Quinoa?

Does anyone on here cook with quinoa? I've been wanting to try it, but don't really know what to do with it. Also, I hear that while it's very healthy and contains complete protein, lots of iron, etc, it's also fairly high in calories, so I'm not sure how much of a meal I should make of it. Thoughts?

I LOVE quinoa.  It is high in calories - but I can never eat more than 1/4 cup (measured while dry) because of the high amounts of protein and fiber.  That's only around 200 calories.  I always mix it with a bunch of vegetables - it goes well with anything you have around.  This includes steamed spinach, asparagus, roasted tomatoes, broccoli, onions, garlic, olives, etc...

You can eat it hot, but it also makes a great lunch-y salad when cold.

Edit: To cook plain quinoa, soak 1 cup (dry) in water for at least fifteen minutes in order to get rid of any bitter flavor and allow the quinoa to cook evenly.  Stir the quinoa with your hands and carefully pour out the excess water.  Drain quinoa in a mesh strainer.  Transfer back into your pan.  Add 1 1/2 cups water.  Bring the grain to a boil, then cover the pan with a well-fitting lid and reduce the heat.  Simmer for fifteen minutes.  Remove quinoa from heat and let it sit for about five minutes with the lid on.  Fluff it gently with a fork and serve!

omg quinoa! my favorite way to make it is with veggie broth (not water) and edemame, bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, baby spinach, tomatoes, water chestnuts, onions (all steamed or sauteed first so they're slightly softer).... it turns out so pretty and is so flavorful! whatever veggies you have will work, even out of the freezer. i eat it with just salt, my mom likes salsa and/or chili powder, my dad likes olive oil on his, and my sister uses soy sauce, lol! they all taste good!

I tend to use quinoa as a substitute for rice or other grains.  This recipe for 'Avocado Stuffed Mushrooms' is very tasty, for example.

i make it as i would porridge

My favourite way to prepare it is to use it in place of rice in Spinish rice.
Otherwise I cook it in chicken or beef stock with an onion and some garlic and have it as a carb replacement.

Thanks guys, this sounds excellent! I need to get a mesh strainer, but otherwise, I can't wait to try it! Mmmmm.... spinach and asparagus.....

In addition to all the great ideas mentioned above, I love having Quinoa in place of Oatmeal in the morning!

I also really love the savory combination of Quinoa, corn, and chopped red bell pepper, seasoned with a little cumin & chipotle chili powder.  Very tasty!

Here are some additional ideas for recipes with Quinoa :)  http://www.sheknows.com/articles/809150.htm  I've made the plum & Quinoa salad and it is DELICIOUS  (I omitted the walnuts, and served with plainly grilled chicken).

Hi - I cooked this recipe which makes 4 meals at 360 cals each.

Roast 1 red onion chunked, 3 mixed peppers cut into chunks, 2 garlic clove, 8 cherry tomatoes in 1 T olive oil for 15-20 mins.  Sprinke with 1tsp ground cumin 5 mins before end.

Meanwhile, measure 1/2 pint dry quinoa and add 1 pint boiling water, simmer for 10 mins until water absorbed.

Fluff up quinoa with 1T olive oil, add roasted veg, 3 tbsp chopped parsley, 3 tbsp chopped mint leaves and juice of 1/2 lemon.

Hope this helps!

I love quinoa!!  I am not a red meat eater, so this is a good protein source for me. 

I use chicken broth and chopped veggies to cook it.  The type I have you just place 1/4 cup of dry quinoa into a pan with 2:1 ratio of liquid, I double this because I like it soft like oatmeal rather than rice.  I cook it on a simmer until the liquid is absorbed.

I guess it depends on the kind you buy, I have heard that red quinoa is great as well.

I tried quinoa for the first time this summer, and I loved it. I made a sort of salad with quinoa, chopped apple, dried cherries, toasted pecans, and a little olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper. It was yummy!

Make sure you rinse/drain your quinoa several times before use or it will taste bitter.

I guess I am the odd one out. I have tried it, but didn't really liked how it looked or texture. I'll stick with buckwheat Kasha and rice.

UD

to people who have tried quinoa....what is it's texture? i've seen it and my mom made a dish with it before but i didn't eat it because it looked disgusting with the other ingredients she put in (plus i think i didn't like the additives)...it looked like it would have the texture of cous cous, which i hate

So does it taste like eating cous cous?

Original Post by prinzessin_naseimbuch:

to people who have tried quinoa....what is it's texture? i've seen it and my mom made a dish with it before but i didn't eat it because it looked disgusting with the other ingredients she put in (plus i think i didn't like the additives)...it looked like it would have the texture of cous cous, which i hate

 

So does it taste like eating cous cous?

Unfortunately, it does.  It's just a little bit less grainy, and it tends to feel a little more dense.  But that doesn't mean you shouldn't experiment with it!  You can do almost anything with it.  Try it with stir-fry instead of rice.  Or season it with lots of spices and load it up with veggies!  It works nicely in a few soups as well.

I love quinoa, it is a bit like cous cous. I prefer it to cous cous though, I cant really describe the taste exactly its quite mild though.

I keep reading that quinoa is really high in protein but when I looked at the back of my package, it said something like 14g protein per 100g raw, well other grains I looked at like buckwheat or ww spaghetti had about 11-13g protein per 100g, so there isnt much difference? Is it just because quinoa is a different sort of protein?

Original Post by betty1302:

I love quinoa, it is a bit like cous cous. I prefer it to cous cous though, I cant really describe the taste exactly its quite mild though.

I keep reading that quinoa is really high in protein but when I looked at the back of my package, it said something like 14g protein per 100g raw, well other grains I looked at like buckwheat or ww spaghetti had about 11-13g protein per 100g, so there isnt much difference? Is it just because quinoa is a different sort of protein?

The rave about quinoa and protein is because, unlike other grains, quinoa is a complete source of protein by itself--which means the grain contains all essential aminoacids for your body to be able to absorb the protein.  Any other grains or legumes have to be combined (beans & brown rice, for example) in order for you to get the aminoacids necessary to break down the protein in your body for appropriate absorption.

Ok, quinoa purchased! I got asparagus and cauliflower and a red pepper to roast and have with it too! I'm excited! Thanks for all the great ideas guys: I think I'm going to try cooking it in broth instead of water for this trial. :)