Bought a box at Trader Joe's... inexpensive and interesting looking. Cooks kinda like rice. I made it into a tabuleah-ISH (that's not REMOTELY spelled right, is it?). Diced onions, cukes, tomatoes, parsely or mint, lemon juice, and some olive oil.

My favorite way to eat it is as if it were breakfast cereal. Just boil and drain, add butter, sugar, and a little half and half. Yummy.

What Donna said(plus a little cinnamon):D

I'm trying it out also.

My favorite so far (after onions, mushrooms, mint, etc) is 1/2 c. cooked in 1 c. chicken broth.
2 Tbsp. (12 sprigs) of cilantro snipped in, after cooking. Can't stop eating it.

Walnuts are particularly nice with it.

I rinse it, then bring it to a boil (1 C quinoa to 2 C water or broth), then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. When done, put it into a bowl. Then I make a lemon vinaigrette to pour over the quinoa. I also add fresh veggies like chopped Texas sweets or Maui onions, lightly steamed asparagus, some parsley, a bit of S&P, and sometimes toasted pine nuts, sometimes chevre.

This is my favorite recipe for quinoa and it is perfect for the fall!

Quinoa Pecan Salad with Dried Cranberries

This hearty salad has a zesty combination of textures and contrasting flavors. Plus, it's loaded with fiber and nutrients. Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 25-30 minutes

3 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups quinoa
1 bunch green onions, finely sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries, diced
1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped
3/4 cup celery, finely diced
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper

1. Bring water to a boil. Add quinoa; stir, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until quinoa is soft and water is absorbed ��" about 25-30 minutes.
2. Add green onions, dried cranberries, cilantro and celery to a large salad bowl. Toast the pecans in a small skillet and add to the salad bowl (optional). Add the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, sesame oil, salt and peppers to the bowl. Stir to mix.
3. Stir in the quinoa when it has cooked and cooled slightly. Set aside for an hour if possible to allow flavors to marry; serve at room temperature.
Photography by Rita Maas

Calories 197,Fat 9,Perfat 42,Cholesterol 0,Carbo 25,Protein 4,Fiber N/A,Sodium N/A

OOps - I forgot to mention, I usually leave out the cilantro and serve it chopped in a separate bowl for those that want a little added. Too many people don't care for cilantro.

Alexa

My DH hates cilantro. I think it was my over use of it in a dish one time. I'm interested as to where you all grow your own cilantro or just buy when you need it at the grocery store.

Alexa, that recipe sounds wonderful.

Karen

One of my favs is a simple prep - rice cooker, beef boullion (sp?), mushrooms. Really brings out the 'umami' factor. I sometimes toss a few peas in there.

There is a great looking soup recipe using quinoa in the "Time for soup" thread.

I make it for breakfast instead of oatmeal. It does have a different texture but it's also very good for you. However, according to my blood type I should not eat it. LOL But, there are a lot of different foods that I should avoid, according to my blood type, that I refuse to give up.

This is a breakfast favorite at our house... I generally make a 1/2 recipe for two people. -Grainlady

BREAKFAST QUINOA

Makes 3-3/4 cups
(source: The Splendid Grain - Rebecca Wood)

2 c. fresh orange juice (I also like mango or apricot juice)
1 t. ghee or sesame oil (I use butter or coconut oil)
1 t. honey
1/8 t. sea salt
1 c. imported quinoa or 1-1/3 cups domestic quinoa, well washed (always wash your quinoa before using it)
2 T. pecans, roasted and chopped very fine (I use a LOT more)

Combine the orange juice, ghee, honey, and salt in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Watch closely to keep the orange juice from boiling over. Add the quinoa, cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until all of the juice has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Add the pecans and fluff with a fork.

(Grainlady note: Since there are usually leftovers, I add the pecans when serving, otherwise they get rubbery after they are refrigerated.)

FYI:
-Wash quinoa well before cooking to remove the bitter saponin that coats it. Use a strainer with a small mesh. Place the quinoa in a bowl and add water to cover. Using your palms, lightly scrub for about 10 seconds. Strain out the washing water and repeat this process. Pour all of the quinoa into the strainer and run fresh water over for 5-10 seconds, or until the water runs clear.

-Imported quinoa takes two cups of stock or water per cup of grain. Our smaller domestic quinoa requires 1-1/2 cups stock or water per cup of grain. Both yield about 3 cups of cooked grain and take about 15 minutes to cook.

-Quinoa has the highest protein of any grain (16 percent) and, unlike other grains, is a complete protein with an essential amino acid profile similar to milk. It contains more calcium than milk and is high in lysine, an amino acid that is scarce in the vegetable kingdom.

(Information source: The new Whole Foods Encyclopedia - by Rebecca Wood).

My sil made this quinoa recipe for a family party and everyone loved it.

Santa Fe Quinoa Salad
1 1/2 c water
1/2 c Picante sauce
1 c quinoa, rinsed
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper
15 oz can black beans, rinsed
1 1/2 cups fresh corn
1 cup cherry tomatoes
4 scallions, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 TBSP canola oil

In a saucepan over high heat combine first 6 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover with lid and cook until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Uncover and toss with fork. Transfer to large bowl, cool slightly. Add remaining ingredients and toss well. Enjoy!

I've made a quinoa risotto, a few times. Basically treat it like rice, saute in oil first then standard risotto process with stock, wine, butter, and I used mushrooms too. It takes a long time to develop creaminess. Not going to replace regular risotto for me, but I was interested in if I could do it.

