Quinoa help needed!

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  • nicothepotato
    nicothepotato Posts: 306 Member
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    Any rice recipe I've tried has also worked well with quinoa.
  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
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    ALL CAPS CUASE IT'S IMPORTANT!! RINSE THE QUINOA BEFORE YOU COOK IT!!! It's covered with a bitter substance called saponin that rinses away easily. It will taste terrible if you don't do this first. I think this is the only reason Quinoa isn't as common as rice, people can't deal with that step :-)

    i never rinse mine, and it tastes fine..
  • Jennybear420
    Jennybear420 Posts: 7 Member
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    Here's a great recipe! I love this one, it has black beans so you'll get a lot of fiber and protein. I also add corn to the mix, it keeps well too. Also check out a turkey - quinoa meatloaf. I tried a recipe I found on All Recipes and it was amazing and super nutritious. Check out this link for the black bean quinoa salad recipe http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Quinoa-and-Black-Bean-Salad-12245

    Happy cooking :)))
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
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    2 parts water to 1 part quinoa put in a pot same time bring to a boil, turn on low for 15-20 min or so (you water to be gone) and then take off element and let sit 5 min.

    I use it for breakfast, add a bit of splenda or stevia, honey etc you can add almond milk or any other milk and some cinnamon and raisins really anyway you would prepare oatmeal.

    I also use it instead of rice, so with stirfry, in stuffed peppers, or just on it's own with some salt and pepper.

    If you go to vegweb you can use the search feature for quinoa and you get all sorts of recipies, pages of them (salads, patties, maindishes, desserts etc)

    Quinoa is one of my favorite foods, hope you enjoy it!
  • allybtucker
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    @jennw10, I understand that some people can't taste bitter. Are you one of those? ;-)
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
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    I like it just plain, or cooked with spices in the water... but I also made a salad with it for a 4th of July Potluck.

    http://healthydoesntmeanboring.blogspot.com/2011/07/quinoa-salad-w-tzatziki-dressing.html

    0a5b81c0.jpg

    this looks FANTASTIC! OMG I sooooo wanna try this recipe!
  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
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    Someone said my link didn't work, so here's the recipe!

    Peanut Butter Banana Quinoa Porridge:

    2 tbs dry quinoa
    1/2 cup water
    1 whole banana
    1/4 tsp vanilla extract
    1 tsp blackstrap molasses
    1/2 tsp cinnamon
    1/4 cup any milk
    1 tbs milled flaxseed
    1/4 cup egg whites
    2 tbs peanut butter
    1 tsp honey

    Cook quinoa, add banana. Let it return to a boil, and stir/mash the banana until fully incorporated into porridge. Reduce heat, and add in cinnamon, blackstrap molasses, and vanilla. Add almond milk and flax, and stir until creamy. Slowly add in egg whites, and stir until fluffy. Increase heat for a half minute, stir. Remove from heat, top with peanut butter and honey.

    Indulge.
  • cshore54
    cshore54 Posts: 70
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    I made the quinoa Peruvian stew recipe tonight. Do yourselves a favor and try this one! It was OMG wonderful!! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. I can't wait to try some of the others too.
  • kittybitz79
    kittybitz79 Posts: 213
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    Thanks everyone for the wonderful ideas. Going to have to try them. I try at least one new recipe a week. Excited to try alot of these!
  • R2v2
    R2v2 Posts: 9 Member
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    I made the quinoa Peruvian stew recipe tonight. Do yourselves a favor and try this one! It was OMG wonderful!! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. I can't wait to try some of the others too.

    Woohoo Peru! Sorry, I'm Peruvian so it's obligatory, haha.

    Funny thing, quinoa is only popular in Peru among the indigenous peoples, hasn't caught on with the "civilized" folk yet, they see it as peasant food, ha!

    My fave quinoa dish is a Cauliflower Quinoa Curry... yum. Sometimes I add shrimp. I don't do recipes, I just feel it out by taste, but it goes something like this:

    Sautee onions, shallots and garlic in olive oil in LOW heat for at least 15 minutes. I like to throw in 1-2 Aji Amarillos - orange Peruvian chili peppers I buy frozen at the market's ethnic section, but you can do fresh jalapenos or whatever hot pepper you can get...deseed & devein unless you like it HOT. Of course, a little salt & pepper, very little at first, and a bunch of curry powder & ground corriander, if you can find it.

    I buy the College Inn Thai Chicken Broth, which includes coconut water, corriander and other spices, you can usually find it in the soup section in a box. Once the sautee is almost caramelized - almost, but not quite - throw in the quinoa - I never rinse and have never noticed the difference, and I have no issues tasting bitter stuff that I know of. Sautee the quinoa a bit before adding the broth. I never use water, the broth makes it taste wayyyy better.

