Anyone heard of/cooked with Quinoa? Recipes? This is a grain

which is high in all kinds of good things and a great substitute for meat, I am told. I had some this weekend (someone else made stuffed pepper casserole with it) and it was really good.

and have also tossed a fistful into a pot of chili. It packs a punch with protein!

Also, it makes a really good tabouli. I wouldn't use it as a meat substitute, though. It's a higher protein alternative to rice and couscous, though.

Best place for ideas is probably vegweb.com.

I threw Seitan into a stir-fry once and my guests didn't even notice it wasn't chicken.

A couple of ideas (all ingredients to taste)

Savory:

Fresh basil, fresh tomato, salt, garlic, maple syrup (just a touch) and lemon (same)

Sweet:

Quinoa with maple syrup, rice/soy/hemp milk, bananas (or not) and nuts or coconut shavings(or not)

recipe? I have no idea.

Seriously, it pops just like popcorn. Heat it in a hot skillet, and it will start popping. It's not much bigger popped than raw, but it does taste a little like popcorn. I've heard of people using it as a breakfast cereal (like rice crispies), or just using it in recipes that already use quinoa, but I've wondered if it could be turned into some interesting snacks, like popcorn balls or rice crispies treats with healthier ingredients. But since I have greater imagination than actual ability, I've never done anything.

Found this link: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=9124.0

It looks like it's full of little worms.

is what I always think of when I eat it.

:D

If I can get past that image, I'm OK. :silly:

The flour also makes good baking flour and pasta for those of us who have a hard time with gluten.

larvae, I'm done eating it for the day. Which is too bad, because I LOVE wild rice.

garlic to cook it. You can then add any number of things to it to make an easy one pot meal. Fresh tomatoes, black beans and some hot chilies with a little sour cream on the side...excellent.

I've also experimented with several varieties of hot breakfast quinoa porridge.

dinner.

It will thicken any soup and you can just throw it in for the last half hour or so. You know it is done when the little seam comes off, looks like a tiny "C". The body of the grain will continue to thicken the soup the longer you cook it. Although I love okra, many people are driven to spontaneous regurgitation at the simple mention of it, so if you are in the latter group you can use Quinoa as an alternative when making gumbo.

I've seen many references that claim that it is pronounced "KEEN-wah", but nobody has any idea what you mean if you say that. "Qwin-oh-ah" seems to get through. It is a super grain like amaranth in that both contain complete compliments of protein, but you would have to eat a frightening amount of it to make it a main protein source. I've used it like rice as a base for stir fry dishes and it is quite good, but it is also quite filling so serve less at first.

Enjoy!

Meat substitute? Good protein source but not a substitute for the texture or substance of meat in a dish. Great substitute for white rice.