My Quinoa Tabouleh recipe is here:

http://bakecookeatmove.blogspot.com/search/label/Quinoa

Bonnie

Wish there was a way to edit a message *sigh*

Here's the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Quinoa Tabouleh

I appreciate all these recipes and ideas to use quinoa. So far all I've done is use it for breakfast cereal or throw cooked grains into salads. Thanks for your contributions. It sounds like a super grain. And really appreciate grainlady's tips on washing it before cooking. I've rinsed it but apparently not as well. And your breakfast recipe sounds a lot better than mine. Thank you.

This is the recipe of what I made the other night. Even the kids wanted 2nds:

I rinsed it, then cooked it in homemade chicken broth. (2 c quinoa and 4 c broth) I brought it to a boil and cooked it until the liquid was absorbed then put on the lid to steam that last 5 or 10 minutes. At that point, I added to the top of the quinoa, 1 lb cooked shrimp, some fresh basil ribbons, chunks of fresh tomato, a finely diced spicy bell pepper, a little bit of chopped fresh Italian parsley, and 2 or 3 cloves of garlic put through the press, and let it all warm as the quinoa steamed. I finished it was a couple tablespoons of olive oil, a sprinkle of Balsamic vinegar, and served it with Parmesan cheese.

Thank you, thank you for the recipes. I'm like Terrapots, I appreciate the variety. I can always count on the bunch at the cooking forum to supply full data. Not so with the sewing and knitting. They don't seem to have the faithful followers that you do. Thanks again - Barb

Barb - I'm so glad you posted this request, as I've had a bag of quinoa from TJ's sitting in my pantry and have been looking for some new recipes.

I've printed off everything and am going to work my way through them!

Sue

The soup lakemayor mentioned (thanks!) was mine, I think:

Spicy Tomato-Vegetable Soup with Quinoa

2 T extra virgin olive oil
One large onion
3 Celery stalks
1 Medium carrot
1 1/2 C Cabbage
2-4 Garlic cloves
1 14.5 oz can tomatoes, with juice
1 lb. fresh tomatoes
5 14.5 oz cans chicken stock OR the equivalent amount of home made chicken stock or chicken stock made from store bought chicken base, not boullion.
1 can water
1 serrano pepper, sliced in half the long way
2 t dried leaf oregano
1/4 dried leaf thyme
1 T dried leaf basil
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 C Quinoa*
Thinly sliced green onions for garnish.

Dice all vegetables into 1/4 inch pieces...if you use pre-diced canned tomatoes, they will likely need to be cut smaller as well. Heat a heavy-bottomed, 6 Qt saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, and when it becomes fragrant, add the onions, celery and carrot. Saute until the onion becomes translucent, then add the rest of the ingredients except for the Cabbage and Quinoa. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Bring 2 quarts of water to boil in another pan, and add the Quinoa. Return to a boil, then reduce the heat just enough to prevent it boiling over. Boil the Quinoa for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse in a fine mesh sieve. Add the Quinoa to the soup and simmer another 15 minutes. Add cabbage, bring soup to a slow boil for 5 minutes and turn off heat. At this point, the soup can be served, but the flavor will improve greatly if the soup is allowed to sit at least until it is cool before reheating to serve, and if it sits for several hours or overnight, all the better! Remove the serrano chili halves before serving and sprinkle soup with sliced green onions for garnish.

Yield: Appx. 14, one-cup servings

*If you cannot find Quinoa at the grocery store, it can often be purchased in health food stores. Rice may be substituted, but the flavor and texture will be different.

I have found that Quinoa is a good pilaf ingredient as well. Half rice of your choice, half Quinoa, and use your favorite pilaf recipe. One thing is to be careful you don't overcook it in too much liquid because it can get quite sticky & mushy. A little too much, and you can spread it out in a pan underneath a fan and dry it out a little to save it. A lot too much, and you might just as well throw it into a soup or stew or eat it as porridge.

Something to experiment with is toasting it in a heavy pan (dry) before cooking. It gives it a nutty flavor. I often toast half and leave the other half untoasted when I make a pilaf. The same can be done with millet, another under appreciated grain.

I really need to try this. I saved another recipe earlier but haven't gotten around to it yet. Does anyone know if you can cook this in a rice cooker? If so do you need to vary the setting from regular rice setting? I have settings for regular (which I use for rice) and harder or softer.

Pumpkin Quinoa Muffins
(adapted from Bob's Red Mill recipe)

* 2 Tbsp melted Butter
* 1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 3/4 cup cooked quinoa
* 1 egg
* 1/4 cup egg white substitute
* 3/4 cup Unsweetened Canned Pumpkin
* 1/2 cup almond milk
* 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
* 12 pecan halves

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the cooked quinoa, separating the grains with a fork to distribute them evenly.

In another bowl, beat the eggs. Add the pumpkin, almond milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Whisk until the mixture is smooth.

Gradually stir the liquid into the dry ingredients just until the flour is incorporated. It's fine if the batter is slightly lumpy. Do not overmix.

Divide the batter among 12 greased muffin cups. Place one pecan half on top of each muffin. Bake 30-35 minutes, until the muffins are nicely browned around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

****************************************

and I've been meaning to try the one at the link below...

Here is a link that might be useful: Baked Quinoa with Spinach and Cheese

I use my rice cooker for quinoa. My cooker has no special settings, just "on".

I love quinoa and second the recommendation to toast it before cooking. I've made this recipe a couple times and really enjoyed it. Actually, it was my first foray using quinoa.

Here is a link that might be useful: Quinoa Stir Fry with Spinach and Walnuts