Quinoa. How to cook? Recipes? Sides? Ideas ? Help

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gatzke123
gatzke123 Posts: 48 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey there.

I wanna start eating quinoa because it's supposed to be real healthy and it can fill me up with out lots of calories.

How do you cook it so it taste good. What are some recipes you use it with. Anything will help thanks
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  • alexib
    alexib Posts: 45 Member
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    I eat and cook it the way I do rice. I just follow the directions on the package to cook it, I had the village harvest brand that I just ran out of but I think it's like for every 1 cup of quinoa 1.5 cup of water. Rinse the quinoa in cold water, boil the water, add the quinoa then cover & simmer on low for 10 minutes or so. When it's done I eat it with a tsp of sugar and butter, yum! If I had gravy or a sauce from my main dish I usually put it on the quinoa too, just like I would rice. I wouldn't say it tastes just like rice though but it's good.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
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    I eat it for breakfast in lieu of oatmeal. 1 cup of quinoa, when cooked, is about 4 servings for me. Add a couple cinnamon sticks while it's cooking (pick them out before eating) and add a tablespoon or so of chopped walnuts per serving.
  • katzenfluff
    katzenfluff Posts: 78 Member
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    Top it with Greek yogurt and fruit for a good breakfast.
  • not_my_first_rodeo
    not_my_first_rodeo Posts: 311 Member
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    You definitely want to rinse it. Pro tip: make sure you use a colander or sieve with very small holes (ask me how I know). I cook it in broth because on its own it's kind of blah. I do it like I would rice. 2 to 1 ratio (the 2 being the liquid). Put the broth in a pot, as soon as it boils, I add the quinoa and lower the heat as low as it goes. Cover it and cook for 15 minutes. After 15, I turn off the heat altogether, and still keeping it covered, wait another 15 minutes. Then I fluff and serve. I have used it as a side dish as is, but only when I have something with a flavorful sauce or gravy. It's also a nice addition to cold salads.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    I want to like quinoa. But still no.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
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    gatzke123 wrote: »
    Hey there.

    I wanna start eating quinoa because it's supposed to be real healthy and it can fill me up with out lots of calories.

    How do you cook it so it taste good. What are some recipes you use it with. Anything will help thanks

    Here's an ongoing Quinoa thread that's got some nice recipes in it if anyone wants to check this one out too. :smiley:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10479568/quinoa#latest
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    No matter what method you choose, for the love of god rinse your quinoa until the water runs clear. REGARDLESS of whether it says "rinsed" on the bag.
  • federicafezza4271
    federicafezza4271 Posts: 69 Member
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    I sometimes cook quinoa or rice in a soup. I cook a bean soup or lentil soup, like this:

    I start with a little olive oil (1 or 2 teaspoons) and I put a small piece of garlic in it.
    when the garlic is golden (not brown!) I add about 50/100 grams of raw tomato sauce.
    after a few minutes when the tomato sauce starts to cook I add beans or lentils and water.
    when it's boiling again I add raw quinoa or raw rice, so that it cooks directly in the soup.
    you can twist this recipe adding any vegetable or spice you like :)
  • emilygduran
    emilygduran Posts: 48 Member
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    I cook it in broth with a little taco seasoning, brown up some ground turkey with chopped onions and peppers, and mix it all together with some cheese. Black beans is a good addition too.
  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
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    emilygduran wrote: »
    I cook it in broth with a little taco seasoning, brown up some ground turkey with chopped onions and peppers, and mix it all together with some cheese. Black beans is a good addition too.

    This sounds good. I do something similar - cook it up and add it to ground beef/turkey and a bag of frozen vegetables with salt, pepper and season all.
  • FemmeFireRL
    FemmeFireRL Posts: 227 Member
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    I've never used it in a sweet dish or for breakfast. I usually cook it like rice and add it to veggies for a twist on a Mediterranean salad, add to soup, stews/chili etc.
  • comptonelizabeth
    comptonelizabeth Posts: 1,701 Member
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    Rinse it,cook it in stock (broth)add olive oil,lemon and garlic then anything else really- roasted veg,tuna,chicken,feta cheese. Or use instead of rice with casseroles etc.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
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    Quinoa is very nutritious but very calorie dense. Be sure to weigh out portions carefully. I make mine with bone broth in my rice cooker.

