after months of searching i have found a health store that sells quinoa. i have heard that it is a good alternative to bulk up a meal instead of using rice or pasta.
has anyone used it? whats it like? how do you cook it? appreciate your thoughts.
Hi Daisy! I read an article about quinoa not too long ago, says it's almost a perfect "grain", has protein in it and a good amount of fiber. I decided to try it and now I'm addicted to it.
You cook it just like rice. Make sure you rinse it well first. They treat it with saponin I believe, and if not rinsed properly it can be bitter.
The way I usually make it is I sautee a little onion on a small pan with cooking spray, I add about 1/2 cup quinoa (3 oz), and 1 cup of water, pinch of salt too and some pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. Fluff it up and enjoy!
The grain sort of pops up and end up with a little "tail", you'll see it, it's kind of cute!
A couple of days ago I also made this:
Sautee a little onion in large pan w/cooking spray, add about 3 oz chopped lean ham (smoked is better), add chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned), then add approx 3 cups coleslaw mix (they sell it at the supermarket), cook for about 3 minutes, add 1/2 cup rinsed quinoa and 1 cup water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. It was soooooooooooo good!
Here's a recipe for toasted quinoa pilaf from the Sonoma diet book. It is really delicious. Toasting the grain gently first before cooking brings out a nicer flavor. This recipe makes about 12 servings. There's a ton! But it keeps well in the fridge and could probably even be frozen.
2 tbs diced onion or shallot
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs EVOO
400g/14 oz quinoa
700ml/1 1/4 pints chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme 0r 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
115g/4 oz bottled roasted red peppers, diced (a treat in and of themselves!)
salt and pepper (I didn't use either but the recipe calls for it, to taste)
1. In a large saucepan, cook the onions and garlic in the hot oil over medium heat until tender. Stir in the quinoa and cook, stirring constantly, until it is golden brown (about 5 minutes). Stir in stock, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to the boil; reduce heat; cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until quinoa is tender and fluffy. (I found that fater 20 minutes, I needed to take the lid off and stir constantly for about 5 minutes to reach desired consistency).
2. Discard bay leaf and stir in roasted peppers. Season to taste, if desired.
I bought a bag once and felt like I was eating bird seed. The first time I cooked it I didn't know to rinse it first. Not a pleasant taste, that batch went into the trash. It was so incredibly bitter. The next time I rinsed it really well and cooked it with some onions like a pilaf and I still didn't care for it.
Fortunately I had some pantry mothes last summer and it gave me an excuse to throw it away. Along with a few other whole grains I discovered I wasn't too excited about. Good thing I found them for a good price in the bulk aisle. Rye groats, kamut, millet (bird seed), spelt, triticale, kasha groats-they weren't worth the trouble of cooking. I do like oat groats and bulgur. Lesson learned.
I bought a bag once and felt like I was eating bird seed. The first time I cooked it I didn't know to rinse it first. Not a pleasant taste, that batch went into the trash. It was so incredibly bitter. The next time I rinsed it really well and cooked it with some onions like a pilaf and I still didn't care for it.
I didn't like it either.
I do like bulgar, though. And barley. Things like that. But it took forever for the quinoa to cook (I've tried millet and oat groats as well. My birds love millet, so I gave it to them, lol) and then I took a bite and was like, "okay... what's the big deal?"
I think quinoa, like rice, doesn't have a very strong flavor. But I do like the texture of it a lot. And now I'd rather have that than rice, for certain meal anyway. I make a sweet & sour stir fried chicken that goes perfect with it.
I like bulgur too and barley. I haven't really tried anything too crazy with grains but I'm always open to new things.
Quinoa is also good cooked in veggie stock. Daisy Boo have you tried Marigold vegetable stock? You can buy it in Oz, and it's fantastic. It definitely gives the Quinoa a bit more flavour. It's also nice cold in salads.
I've only ever seen it in Oz rather than over here in the UK, but you can get a puffed Quinoa (a bit like rice bubbles but they don't go snap, crackle, pop unfortunately) and that's quite nice - although it looks like mini polystyrene balls that you put in your bean bag
I love quinoa. I don't use white rice anymore, only brown rice, and quinoa is a great substitute when I don't want to spend the time. (Brown rice takes 50 minutes; quinoa 15.) It's pretty cheap, too. And I love the tails. I just toss it into boiling water & then stir it into whatever else I'm having. Think I'll have some for lunch, in fact...
quinoa?
Not a pleasant taste, that batch went into the trash. It was so incredibly bitter. The next time I rinsed it really well and cooked it with some onions like a pilaf and I still didn't care for it. 
I just toss it into boiling water & then stir it into whatever else I'm having. Think I'll have some for lunch, in fact...
