Quinoa - What's The Deal?

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Event_Horizon975
Event_Horizon975 Posts: 226 Member
in Food and Nutrition
It's not that I don't like quinoa, it's just that I don't really get it. :indifferent: So far, I've tried organic quinoa from Trader Joes and while it's tasty(ISH) & versatile enough, it seems pretty high in calories for what you get. :ohwell: Every time I log my paltry 1/4 cup, I'm mad I just spent that many cals on it! :grumble:

Am I alone in this thinking? Am I missing something here? Admittedly, I've mainly tried it as a side dish and the one time I tried to stretch it out with veg, it tasted awful (I'm not the best cook on the planet). Any ideas? Any better (lower cal) brands that you use?
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  • Slulik
    Slulik Posts: 79 Member
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    The big reason is its gluten free.

    You can make many things with it, quinoa salad is my favorite....light and easy to whip up. When you cook it, boil it in some broth (low calorie of course) or add some seasoning to the water while it cooks. It will definitely help.
  • FerretBuellerr
    FerretBuellerr Posts: 468 Member
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    From my limited understanding, it's meant as an alternative source of carbs for individuals who have a gluten intolerance.

    I haven't cooked with it yet, so I can't say I share the same frustration. I would have thought it was lower cal, but then again, a lot of foods still surprise me when I see how many calories they are worth :laugh:

    ETA: I've been told that you need to rinse quinoa VERY VERY WELL before cooking it too to get rid of the bitter taste.
  • pittjenn
    pittjenn Posts: 247 Member
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    It's gluten free, as someone already mentioned

    It's a complex carb, and has protein to boot

    It's the only non-animal source of vitamin B-12, which is especially important to vegetarians.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    It's delicious, versatile, and a "grain" for those who are grain free.

    Good carb source, and a replacement for cous cous.
  • Event_Horizon975
    Event_Horizon975 Posts: 226 Member
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    Ok, thanks for the feedback. I should've known it was a gluten-free thing. I've only ever heard about how it's a "great source of protein" which is true enough but I'm still not sure I'm sold on it. Thanks again. I'll keep trying recipes (God help me there). haha
  • Ophelia111
    Ophelia111 Posts: 40 Member
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    Quinoa is a complete protein, i.e., it has all 9 essential amino acids that your body needs in one food.
  • suzshust
    suzshust Posts: 11 Member
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    I use quinoa as a rice/ potato alternative. Here are my fav ways to use it:

    1) Use it as a binding for meatloaf/burgers/meat balls in place of bread crumbs or oats. It'll give your food an extra kick of protein and you don't need a whole lot to go a long way. Remember to cook it first though.

    2) Use it as a side dish. I'll do a morracan-inspired quinoa with cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, slivered almonds, dates. When I'm doing that, I use diced tomatoes as my liquid in place of water. I'll do a bunch of variations on that like greek quinoa (green pepper, red onion, diced black olives, feta cheese, etc), southwest quinoa (black beans, corn, red onion, cilantro, etc) or asian (shredded carrot, water chestnut, sesame seeds, edamame beans, etc)

    3) Make salads. I usually do a salad with diced veggies such as cucumber, cherry tomatoes, peppers, onions, peas, etc and dress it with a light rice vinegar dressing (literally lightly sprinkle with rice vinegar) and that's it. It's always a bit hit at BBQ's.

    Hope that helps!
  • Event_Horizon975
    Event_Horizon975 Posts: 226 Member
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    I don't have any reason to avoid gluten, but I like it because it has a little more protein than rice, it's about the same number of calories as rice, and I like the way it tastes. I use the Trader Joe's organic stretch it out with veggies or stir in a wedge of laughing cow, and it works great for me.

    Are you rinsing it before cooking? --do that.
    Are you cooking it in plain water? --don't do that. Go for broth or season the water with herbs, salt, spices, etc.
    Are you finding that it's cooking evenly? --if you're getting some really crunchy bits and some soft, stir it more
    Do you like a nutty flavor?--if so, you can continue to cook it a little in a dry skillet after all the liquid is absorbed until it smells a little like peanut butter.

    At the end, add a little salt and pepper, a squeeze of citrus juice, a splash of vinegar, etc. And I agree with the poster above, it's delicious made into a kind of pasta salad with veggies, nuts, a little cheese, a little meat, etc.

    Thanks!! Good stuff to try!
  • Event_Horizon975
    Event_Horizon975 Posts: 226 Member
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    I use quinoa as a rice/ potato alternative. Here are my fav ways to use it:

    1) Use it as a binding for meatloaf/burgers/meat balls in place of bread crumbs or oats. It'll give your food an extra kick of protein and you don't need a whole lot to go a long way. Remember to cook it first though.

