quinoa recipes

[ny biker]

Where in the grocery store does one find quinoa?

(I need to lose a few pounds, well okay more than a few, and my efforts are leaving my hungry and dizzy, so I'm looking for ways to boost protein intake. Thinking it's time to try quinoa, among other changes.)

Thanks!

[ridenread]

I find it in the same aisle as rice

[Eden]

It's often in with the other grains - where you'd find rice and barley and it is usually available in bulk if your store has a good bulk foods section. Stores that have a separate "natural foods" area may put it there. Stores with a limited selection may not carry it at all though.

While I'm here… a great quinoa recipe

base recipe
1bunch of kale, ribs removed, finely julienned
1 large clove of raw garlic chopped or crushed
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup of raw quinoa cooked
1 can of chickpeas (or other beans as you wish)
lemon or lime juice

to make the base salad - put the julienned kale, olive oil and salt to your tastes and the garlic in a big bowl - with your hands rub and squeeze the kale until it is all quite bruised and soft and the garlic is crushed. This is messy, but vital to the texture of the final dish. Stir in the quinoa, beans, black pepper and juice. It's OK if the quinoa is a little warm, though this is meant to be a room temperature dish.

Additions - dress it up!

Mediterranean style additions
green or red onion chopped finely
feta cheese
sautéd zucchini
tomatoes
tzatziki style sauce (I make it with yogurt, cucumber, cumin & garlic sort of part tzatziki, part riata)

Mexican style additions (try it with black beans)
corn
finely chopped green chili
red or green onion
pumpkin seeds
queso fresca (or feta, which it is not too unlike, though usually a little less salty)

make up your own….

[Crankin]

All of the normal stores I go to have quinoa; several brands and types (red, brown, mixed). It's near the rice, faro, cous cous, etc.

[ny biker]

Okay I did find it with the rice. It doesn't have as much protein as I'd hoped, about the same as oatmeal if I read the labels right (though admittedly the number were pretty fuzzy since I didn't have my reading glasses with me.) But then again oatmeal doesn't go with everything.

I saw "white" and "rainbow." I wasn't expecting to have to choose a color -- is it all basically the same or are there big differences in flavor, texture, whatever?

Thanks!

[VeganBikeChick]

Flavor and texture are the same, I find.

[Crankin]

I find it the same, too. Quinoa is not a complete protein, like beans or meat, but it is definitely more filling and has more protein than say, brown rice.
I am getting ready to go out, but tomorrow I will have time to send you a quinoa recipe or two.

[Eden]

Thats incorrect - quinoa is in fact a complete protein, however beans are not, but so long as you eat a good mixture of foods you'll easily get all of the amino acids you need, so that need not be the most important factor you consider in choosing one food over another. Quinoa has 8 grams of protein per cup, which isn't as protein dense as meat or soy products, but it is a little more than beans and rice.

[OakLeaf]

Whatever you buy, check the label to see if it's been rinsed or not. As harvested, quinoa has a very bitter coating that takes several rinses to remove. Some brands are pre-rinsed. Can't hurt to rinse it in any case, I suppose, and taste a little of the rinse water to be sure.

I find the flavor a little too sweet for most grain-type dishes and soups, but I like it in salads.

[rebeccaC]

Quinoa is a nutritious addition to any meal!!! A lot of packaged quinoa actually goes through an abrasion process to get rid of the saponin layer…that also takes some of the bran layer. I buy bulk and soak/rinse myself for an aerated more fluffy taste. I don’t rinse when I want a nuttier, earthier flavor and want it to be firmer when toasting it. I haven’t had a bitter taste come from not rinsing the bulk that whole foods sell.

My diet plan

I want to lose ten pounds
only fifteen to go

Diet day 1
I have removed all of the bad food in the house.
It was delicious……..
end

[Eden]

My diet plan

I want to lose ten pounds
only fifteen to go

Diet day 1
I have removed all of the bad food in the house.
It was delicious……..
end

lol - that gave me a good chuckle.. I've never rinsed my quinoa. I haven't the faintest idea of whether or not it has come pre rinsed or not, though I do mostly buy it from the bulk foods area. I don't find it to be bitter, so I've always assumed it was already washed, but I may just not know better

[OakLeaf]

I've always assumed it was already washed, but I may just not know better

You'd know. It would be so bitter as to be inedible. Way, way beyond things that are a matter of taste like bitter melon (which I love!) or bitter greens.

It's been a while since I've bought any, honestly. I don't fix a lot of salads at home, as I said I don't care for the flavor of quinoa in pilafs, mock risotti or soups, so mostly when I have quinoa it's in salads at restaurants. Eden brand used to be un-rinsed, though.

[Crankin]

Eden, I knew I was using the incorrect language... I just didn't know how to say what I wanted to say, which is that quinoa does not have an many grams of protein as other proteins. But, it's still more protein than other grains. I do stand corrected, thank you.
Yeah, I buy washed quinoa. I have made the kind that's unwashed, and it's a pain. Those little grains get everywhere in the process! THe unwashed is SUPER bitter if you don't wash it.

[ny biker]

The package I looked at yesterday didn't say anything about rinsed or not, but as mentioned I didn't have my reading glasses so I might have missed it. The cooking directions didn't mention that it should be rinsed first.

(I was in Whole Foods -- I had walked there from my office to get lunch. I always just put my phone and wallet in my pockets and leave my purse in the office, but I guess I've reached the point where I have to bring the darn reading glasses too. I already had to get one of those chains so I can wear them around my neck, like the gray-haired stern librarian lady at our public library when I was little. )

The next time I'm in a grocery store I'll have my glasses so I can read the whole label before I buy.

Thanks!

[ny biker]

My diet plan

I want to lose ten pounds
only fifteen to go

Diet day 1
I have removed all of the bad food in the house.
It was delicious……..
end

Yup, that's me! Darn Christmas cookies. ..