In praise of QUINOA
 

OK, first off I must explain -- I wasn't one of those amazing folks who changed every single facet of my eating habits - no wait, i changed the HABITS not so much the FOOD. I always ate good food, just clearly way way way too much of it, and too much junk on top of the good stuff! But I was never one for substitutions much, like spaghetti squash in place of whole wheat pasta etc. Some like it, more power to them!

So some 'miracle foods' are at times new to me, and I thought I'd spread the word but I'm sure I'm preachign to the choir and everyone's way ahead of me!!! I was hoping for some NEW RECIPES to put this amazing grain (ok technically a seed).

I cook it in chicken stock and let it get cold, and add in cucumber, tomato, red onion and black olives and a skooch of feta cheese and some greek salad dressing for a delicious Greek grainy chewy salad, sometimes with some chicken in it and it lasts for a few days!

My breakfast quinoa is to cook it in apple juice with a splash of vanilla, a squirt of agave, some cinnamon, and when it's done throw some sliced almonds and a few dried cranberries on top, splash milk and off you go. If i eat that, i have to remind myself it's lunch 4 1/2 hours later! crazy filling!!!

Just wondered what other amazing uses people have found for it???

I love Quinoa as well. I find that I lose better by keeping my carbs lower (less then 100g a day) so it's more of a luxary for me now. =)

I usually just eat it with a bit of better then bullion and chicken and sometimes I throw in mushrooms and broccoli.

The sweet version you posted sounds really good. I might have to try it sometime.

There is a quinoa website I've seen that has recipes on it. My friend made a quinoa chocolate cake last week and said it was amazing. I didn't get a chance to try it though! :(

I had the chance to try it while i was in BC< i fell in love . . . I still havent actually FOUND it here to cook at home, kind of annoying.

www.quionoa365.com is a site i like

oh I love quinoa! I made quinoa cookies the other day (it was more like halfway bewtween a cookie and a muffin). I used quinoa flakes (from the health food store - haven't seen it otherwise). The flakes cook almost instantly.

I eyeballed everything and didn't write it down, but if you like to cook, I am sure you can figure out what will work:

Quinoa Flakes (1 serving - I think it is 30grams - whatever 1 serving is on the box is what I used)
pumpkin puree (1/2 c. / 1 serving)
3-4 egg whites
1 cap full of vanilla
smidge of baking powder for lift
cinnamon, ginger, cloves
Stevia for sweetener

Just mixed it all together and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until it looks done.

I also made a very small batch of frosting by mixing some low fat cream cheese, lemon zest, and more stevia. I was in heaven. Half the batch, including the frosting, was less than 200 calories. Granted, it only made 6 cookies, but whatever! It was delish!

oo, never tried quinoa! Sounds interesting - I'll go and look for some recipes. :) It's not wheat-related, is it?

Stolen from the internet:

Sesame Garlic Quinoa-- cook in chicken stock, when nearly done add sauteed garlic and a bit of sesame oil. Salt to taste.... sprinkle with a bit of soy sauce when serving and tastes like fried rice!

I'm vegan, and I make a burgery type cake out of it. Cook it in veggie stock, season, mix with chickpea flour and sweet potatoes and onions and then press into patties and bake. :)

I think adding a bit of steak sauce and black beans might work next time. :D

Quinoa is wonderful with stir fry! I use it in place of rice for many of our family meals.

I LOVE your cold quinoa idea....gotta try that! Yes, I adore quinoa..discovered it about two years ago and forever had so much fun trying it different ways.

i saw this at walmart today...want to try it, almost 5 bucks a box...so i want to research some recipes first

I've been meaning to try it, thanks for the inspiration!

Bough some in Asda today, about £1 a 1lb. I'll give it a go.

yay good luck let us know how it turns out!! if it's not pre-rinsed be sure to rinse the heck out of it, the outer stuff can be bitter!

I made the cold greek salad version for a pot luck yesterday (i wasn't here for it) but everyone said it was a big hit and there was none left so that's a good sign!