir-fry and it was a total bust. There are two recipes in particular, however, that have turned out really well.

This one, a quinoa version of Broccoli Rice Casserole: http://www.annies-eats.com/2012/09/17/cheesy-broccoli-quinoa-casserole/ is pretty good and makes excellent leftovers. I've only made it once, but next time I'll definitely add more salt and cayenne pepper, and perhaps use one of the chicken-flavored versions of quinoa.

This one, quinoa cakes and poached eggs: http://www.annies-eats.com/2011/12/05/quinoa-cakes-with-poached-eggs/ is just outstanding. Because of the egg, it doesn't really travel well, so I usually only make enough for the meal at hand. Poaching eggs is sometimes kind of a drag, but I imagine a fried egg (skip the butter, though, obviously) would make a nice substitute.

Both are so low-calorie that even when I have seconds I don't break the calorie bank, which is always a plus.

Oh, and this recipe is next on my list before I can't find watermelon until next summer: http://www.annies-eats.com/2012/06/20/quinoa-salad-with-watermelon-and-feta/

Thanks!

My friend makes....a to die for....mac n cheese with quinoa!

I use it as a tabouli base instead of boghul its gluten free:flowerforyou:

Love quinoa! I like red a little better. I use it to add flavor/substance to egg scrambles. It's also great for stuffing bell peppers too!

I am saving this so I can look later!