What do YOU do with your Quinoa??

We love quinoa! Be sure to be the prerinsed ones, because they are very small and it is difficult to keep them all in and then get them out of even a fine mesh strainer without some trouble. Our favorite way to eat them is in a soup. I sautee onions, zucchinis, red/yellow/orange bell peppers, and garlic in extra virgin olive oil. (I keep the pan at medium or lower for olive oil. It takes longer, but the fatty acids are kept in tact that way.) When it all has a wonderful color to it, then I add either homemade roasted tomatoes or a can of organic fire roasted tomatoes, McCormick's Perfect Pinch Italian seasoning, homemade chicken broth, and quinoa. You want to be sure that you add at least 3 cups of broth for one cup of quinoa to have the right soup consistency. Then bring it to a low boil. The quinoa is done when it becomes translucent. When it is done cooking, then I salt it. The kids LOVE that soup and it is a big hit with my friends.

Quinoa is a bit like couscous or rice. I will cook quinoa as per the directions and then make a warm salad by adding it to red onions (cooked or raw), sundried tomatoes or peppers, chopped parsley and maybe some olives or salad greens. A squeeze of lemon juice really makes a big difference as well

For a vegetable it has really large amounts of protein

Cheers! DJH

I love to boil them with mixed frozen veggies and garlic.

Hi,
I eat as a porridge first thing in the morning:) I rinse, then cook it with coconutoil, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom...
Then I sprinkle some nuts on top or a big dollop of almondbutter....!! YUM:)

Or use it as u would use rice... Risotto, fried rice, curry....

Good luck!

I love to make a tex-mex style quinoa salad.

Quinoa Salad
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water (or chicken broth)
1-2 avocados, diced into cubes (depending on taste or availability)
6-10 scallions, thinly sliced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1 can Rotel (I used the kind with cilantro and lime juice)
lime juice (however much tastes good to you, it also helps stop the avocado from browning)
cilantro (as much as you like)
salt and pepper
To cook the quinoa: bring 2 cups of water (or broth) to a boil. Add the quinoa. Turn heat to medium and simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. Let it cool for a while before you add all of the other ingredients.
Add all of the ingredients to the quinoa. Salt and pepper to taste. Chill and enjoy!

*sometimes I add about a 1/2 cup of sour cream to bind it all together.

I like to use it in place of rice as a base for a stir fry - I cook it separately in water (equal parts water and quinoa, maybe slightly more water). When feeling lazy, I'll go with a frozen commercial stir fry (like PF Chang's or Contessa) and start the quinoa a little while before I start the stir fry, then mix together at the end. Very yummy.

I actually tried it for the first time last month, with beets, yellow bell peppers, some time of sweet dressing and spinach. I forget if there were any other fruits, but it was a modestly sweet, mostly grainy flavor. It was pretty good and filled me up fast. I think I would add more fruit, myself.

I love the ideas here!!! I will have to use it instead of rice to try it for something other than breakfast. Currently, the only thing I do is have it for breakfast with some honey.

bump for when I have more time

This is absolutely my favorite quinoa recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quinoa-and-black-beans/

Delicious warm or cold, and so healthy and easy to make.

besides quinoa flakes for breakfast, I love it in soups!

My favorite thing to do with quinoa is to cook it up in some chicken broth - then toss it with steamed veggies (broccoli, carrots, green beans, etc.), grilled chicken, and some crumbled feta cheese or boursin cheese (just a little so you get a nice tang every now and then, but not too many additional calories). So good - and it's even good cold!

I make tabouleh salad out of it substituting it for the Bulgar wheat.