    I eat it the same way I would rice or potatoes. With veggies, in egg whites, whatever. It's very versatile.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
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    gatzke123 wrote: »
    Hey there.

    I wanna start eating quinoa because it's supposed to be real healthy and it can fill me up with out lots of calories.

    How do you cook it so it taste good. What are some recipes you use it with. Anything will help thanks

    So many great ideas shared thanks for all tips everyone, much appreciated! ;)

    So which all these wonderful suggestions.. what have you decided to make first? :smiley:@gatzke123 Glad you started this thread OP!!
  • ClubSilencio
    ClubSilencio Posts: 2,983 Member
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    I like to mix it with a dollop of coconut oil.
  • vegan4lyfe2012
    vegan4lyfe2012 Posts: 1,135 Member
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    rainbowbow wrote: »
    No matter what method you choose, for the love of god rinse your quinoa until the water runs clear. REGARDLESS of whether it says "rinsed" on the bag.

    ^^^^ This is the most IMPORTANT part of cooking quinoa!!!

    My daughter came up with this tasty recipe that I just adore:

    QUINOA VEGGIE PLATE

    Ingredients
    1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
    1 cup water
    1 tsp vegan chix bouillion (optional)
    1 cup frozen green beans
    1 cup frozen cut carrots
    1 cup frozen peppers and onions

    *Sauce:
    1/3 cup tomato sauce
    1/3 cup diced tomato with juice
    1 tsp Italian Seasoning
    1 tsp dried minced onion
    Dash of garlic powder
    Salt and Pepper to taste

    1 tsp Nutritional Yeast
    Sprinkling of Adobo Seasoning

    Directions
    Bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add vegan chix flavored bullion, if desired. After boiling, stir in rinsed quinoa, lower heat to medium low, cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes, until quinoa is semi-translucent.

    While quinoa is cooking, steam green beans, carrots, peppers and onions for 8 minutes.

    For sauce, combine tomato sauce, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, dried minced onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper and heat on stove for 5 to 10 minutes.*

    To plate, divide quinoa onto two plates, top each with half of the veggies and sprinkle on Adobo seasoning. Divide the tomato sauce and pour over each plate and top each one with 1/2 tsp of nutritional yeast.

    *To speed this up, you can substitute your favorite pasta sauce for the sauce recipe.

    ****************************
    Also, quinoa is a great grain for dessert flavors. I made this one and used a Cinnamon Pear Balsamic Vinegar and it was like eating dessert deliciousness!

    https://www.hy-vee.com/meal-solutions/recipes/Pear-Quinoa-Salad-R7874.aspx



  • blueeyetea
    blueeyetea Posts: 44 Member
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    This recipe was my introduction to eating quinoa. I like it in salads, but also as a filling in stuffed petters or butternut squash. I cook the quinoa in broth, and add sauteed vegetables to the mix (onions, mushrooms, spinach).
  • AngryViking1970
    AngryViking1970 Posts: 2,847 Member
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    Favorite:

    makingthymeforhealth.com/spinach-artichoke-quinoa-casserole/
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
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    We like it with lots of finely diced parsley and mint, fresh lemon, a little drizzle of olive oil, and a crumble of feta. Sort of tabbouleh-adjacent but with quinoa instead of bulgur.

    My husband also loves it when I make "fried rice" with it. I make the quinoa, then put a little sesame oil in a pan and saute some small cubes of carrot, bell pepper, peas, whatever we have, and garlic and onion, then toss in the cooked quinoa and a little soy sauce, rice vinegar, and squirt of chili sauce. I move it to one half of the pan and crack an egg or two on the empty half and scramble it up, then combine the quinoa mix and egg. I throw a green onion in there too usually at the end. It's very much a white-person version but he likes it and that it has some protein.

    I make stuffed bell peppers with it too, mixing the cooked quinoa with a little taco seasoning, ground turkey and/or black beans, onion, jalapenos, tomato, and sour cream, stuffing the peppers, and topping with a little cheese and a slice of avocado.

    Basically, I use quinoa in place of rice or other small grains in recipes we already use and it generally works great. I like the flavour and texture better than rice so it gets a lot of mileage in my house.

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