# Quinoa



## Fiona (Feb 22, 2008)

I bought a bag of quinoa about 6 months ago and I am still waiting to be inspired for what to do with it, bar throwing it out of course! Do you have any interesting suggestions? I would be really interested to hear from you. Thank you.


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## redkitty (Feb 22, 2008)

Hi Fiona, I just made some last night!  I use it fairly often since it is a good source of protein.  I usually cook it in vegetable stock (I'm a vegetarian, so any stock you prefer will work) and add fresh chopped herbs when it's done.

You can use it in place of rice for any dish, I had Ratatouille last night and served it on a bed of quinoa.  Make sure you rinse it before cooking.  Here is some good reading on it if you are interested WHFoods: Quinoa


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## Fiona (Feb 22, 2008)

Hello Redkitty, Thank you I shall look at the link. Do you have any other special tips? A friend recently said she had eaten it & it was awful. I put this down to the cook & not the product.

- see you are in Bristol. Had friends visiting me yesterday from Bristol! Have a great day.


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## redkitty (Feb 22, 2008)

The first time I cooked it I didn't know to make it with stock instead of just water and it was quite bland!  Stock gives it sooo much more flavor and obviously adding your fresh chopped herbs of choice.

You have a great day too!


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## plumies (Feb 22, 2008)

Don't throw out that quinoa! At least try it before tossing it. I personally don't like it by itself, not much flavor, but I really enjoy it mixed into other dishes.

One of my favorite is quinoa raisin muffin. Very good and filling, too. Quinoa is the perfect protein but calorie dense. This works great for me in the mini muffin form since I can just have a small muffin to fill me when I'm hungry. I'm planning on making the muffins this weekend but using blueberries instead of raisins.

Another dish I tried was a quinoa salad from a food blogger friend of mine. You can see his version here: mmm-yoso!!!: Quinoa Salad

I've also substituted it for rice in soups. If you like black beans, here's a dish that DH has been trying to get me to make (he loves black beans): Black-Bean and Tomato Quinoa Recipe at Epicurious.com

I have both the white and the black but have not tried the black yet. I hear it's a bit nuttier in taste than the white.


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## jessicarussell (Feb 22, 2008)

MSN Health did an article on quinoa today, and it has some great recipes. I tried to find quinoa when I went to the store at lunch, but couldn't find it. 

The article is on the home page to their health and fitness section.


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## Fiona (Feb 22, 2008)

many thanks - I feel inspired to try!


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## jessicarussell (Mar 3, 2008)

I finally made quinoa last week. I ordered it online from Melissa's, as I couldn't find it locally. I don't think I rinsed it quite long enough, as it still seemed a little bitter (husband compared it to sauerkraut taste, but he loved it just the same). I sauteed leeks and garlic in olive oil, then added the quinoa to the pot with white wine and some stock. Cooked it until it was light and fluffy, then added in some roasted vegetables. It was really pretty good...now that I have a case of it, I'm going to have to seek out new recipes


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