Quinoa is not only delicious and healthy, it is fast and easy to prepare making it a great substitute for rice and other grains in recipes.It comes in a variety of colors, and though the flavor is slightly different the ease of preparation is the same.
Quinoa Cooking Directions:
To cook quinoa, place one part quinoa and two parts water in a large pot.
Cook it over a medium-high flame until it reaches a boil.
Place a lid on the pot, lower the flame and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes or until the germ separates from the seed.
I f you look closely at the picture above, you can see little ridicules, that is the germ and it will be present when the qunioa is done cooking.Use want the germ to be al dente and the seed to be light and slightly crunchy.
Quinoa Recipes:
Quinoa’s crunchy texture and mildly nutty flavor makes it a wonderful addition to many different recipes. Here are a few of our favorites:
My Favorite: Asian Chicken Salad with Quinoa
My Daughter’s Favorite: Broccoli and Quinoa Salad
My Husband’s Favorite: Quinoa and Avocado Salad
My sons’ favorite: Southwest Quinoa Salad
Have you cooked with quinoa? How do you use it in recipes?
Disclosure: I am a contributing writer for $5 Dinners.
Mmm! I love me some quinoa! I even got my parents hooked. I always make way too much and have it for lunch. Sometimes I just mix in my husband’s hummus and some balsamic vinegar and call it a day!
That sounds delicious Jackie!
I like making quinoa in the rice cooker, it works really well =)
I think this is my very favorite recipe with it: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/11290/roasted-tomato-halloumi-and-quinoa-salad
I usually add in a cucumber and it works really well with sun dried tomatoes instead of fresh ones too.
I have heard that you can make quinoa in a rice cooker, but have never tried it. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I didn’t like quinoa at first because of the crunchiness, so now I cook it longer and like it quite a bit now.
I will have to try cooking it longer to see how it changes the texture. Thanks for the idea!
I read somewhere, we need to soak, wash and roast before cooking quinoa. I have some in my hand, now to try them.
You don’t have to soak, wash or roast packaged quinoa.
I love quinoa, and it’s so easy to cook! My favorite is recipe is to make it into a greek salad with cucumber, tomatoes, onions, and feta!