Quinoa

ubamother

Am I the only one who absolutely loves this stuff? This is what I do. Rinse it really well (it tastes really odd if you don't). Cook as directed but in vegetable stock or equivalent instead of water. When cold I add red pepper, finely sliced onion, cucumber, spinach leaves etc. etc. Stir in a tablespoon of mayo or squeeze some lemon over it. It's really good if you can do this in advance and leave the flavours to blend a bit. The finely sliced onion really makes it sing.

Doom_and_Gloom

I love quinoa as well. Cooked but preferably sprouted yum yum :drool:.
You could cook it in orange juice (or any juice for that matter) instead of using stock. Personally I don't use stock cubes much due to the salt as well as I don't cook much. Use it in place of rice. I'm sure cooking it with coconut milk would be a nice substitute for coconut rice. When spouted I use it in salads with sprouted lentils, sprouted alfalfa, lettuce, pea shoots, cucumber, tomatoes, sweet corn, sultanas, hemp seeds etc. nice huge salads. Sweet and sour quinoa is lovely as well - you just cook the sweet and sour sauce as you would usually and add a bit extra water and add it in 15 mins before it‘s ready. My bags of quinoa are lucky to last a month the way I go through it as I hardly eat rice, pasta etc. lol.

funky_snow

i thing of it like couscous - and use it in similar scenarios. Its bland on its own - but is a great base on which to add other food. My favourites are the simplest - add chopped cucumber chunks, cherry tomatoes, spring onions, plus any other 'salady' type stuff at the bottom of the fridge, then stir through with olive oil, lemon or lime juice and season... Great for packed lunches for work with a bit of leftover fish/meat to add some protein...

Lois_and_CK

Quinoa is very bland and definitely needs spicing up with dressings and sauces. I use it mainly in salads instead of cous cous. It's nice mixed with puy lentils, a home-made salad dressing, some fresh herbs, cucumber, peppers and feta cheese.

I also use it half-and-half with brown rice to go with chilli or curry.

And I also chuck in a handful to casseroles, chilli, bolognaise and curry.

Here's my favourite way to eat quinoa - really simple but very tasty:


Sweet and spicy quinoa salad:

1 large onion, finely sliced
thumb-size piece of ginger (I use lazy ginger)
2 cloves of garlic (I use lazy garlic)
100g (ish) quinoa
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon garam massala
2 handfuls of sultanas
Handful of chopped coriander leaves

Cook quinoa to packet instructions (usually about 10-15 mins)
Pour boiling water over sultanas to soften them, leave for 5 mins, then drain.
Fry onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil, season. Take off heat.
Add cinnamon and garam massala to onion mix.
Add quinoa, sultanas and corainder to onion mix. Stir well.

This is also nice as a stuffing. For example, cut some chicken breasts in half and open them up flat, like a book. Put some of the quinoa mix in the breasts, close them, rub a little cinnamon on the chicken skin, then bake in the oven. This is scrummy with a green salad.

misskool

Yum! I LOVE Quinoa, anyone who doesn't want theirs can send it to me.

I tip some quinoa in a saucepan, add some water, a bit of marigold stock powder and chop whatever vegetables are going in the fridge. After 5 mins of the quinoa boiling, I add the vegetables and cook for another 10 minutes (maybe). Add parsley or coriander, sprinkle some pine nuts, and olives.

The quinoa should have a bit of a bite and if soft and squishy it's overcooked.

Mamae

Right am definately going to give it a go - thanks for all the suggestions.

v8monkeyboy

Any good recipes for quinoa?

I've looked and looked all day, and can't find anything appealing. We're eating a lot less meat at the moment, so if anyone's got any good veggie recipes that would be great! However, all suggestions are gratefully received.

Thanks!

Tracy x

phizzimum

I had a bag lurking in the cupboard for ages (bought it after watching Gillian McKeith on TV!) but I used it up by adding to risottos. it didn't really affect the flavour but I'm sure it improved the nutional value.

sure someone will come along with some more helpful suggestions soon!

twinkle_star_2

I tend to use instead of couscous. If you look at the recipes for Weezl's 50p a day challenge there's a lovely recipe for green beans and couscous. I've made that with quinoa instead of couscous a few times and it's lovely. You just have to cook the quinoa rather than soaking it like couscous.

kafkathecat

I fry some onion garlic and chopped carrot, stir in some cinnamon and cardamom (start with 1/2 tsp each) then add chopped courgette. After a quick stir fry add rinsed quinoa (2 - 300g per person)cooked chickpeas and stock to cover (I don't know how much, sorry). Boil and cook for 20minutes then stir in some coriander leaf and toasted pumpkin leaves at the end. It works if you don't have all the ingredients too. I usually serve with chilli sauce.
Any leftovers make a great soup mixed with some cooked lentils, tomatoes and curry spices.
K.