Help me love my brown rice and/or Quinoa

I just signed up and very committed to making some healthy lifetime changes. I was talking to another friend this evening and she is going to check out this app and join me on this journey. She mentioned that she adds quinoa to her broth vegetable soups. I plan on trying this myself. Winter months are perfect for homemade soups.

My favorite thing to do with quinoa is to toast some slivered almonds and then toss them, some dried cranberries, and a dash of dried thyme in when I add the quinoa to the boiling water -- just cook it all together, you get a bit of texture with the almonds, more flavor from the thyme, and little pockets of sweet/tart from the cranberries.

Have you tried purple rice (marketed as "forbidden" rice)? It's delightfully nutty and flavorful and makes a wonderful addition to the rotation when brown rice starts looking ... just ... so ... brown. It is DELICIOUS with baked chickpeas and roasted (pretty much anything)

For brown rice, my favorite recipe amounts to pretty much making "stuffing" from it: chop up carrots, celery and onions and brown them in a touch of whatever oil you use for browning then add them plus some sage and thyme (could use rosemary too but I live with someone allergic to it so I leave it out) at the start of the cooking process.

As an aside: My secret to making perfect brown rice was buying a Zojirushi rice cooker. Add the rice, liquid, whatever else, hit a button and it plays a merry little tune when it's done cooking the rice properly. It's one of my favorite kitchen appliances ... after my blender and crock pot, that is.

Since your diet is so limited grain wise, have you ever tried lettuce wraps? I like quinoa in a wrap with mustard and veggies. You can make a gluten free tortilla out of chickpea flour and water, basically.

This may sound weird, but I love it....I eat brown rice with salsa. Also, try cooking it in beef broth.

As for quinoa, I have found it strangely addictive. One of my normal breakfast routines is cooking 1/4 cup of quinoa, then adding a couple teaspoons of raw honey and sliced bananas. Sometimes a little milk, as well.

I cook my long grain brown rice in chicken broth instead of water I add thyme and rosemary.

Soak quinoa in vegetable broth. Meanwhile, saute some onions and sliced ****ake mushrooms in a bit of vegetable oil (or whatever oil you prefer). Drain quinoa and cook along with onions and mushrooms in more broth. SO good! But I love quinoa - hot with veggies or cold in a salad - I love it!

I like my quinoa a couple different ways. Yesterday I cooked it with canned bean and cashews in chicken broth. It was okay, but the chicken broth really removed the flavor of the quinoa itself, and the sodium was a bit too high for my liking. I think next time I'd like to incorporate some spinach, and maybe some sauteed onions and mushrooms.

I also really like to sautee onions and mushrooms, cook up the quinoa, and mix in my favorite spaghetti sauce. I'm too lazy to make my own, so we use a heart healthy kind.

Does oatmeal count as a grain? Making plain oatmeal and adding your own spices is probably a healthy idea. I usually hate oatmeal, but have found that I love it when I can add cinnamon and sliced bananas.

I like to make a healthified loco moco, which has rice in it. It's brown rice, a reduced fat burger, an egg, and some gravy and Worcestershire sauce.

It really yummy (its Hawaiian, also). You just put the rice, then burger, then egg and drizzle with sauce and gravy. I usually add a little to the rice first and stir, then put the rest on the burger and egg.

I attempted this recipe today. It didn't turn out perfectly because I was unaware that we did not have applesauce or maple syrup, and I don't eat eggs or wheat, so I had to modify with some water, ground flax, coconut flour, and non-dairy butter. It turned out very crumbly (like granola) but delicious. I didn't use the nuts or craisins and instead used chocolate chips. I just put it in the freezer and will use it as ice cream topping instead. But, I'm guessing if you don't butcher the recipe like I did, it would come out in the form it's supposed to. (I do not like quinoa, and I really do like this.)

http://www.theleangreenbean.com/quinoa-breakfast-bars/

I love brown rice. I use it ofen in a variety of ways from plain as a side to icluded in recipes, soups, salads, stir fry, etc.

Quinoa I like, but I'm more picky about it. I like it best in a salad or a soup. It's okay unadorned as a side, but not great IMO. I'd rather have brown rice for that. Quinoa makes a great substitute for bulgar in Taboleh for those that have issues with gluten.

Rice is better if you boil it the day before you want it and then "fry" it in a pan to warm it back up. That's a Chinese restaurant secret.

Quinoa just takes some playing around with. Make small quantities of it and add it to recipes that you already know you like. It's pretty flavorless so it mixes in well with other things. I like to mix my rice & quinoa along with sauteed veggies & meat.

Black bean, mango, and quinoa salad. Just tried this recipe for the first time tonight...and loved it.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/08/southwestern-black-bean-quinoa-and.html

Hi There! I'm currently living in Thailand and was wondering if you know the name for this rice? I live in a small town in the north east so it's challenging to find new food to try when you don't speak Thai and I'm trying not to gain too much weight here!