Quinoa has become much more popular the past few years, but some questions remain. What is quinoa? How do I make quinoa? And most importantly, how the heck do I say “quinoa”?
The first time I had quinoa, I was an unassuming twenty-year-old, lost and scared in the Whole Foods that was inexplicably placed between a Circuit City and a Borders and across the street from a Target. I had already broken the first rule of going grocery shopping by showing up at the store hungry enough to eat an entire six-foot sub, with dipping sauce on the side, naturally. I’d picked up my usual groceries and on the way to the cash registers, I passed the ready-made deli section of the store. Unable to contain myself any longer, I look at the salads and cut cheeses that shimmered beneath the sneeze guard. I saw the quinoa salad, helpfully labeled “Quinoa Salad” and asked, timidly for “a big container of, uh, Quinn-oh-ah salad.” The deli-dude looked at me and just laughed. “It’s keen-wah,” he said. I was too hungry to care but now I know and you all now and everything is beautiful and nothing hurts.
Quinoa is actually the seeds of a plant in the Chenopodium genus. It originated in the Andes region in South America. Because quinoa is the seeds of the plant, it is a great source of protein. What makes it even more special is that it is a complete protein, unlike beans. If you don’t eat meat, if you do eat meat, whatever you eat, it’s nice to be able to mix up your protein sources and this is a great choice. Quinoa isn’t totally ubiquitous, but it’s very common in fancier grocery stores and the “health/natural” section of some large chains.
Quinoa should be rinsed before being prepared to remove bitter chemicals called saponins. After it’s rinsed, throw it in a pan with a 2:1 water to quinoa ratio and you’re ready to go. It cooks like rice, maybe a little bit faster. You know you’re done when the water has absorbed and your quinoa is looking fine and fluffy. I like cooking it in broth to give it more flavor, but it’s not a necessity or anything.
Personally, I like to take some quinoa, cool it down and make it into a zesty springtime salad. That’s wishful thinking in February, but here’s the recipe for anyone dreaming of flowers and April showers.
2 cups cold quinoa, cooked
Juice from one lemon
Tablespoon of olive oil
1 avocado, diced
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 large cucumber, diced
6 oz. baked tofu
Salt and pepper to taste
Cilantro (optional)
Just mix all of that together and eat it. It’s really forgiving, so you can basically make any substitution you want. Don’t like tofu? Try bell peppers instead. Or leave it out entirely.
Have you used quinoa? What do you use it in? If you haven’t, do you think you’d try it?
30 replies on “Destination Quinoa”
I fell in love with quinoa past over the summer when I lived with a lady who couldn’t eat flour pastas. So delicious!
This is an awesome piece! My nine year old loves quinoa, so I am going to copy and paste all of these delicious recipes for her.
Your nine year old has good taste! I love all the recipes posted in the comments and I can’t wait to try out the new ones.
I usually eat quinoa for breakfast with toasted almonds, fresh apple pieces, cinnamon, and stevia. I toast the almonds in a generous amount of raw coconut oil because I’ve found that quinoa doesn’t keep me full unless there’s fat in it.
For anyone who doesn’t like the distinct aftertaste of quinoa, try the red variety, as it doesn’t seem to have the aftertaste.
That makes sense – combining the protein of quinoa with some fat would make it way more filling. I like the idea of adding almonds and apples.
How timely, I just made the most awesome Quinoa Porridge in the whole wide world because it is cold out and I’m sick of oatmeal. I used almond milk but I’m sure any milk would be yummy. Feeds 1 hungry person:
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed well
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
Lots of cinnamon
Put that in a pot, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and let it simmer for about 12 minutes.
Then add:
another 1/2 cup milk
chopped walnuts or any nuts you feel like
dried cranberries, blueberries, raisins, whatever
agave nectar, honey, or brown sugar
Now simmer it while stirring and let it thicken (about 10 minutes I think). If you are patient it’ll get really thick like a pudding but if you are hungry and can’t wait it’ll still be awesome. The quinoa is kind of crunchy and it keeps you full for ages. I think I might actually make this for dinner tonight because now I’m craving it.
