I have a recipe for Fiesta Pilaf from LAWL that sounds yummy except I have no clue what quinoa is. Anybody know what it is and where I can get it?

Recipe:
1/2 cup quinoa, dry
16 or 32 oz black beans, canned
1 c salsa
2 scallions, chopped
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Stir quinoa into 1 cup boiling water, the cover and simmer for 15 min or until water absorbed.
Stir in remaining ingredients and cook over 5-10 min over med heat.
Serve immediately.

ALSO has anyone ever tried the White Chicken Chili in LAWL cookbook? I'm thinking about having it this weekend while my daughter is home from college but wanted to know if anyone else had tried it.

Thanks!!

Quinoa is a grain. It is high protein, gluten free,etc... At my supermarket it is in both the Organic/Natural Food area and in the grain (barley, rice, etc.) area. Never had it, but I think I bought some a few months ago.

PS - your recipe sounds really good - I may try it!

Hi martha,
That recipe does look good. I have never tried the quinoa, but here is another recipe I think I got from the Jillian Michaels newsletter. Would fit into LAWL pretty easily

Fresh Herb and Quinoa Salad With Garden Tomatoes
Phase 1
Serves 2, with leftover quinoa
Description
Quinoa is a high-fiber grain that's loaded with protein. More good news: You can find it in your local supermarket or health food store, and it cooks in just 6 minutes! Here, we've substituted quinoa for bulgur in a version of the zesty Middle Eastern salad, tabbouleh.
Ingredients
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup quinoa
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
3 scallions (white and light green parts), thinly sliced
1 small cucumber, peeled and diced
3 tablespoons lightly packed fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
3 large beefsteak tomatoes, preferably a mixture of red and yellow
2 oz. low-fat feta cheese
Instructions
1. In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil over high heat. Add quinoa and a pinch of salt; bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for about 6 minutes, until nearly all the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender and chewy but not soft.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine juice, oil, salt, and pepper. Fold in quinoa, scallions, cucumber, and herbs. Toss until thoroughly coated. Season to taste as desired.
3. Slice tomatoes thinly. Arrange on serving plates. Spoon about 1 cup quinoa over tomatoes. Crumble feta on top. Serve immediately.
Nutritional Information:
350 calories
14 g total fat (4 g sat)
10 mg cholesterol
47 g carbohydrate
15 g protein
7 g fiber
410 mg sodium

I have tried quinoa and really like it. Health food stores should have it, and some grocery stores. It's pronounced keenwah (boy was my face red when I was corrected as I'd pronounced it the way it looked to me Queen - noah.

It looks like birdseed. And you have to rinse it really well before you cook it. Swish it around and drain it a couple times, as there's a natural coating on the grain that can taste kind of "soapy" if you don't wash it off. Sometimes it will even suds up when you rinse it - if so rinse it until the water is completely clear.

I would describe the taste as nutty and a little like a cross between rice and oatmeal maybe. I cooked it like rice (it doesn't take as long as rice, maybe 25 minutes) and I used it instead of rice in a stir fry.

When you cook it, the outer bran sloughs off in a little ring around the grain (it looks a bit like sawdust clinging to each seed, but the texture is chewy not dry).

Hope this helps