<p>I’ve only tried the white and yeah, not a big fan. I do like it added to brown rice though. I cook them both separately but add some of the cooked quinoa to the cooked rice. Adds a pleasant nuttiness to the rice, particularly good when I’m getting a little bored with rice.</p>
<p>I like the white quinoa better just because it cooks a lot faster than the red one. I only tried one recipe and I loved it, so I never looked for another way to serve it. I separate Brussels sprouts into leaves and saute them in olive oil. I like mine to get a little bit brown, but as soon an they are soft, they are ready. Mix with the cooked quinoa and enjoy. I tried this with broccoli and didn’t like it as much, but I think it would have been better if I had broccoli chopped (lol) in smaller pieces.</p>
<p>I found a lot of people are turned off by the smell of the quinoa cooking. Till my H adjusted I would cook the quinoa in the morning and put it in the refrigerator to cool. I would prepare it at dinner in a recipe that would be served chilled or room temp.
I like white rice but use quinoa as a replacement because I am trying to eat better carbs. The changes have eloped me lose 30 plus lbs.</p>
<p>It seems to be very important to wash the quinoa really well to remove the natural coating on the grains, which, I’ve heard, is what makes quinoa taste bitter. Our favorite recipe is a quinoa salad with dried fruit, cashews, and a honey vinaigrette.
Honey Vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp grated ginger (I’ve used fresh or the jarred kind)
1/4 c. honey
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp lime juice
minced garlic, about 1 tsp
1/4 cup EVOO
whisk together first five ingredients. Drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly, until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.</p>
<p>For the salad:
2/3 c quinoa, well-rinsed
1 c. water
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup whole cashews, chopped
1/2 cup dried apricots, sliced into slivers
1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
Lettuce (about 4 cups)
In medium saucepan, bring water, quinoa and salt to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 10 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.</p>
<p>Fluff quinoa with a fork. Toss the quinoa with the cashews, fruit, and onion. Add lettuce and drizzle with ½ cup of the vinaigrette. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pass remaining vinaigrette.
4 servings.</p>
<p>anyone else for recipes? I’ve cooked it a few times, have sampled it at a store and still don’t feel the love. I find it’s just bland & chewy. Given I’m gluten-intolerant I want to like it to have more options. (my favorite GF pasta is a quinoa/corn blend, so I’m not sure I’m completely hopeless!)</p>
<p>So I should be washing the quinoa first before cooking on the stove OR in the rice cooker???</p>
<p>I recently checked out two cookbooks from the library where every recipe had quinoa, from sort of like oatmeal for breakfast all the way through to desserts. The easiest way for me so far is to use it in soups to make them more filling so I suggest goggling some soups w/quinoa. I don’t dislike it, but I do find I am not using in as much as I want to. I guess it is just hard to change!</p>
<p>I read that the seed(which it technically is) has a bitter coating which helped it survive. They wash most of it off in processing now but you should still rinse it in a colander to remove just in case there is any remaining. It should be cook on the stove just until done (kind of like rice) and then put it different recipes.</p>
<p>here’s a stupid question: My 2 colanders have fairly large holes and quinoa is fairly small. How do I ‘wash’ it without sending it all down the drain?</p>
<p>I pour the water off through a mesh strainer; it doesn’t have to be a big one. Here are a couple recipes I use it in–</p>
<p>[Quinoa</a> and Black Bean Salad Recipe at Epicurious.com](<a href=“http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Quinoa-and-Black-Bean-Salad-12245]Quinoa”>http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Quinoa-and-Black-Bean-Salad-12245)
[Quinoa</a> Chowder with Spinach, Feta, and Scallions Recipe - CHOW](<a href=“http://www.chow.com/recipes/29401-quinoa-chowder-with-spinach-feta-and-scallions]Quinoa”>http://www.chow.com/recipes/29401-quinoa-chowder-with-spinach-feta-and-scallions)
[Quinoa</a> with Prunes Recipe - Quinoa Recipes - Oprah.com](<a href=“Oprah.com”>Quinoa with Prunes Recipe - Quinoa Recipes)</p>
<p>I want to try these–
[Almond-Cranberry</a> Quinoa Cookies Recipe at Epicurious.com](<a href=“http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Almond-Cranberry-Quinoa-Cookies-380583]Almond-Cranberry”>http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Almond-Cranberry-Quinoa-Cookies-380583)</p>
<p>Yes, always wash it. It has a coating on the seed that is somewhat bitter.</p>
<p>I don’t wash it.
My older D discovered quinoa long before it became popular. I think the old quinoa was less processed and needed to be rinsed several times.</p>
<p>nj2011mom-you might try a coffee filter in the bottom of the colander if you don’t have the mesh strainers. I don’t know if it will work-seems like something else I read somewhere.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure the Costco version is pre-washed. Says so on the bag.</p>
<p>I like it prepared with less water than is typically recommended, to keep it from getting gummy.</p>