Quinoa

[Gardnr]

I'm looking for tasty healthy recipes. This is what I know:

1. Soak it for about 30minutes and rinse well.
2. Cook with part water part chicken or veg stock to give it some flavor.
3. I use it in place of pasta sometimes w/ratatouille
4. I mix it up with black bean anything.

Now what?

I'd like tasty cold salads for lunches. REcipes?

What else?

[catherine]

Here's my favorite: I make it frequently, and I've never had to throw any out. My family loves it, too. It contains black beans, cilantro, cumin, cherry tomatoes, onions, and lime

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/229156/zesty-quinoa-salad/

[lessisbest]

1. You should wash the quinoa thoroughly before using it – even if the package says it’s pre-washed. Quinoa is coated with saponin, which is a bitter naturally occurring substance that acts as a pesticide. If it’s just a small amount, place it in a fine-mesh sieve and run water over it for about a minute. If you notice it foams at the beginning, you’ll know it has saponin on it, so make sure you rinse it until the water runs clear. For large amounts wash the quinoa in a large bowl. Rub the quinoa with your fingers to help rub off the saponin. Change the water several times – until it’s clear. I've never read any instructions for soaking it, unless I was sprouting it, which I also do.
2. Cooking tip…. Once the quinoa is cooked, place a cloth towel over the pan and place the lid back on for 5-minutes. As the quinoa cools, the towel will absorb the steam so the quinoa doesn’t get mushy.
3. An energy-saving method: Combine 1 cup of water to each ½ cup of washed quinoa in a pan. Bring to a full boil for 5-minutes, then set aside, covered for 15-minutes.
4. I use quinoa in tabouli instead of cracked wheat or bulgar since I’m gluten free.

Quinoa & Parsley Salad (low-FODMAP)
¾ c. uncooked quinoa (wash and cook as directed on package)
Cool quinoa and mix in remaining ingredients:
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. oil
1/3 c. fresh parsley
cucumber, chopped

Quinoa Protein Power Waffle

In an immersion blender:
¼ c. cooked quinoa
¼ c. cottage cheese
1 egg
1/8 t. cinnamon
Add: 1 T. oil
2 T. chia seeds
2 T. agave nectar (or honey or coconut syrup – or sweetener of choice)
I double the recipe and cook the waffles on my thin heart-shaped waffle iron in ¼-cup amounts of batter for small waffles (which is the size that fits in our toaster since I make and freeze them ahead of time).

Breakfast Quinoa
(source: The Splendid Grain – by Rebecca Wood)

Makes 3-3/4 cups (I normally make ½ a recipe.)

2 c. fresh orange juice
1 t. ghee (or butter or oil of choice)
1 T. honey (to taste)
1/8 t. sea salt
1 c. imported quinoa or 1-1/3 c. domestic quinoa, well washed
2 T. pecans, roasted and chopped very fine

Combine the orange juice, ghee, honey, and salt in a medium sauce pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Watch closely to keep the orange juice from boiling over. Add the quinoa, cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until all of the juice has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Add the pecans and fluff with a fork. [Lessisbest note: I don’t add the pecans to the recipe because they get tough and soggy if you have leftovers. I sprinkle the nuts on each serving, and I use a LOT more nuts than what the recipe calls for.]

Quinoa Pancakes

¾ c. cooked quinoa
¼ t. baking powder
¼ t. cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 pkt. stevia
¼ t. vanilla
2 eggs
Blend ingredients together. I sometimes add ¼ c. Pamela’s Baking Mix if the batter is too thin.


Blueberry Quinoa Salad
(MAKES 2 SERVINGS)
The Dressing:
1 T. all-fruit blueberry spread
2 t. balsamic vinegar
In a small bowl, whisk together ingredients.

The Salad:
Mixed Spring Greens
2-4 basil leaves, thinly sliced
1/2 c. cooked quinoa
1/4 to 1/2 c. fresh blueberries
corn cut from one cot (cooked or raw - can use frozen corn)
3 T. toasted shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
In large bowl, combine lettuces, basil leaves, quinoa, fresh blueberries, corn kernels, and pumpkin seeds. Toss salad with dressing and serve. You can also toast the pepitas in a dry skilled for a few minutes, if desired.

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--I make a gluten-free pizza crust with cooked quinoa, if you are interested in the recipe.

--Currently making a quinoa flour starter so I can make Gluten-free Sourdough Oat English Muffins. I mill my own quinoa flour after thoroughly washing it, then drying it in a low oven in a rimmed baking sheet, or in the dehydrator, until thoroughly dry. You can mill it into flour in a coffee/spice mill, or a seed mill (which is designed to mill tiny seeds like amaranth, teff, chia, flax, poppy seeds, etc.).

[Gardenarian]

We use quinoa the same way we use rice, bulgur, and other grains - but it has that added protein, which is great.

I use it to make tabouleh, stir fry, curries. It's great in soup.

Funny, we don't rinse it. I guess I should!

[frugal-one]

This is a great book about how to use quinoa.

https://www.linkcat.info/cgi-bin/koh...onumber=897925

[ApatheticNoMore]

This was good

quinoa, feta and avocado salad (nothing "bland health food" sounding about that):

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa rinsed and drained
1 cup water
2 roma tomatoes seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded fresh spinach
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
2 TB lemon juice
2 TB olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ripe avocados sliced
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

cook quinoa in the water
add other ingredients raw (you make salad dressing for it with the lemon juice, olive oil and salt and mix it in)

it doesn't keep, eat it the first day or at the latest the second.

[Gardenarian]

Sounds delicious!

[lessisbest]

My newest big quinoa adventure.... I successfully made a starter with quinoa flour I milled at home, then turned it into Gluten-free Sourdough Oat English Muffins (http://www.culturesforhealth.com/glu...-muffin-recipe). The recipe calls for rice starter, but I avoid rice due to the high amounts of arsenic in it, and there is more nutrition and protein in quinoa. The recipe worked fairly well, but am hoping I can improve the texture. Lots of gluten-free lessons unfolded, like make things smaller than what the wheat version would be because gluten-free things tend to become crumbly the older they are. The next time I'll make 1/2 a recipe and will add some yogurt as a flavor enhancer and hopefully to improve the texture. Back to the drawing board.