What to do with quinoa....What's a girl to do? (Or a guy...) (ingredients, chicken)

[KathrynAragon]

OK, I love quinoa and think it's a great source of protein and other nutrients. I have two basic, and VERY tasty twists on quinoa that I'll share:

For both of them, I let the quinoa soak in water for three days (changing the water out each day). This allows it to sprout.

Then I cook it in slightly salted water for just a few minutes and drain it. I let it cool, or I run cold water through it again.

In both recipes I use finely chopped onions or shallots, halved cherry tomatoes, and sliced almonds. The rest is open to interpretation! My two favorite twists on this basic recipe are Cajun/Tex Mex and Italian. Here goes:

After you mix up the above ingredients (in whatever portions you prefer), add a sprinkling of olive oil. You can also sprinkle in some balsamic vinegar - YUM.

For Cajun/Tex Mex - add chopped pickled jalapenos, Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning (or your favorite Tex Mex seasoning), and fresh cilantro.

For Italian, add Italian herbs - fresh is best.

Refrigerate overnight for the best flavor. I like to chop up romaine lettuce and put this on top and then sprinkle a bit of balsamic vinegar on top. YUM.

[McGowdog]

My wife made this for me and I made her show me how to do it;

One cup of quinoa in two cups of boiling water, then cook on simmer for about 15 minutes and set aside.

Chop up a few or more green onions, cherry tomatoes, raw spinach if you have it handy, etc., then mix into your quinoa this stuff and;

1/4 cup evoo
some salt to taste,
pepper to taste,
cumin to taste,
corriander or chop up cilantro and throw in at the end,
chili powder,
cayenne powder,
juice from a lemon
cooked black beans

mix up and you can eat this cold or hot, stuff peppers or portabello mushrooms with it, etc.

[crazyme4878]

I found that I can use quinoa instead of couscous in most recipes. Now I have a plethora of new recipes to try, since I don't use couscous much (and why do they put couscous under the grain category in so many books? It's not a grain! ). I did a bake with cooked quinoa, diced tomatoes, sauteed onions, pine nuts, spinach, and a little mozzarella. Everyone loved it.

[coolgato]

Originally Posted by McGowdog

My wife made this for me and I made her show me how to do it;

One cup of quinoa in two cups of boiling water, then cook on simmer for about 15 minutes and set aside.

Chop up a few or more green onions, cherry tomatoes, raw spinach if you have it handy, etc., then mix into your quinoa this stuff and;

1/4 cup evoo
some salt to taste,
pepper to taste,
cumin to taste,
corriander or chop up cilantro and throw in at the end,
chili powder,
cayenne powder,
juice from a lemon
cooked black beans

mix up and you can eat this cold or hot, stuff peppers or portabello mushrooms with it, etc.

I really like this recipe because it doesn't have a lot of ingredients and it sounds easy to make. I also have a can of black beans that I didn't know what to do with and now I have just the right dish to use it in. When I read recipes I "cook" it in my imagination and I taste it, too - it's delicious! Thanks for the recipe!

[EastCB]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

OK, I love quinoa and think it's a great source of protein and other nutrients. I have two basic, and VERY tasty twists on quinoa that I'll share:

For both of them, I let the quinoa soak in water for three days (changing the water out each day). This allows it to sprout.

Then I cook it in slightly salted water for just a few minutes and drain it. I let it cool, or I run cold water through it again.

In both recipes I use finely chopped onions or shallots, halved cherry tomatoes, and sliced almonds. The rest is open to interpretation! My two favorite twists on this basic recipe are Cajun/Tex Mex and Italian. Here goes:

After you mix up the above ingredients (in whatever portions you prefer), add a sprinkling of olive oil. You can also sprinkle in some balsamic vinegar - YUM.

For Cajun/Tex Mex - add chopped pickled jalapenos, Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning (or your favorite Tex Mex seasoning), and fresh cilantro.

For Italian, add Italian herbs - fresh is best.

Refrigerate overnight for the best flavor. I like to chop up romaine lettuce and put this on top and then sprinkle a bit of balsamic vinegar on top. YUM.

This sounds great!!! I use a lot of quinoa but have never thought of sprouting it. Thanks, Kathryn!!!

[Heidi60]

Thanks for posting.

I'm probably too simple, we just cook it in chicken broth with a little onion and chopped celery. Anything goes after that.