This is one of my favorite breakfasts!
About quinoa in general, I’ve never been able to tell the difference when I’ve forgotten to rinse it. Maybe it’s just the kind I buy, though.
A lot of the time, the quinoa comes pre-rinsed, but not always, which is why I want to add the disclaimer. I don’t want to scare someone off this food before they really get a chance to try it!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I have never had a sweet version of quinoa, just savory, and I realize that I am missing on a world of deliciousness.
I use quinoa in wraps. In a sprouted grain tortilla (I use French Meadow Bakery) I put quinoa, kale, carrot, roma tomatoes, avocado, cucumber and homemade salad dressing (usually a vegan Caesar dressing). I could eat that every day.
This sounds amazing. I am going to have to try it when the weather warms up. Would you be willing to share your homemade Caesar salad dressing recipe with me? I haven’t found a good vegan one and I miss it.
It’s actually a recipe I got from Isa Moskowitz’s Appetite for Reduction. Blend together
2 tbsp chopped shallots
2 tbsp cashew pieces
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp miso
1/3 cup water
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp capers w/brine
1/8 tsp salt
black pepper
Blend it for 5 min. You may have to stop and scrape the sides a bit.
Awesome thank you. I have some of her other cook books but not that one.
Put quinoa in casserole dishes. Add it to marinara sauces. And as soon as I find a way, I’m going to pair it with chocolate.
It is so good. omg
Oh, and serve it straight up with olive oil and pepper. Naan bread on the side. :)
That all sounds amazing. I mean, part of that is the naan (what doesn’t taste amazing with naan), but a big part of it is the simplicity of the dishes and maybe I’m not sophisticated or whatever, but simple dishes are the tastiest.
I love quinoa and like to use it in place of rice. I also like to toast it and add it to bread recipes (we’re gluten free, so I’m always looking for stuff to add interest to my baking recipes).
I have never heard of adding it to bread recipes. That’s a neat tip, thank you!
I like quinoa..It cooks quickly and quite rapidly. Its like rice!
The fact that it’s such an easy alternative to rice is amazing – it lets me have a lot of variety in what I eat without much effort.
I love quinoa! I discovered it shortly after going vegetarian a little over 2 years ago and have been a big fan ever since. Here are a few recipes I like:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Avocado-Quinoa-Salad/Detail.aspx (vegetable broth can be used instead of chicken broth if you’re veg)
Quinoa With Peas and Parmesan
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 small stalk celery, finely chopped
3½ cups vegetable broth
2 cups rinsed quinoa
2/3 cups grated parmesan cheese
½ cup evaporated milk
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic, onion, and celery. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, 5-7 minutes. Pour in vegetable broth and quinoa, and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 15-20 minutes. Stir in the peas, parmesan cheese, evaporated milk, and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
Quinoa and Black Beans
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 cup sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
¾ cup uncooked quinoa
1½ cups vegetable broth
¼ tsp cumin
dash of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup corn kernels
1 (15-ounce) can black beans
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and sauté until lightly browned.
Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
Stir corn into the saucepan and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans. The quinoa may turn an unappetizing shade of gray because of the beans, but do not be discouraged, it’s still delicious.
This is AWESOME. Thank you so much for sharing. I have made a variation on the Quinoa and black beans, but I’ve never tried anything like the first recipe.
That sounds delicious…I’m gonna try that.
VEGETARIAN FEATURE YES GET IN MAH MOUF.
Sincerely,
Madly in Love with Quinoa
Quinoa – is there anything it CAN’T do?
(Apart from mow my lawn and pay my bills for me, that slacker seed.)
But, if you planted it in your yard instead of grass then you could 1. never mow the grass again, cause it’s gone! and 2. sell the stuff and use the money to pay your bills.
Quinoa does it all :)
Oooo. This sounds fantastic! Do you bake the tofu yourself or do you buy it already baked?
I usually buy it because I am still experimenting with the best way to make it myself. I have managed to make some pretty OK baked tofu but I also make some of it into sticky charcoal, so…it’s a mixed bag.