    Now just follow the cooking instructions for the quinoa. Seperately, I steam some cauliflower, but don't cook it fully, it still has to go into the oven and you'll kill it. In a separate oven deep dish, mix the cauliflower with the quinoa, throw in some chopped yellow or orange bell peppers, some frozen green peas, or whatever veggies you like, really. You can substitute broccoli for the cauliflower or use both, but I really like cauliflower. And then some more curry & corriander, S&P to taste - yes taste it, always taste stuff as you're cooking it to see what it's missing. And if you like, to make it a bit creamier, if you can spare the calories, a little bit of coconut milk. Now bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Let it sit for a while and settle before serving.

    I also add shrimp sometimes, Just add the peeled, deveined, raw shrimp - they should be a dark, translucent color, not pink - to the oven dish before baking, and of course, after tasting for S&P. Enjoy!
  • mwatson23
    mwatson23 Posts: 18
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    Here's my favorite Quinoa recipe...I could live on this stuff alone...YUM! It almost tastes like turkey stuffing but is good for you!

    Light cranberry, apple and almond quinoa

    Ingredients:
    1 cup uncooked quinoa, washed well
    1 tablespoon +1 tsp olive oil, divided
    1 cup chopped onion
    1 cup diced carrot (I used 1 medium)
    2-3 garlic cloves, minced
    2 cups vegetable broth
    1/4-1/2 tsp kosher salt, to taste
    1/2 tsp cinnamon
    1 1/2 cups diced Granny Smith apple, not peeled (one large apple)
    ~20 almonds, toasted
    1 tsp. vanilla
    1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
    black pepper, to taste

    Directions:
    1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion, carrots and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent. Add broth, quinoa, salt, and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and let sit for 20 minutes or until liquid is gone. Be sure to keep an eye on it and stir it often so it doesn’t burn. Remove from heat; stir to fluff.

    2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350F and toast almonds. Roughly chop toasted almonds.

    3. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a nonstick pot or skillet. Add chopped apple and vanilla and sauté for about 5 minutes until apple starts to turn golden in colour but before it gets mushy. Add apple, almonds, cr anberries and pepper to quinoa and mix thoroughly. Serve hot or cold, as a main dish or a side with a protein source. Makes about 3-4 cups.

    Yield: about 3 to 4 cups Preparation Time: 10 to 15 minutes Cooking Time: 25 to 30 minutes
  • purple_orchid
    purple_orchid Posts: 129 Member
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    Thanks!
  • laurad1406
    laurad1406 Posts: 341
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    bumping for later! Thanks everyone, this all sounds delicious!
  • sparkypink
    sparkypink Posts: 8 Member
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    I make a big batch of this and eat it each morning for breakfast. It's delicious! I substitute cashews and craisins since that's what I usually have on hand.

    Cinnamon Walnut Quinoa with Raisins
    Ingredients

    2 cups white quinoa
    Pinch of salt
    1/4 cup sweetener (I used brown sugar)
    1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
    Couple handfuls of chopped walnuts
    Couple handfuls of raisins, or dried cranberries
    Optional: Milk, cream or yogurt
    Fresh fruit to accompany

    Directions

    In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the quinoa with a pinch of salt. Once it returns to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook for about 15 minutes.
    As the quinoa nears the end of its cooking time, stir in the sweetener and the cinnamon. Remove from heat once it has finished cooking.
    Sprinkle the chopped walnuts and raisins/cranberries over the top.
    Serve warm with or without milk, cream or yogurt.
    Serve with a side of fresh fruit.


    Read more: http://www.5dollardinners.com/2011/03/cinnamon-walnut-quinoa-breakfast-week.html#ixzz1Ruc6CjGu
  • myurk
    myurk Posts: 108
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    Buy "Quinoa 365 - The everyday superfood". Amazing gluten free Quinoa carrot cake recipe in there too! Pretty healthy if you omit the cream cheese icing.
  • moni8
    moni8 Posts: 5
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    yes , I usually add cooked quinoa to my bean soup with kale.
    You might want to put a cup of quinoa in water, the day before . After that, you just cook it like rice. add 2 cups of water for a 1 cup of quinoa .
    Once the quinoa is cooked, you can also add to salads. I ' d rather use bulgur for salads I like it the best.
    Hope this helps,
  • kris0812
    kris0812 Posts: 65 Member
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    I need to try some of these quinoa recipes! I've had some in the pantry and haven't really known what to do with it! :) Thanks!
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,954 Member
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    We use it in place of rice. Anything we'd normally have rice with we sub the quinoa and everyone likes it better. We do prefer white to red though. White is milder.