    2) Use it as a side dish. I'll do a morracan-inspired quinoa with cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, slivered almonds, dates. When I'm doing that, I use diced tomatoes as my liquid in place of water. I'll do a bunch of variations on that like greek quinoa (green pepper, red onion, diced black olives, feta cheese, etc), southwest quinoa (black beans, corn, red onion, cilantro, etc) or asian (shredded carrot, water chestnut, sesame seeds, edamame beans, etc)

    3) Make salads. I usually do a salad with diced veggies such as cucumber, cherry tomatoes, peppers, onions, peas, etc and dress it with a light rice vinegar dressing (literally lightly sprinkle with rice vinegar) and that's it. It's always a bit hit at BBQ's.

    Hope that helps!
    It does! Thank you!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    It is gluten free, but so is rice, wild rice, corn, millet, buckwheat and several other grains (some prefer to think it's not a grain because it's not a cereal grain).
    It's higher in protein and fat than most other grains.
    It's trendy.
  • missADS1981
    missADS1981 Posts: 364 Member
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    the serving size is rather small, so many people are using double the amount they should. in general as a society our idea of 'serving size' is so confused. if i had my way i would use so much more quinoa to fill me up, the measily 1/4 cup is so disappointing, but yes i agree...i personally dont use it often
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    the serving size is rather small, so many people are using double the amount they should. in general as a society our idea of 'serving size' is so confused. if i had my way i would use so much more quinoa to fill me up, the measily 1/4 cup is so disappointing, but yes i agree...i personally dont use it often

    What do you mean by "the serving size"? On the box? Or one USDA serving of grain?
  • Event_Horizon975
    Event_Horizon975 Posts: 226 Member
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    As a substitute for foods we already eat like white rice, etc it makes complete sense to me! ...I don't eat much of that. So, when I add this to my diet, I'm looking at it and wondering how it's helping me. My biggest struggle is keeping my cals down. I eat plenty of protein rich foods and well balanced raw foods.
    I won't give up on quinoa yet because I think it's good but I just need to not eat a lot of it....which in my case works well because when I cook it, it tastes like *kitten*. LOL
  • Event_Horizon975
    Event_Horizon975 Posts: 226 Member
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    I personally do enjoy quinoa but I never get why people make such a big deal about it being higher in protein that white or yellow rice. Honestly, what are we talking about here, 4-5g difference per serving? Is it really not all that.

    I had the same feeling. ....Especially given the 210 cals I just gave up! I get more bang out of other foods. ...again, it's got it's place just not sold it's God's Gift to the food pyramid as the best thing ever.
  • Event_Horizon975
    Event_Horizon975 Posts: 226 Member
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    Oh! and I need to get my mom to stop saying KWINN-OH-AHH!!!! IT MAKES ME CRAZY!!!! :noway:
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Just break-up.
  • ryry_
    ryry_ Posts: 4,966 Member
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    Here is a narrative of how Quinoa came into vogue

    Back at the headquarters of Men's Health, Self, etc.........

    Editor: Okay team, we need a real zinga for the front page (picture this guy talking like the guy with the tommy gun in home alone ya see. You can also sub the daily bugle editor from Tobey Maguire spiderman)

    Guy 1: Hmmmm, what about a superfood?

    Editor: Oh superfood, I like it. that sounds like a good idea, we haven't done that in a few months. What do ya got?

    Guy 2: We could do acai berry, spinach, kale,......

    Editor: No No no...We've done all that before...What else?

    Guy 1: I saw this food the other day...i don't know how to say it but its spelled Q-U-I-N-O-A

    Editor: Sounds like Quin-No-Ah. Sounds boring....I hate it!

    Guy 3: Actually sir, its pronounced Keen-Wah.

    Editor: Keen-Wah huh..I like that...Sounds fancy ya see! I love it! So what are the benefits of this Keen-Wah....Forget it I don't care..I love it!...I want Quinoa to be the superfood of superfoods...I want this spread across the nation and everytime somebody says Quinoa, I want a nickel ya see!
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
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    Do you remember wheat grass, OP?

    That green gooey liquid that they put in shot glasses, always sold next to pretty potted wheat grass, and that tasted like a skunk's *kitten*?

    Did it save the world, end the obesity epidemic, and get all the stuck cats out of trees?

    No?

    Well, there's your answer.
  • Event_Horizon975
    Event_Horizon975 Posts: 226 Member
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    Do you remember wheat grass, OP?

    That green gooey liquid that they put in shot glasses, always sold next to pretty potted wheat grass, and that tasted like a skunk's *kitten*?

    Did it save the world, end the obesity epidemic, and get all the stuck cats out of trees?

    No?

    Well, there's your answer.

    I read it did save the world. That's why I'm confused about quinoa's necessity.

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