Red Quinoa
Quinoa has gotten a lot of attention lately. It's kind of the new "fad" for people who want to incorporate a "superfood" into their diet. It's also really really good and versatile!
As a matter of fact, 2013 was the International Year of Quinoa:
From Wikipedia:
The United Nations General Assembly declared 2013 as the "International Year of Quinoa" in recognition of ancestral practices of the Andean people, who have preserved quinoa as food for present and future generations, through knowledge and practices of living in harmony with nature.
Quinoa was important to the diet of pre-Columbian Andean civilizations. Quinoa has been called a superfood. Protein content is very high for a cereal/pseudo-cereal (14% by mass), yet not as high as most beans and legumes. Quinoa's protein content per 100 calories is higher than brown rice, potatoes, barley and millet, but is less than wild rice and oats.
I am always looking for new ideas for salads & casseroles to make because they provide good leftovers for lunches to take to work. I've experimented with the boxed Near East quinoa and now that I know I like it, I'm looking forward to making more of it.
Join me below the orange quinoa grain for some recipes that I want to try!
Since I had Chinese food yesterday, this sounds really good:
Quinoa Fried Rice
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa (or 2½ to 3 cups leftover cooked quinoa)
1 ½ cups water or low-sodium chicken stock
¼ small onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 scallions, chopped and divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 eggs, lightly scrambled (still raw)
½ cup frozen peas, thawed
Sauce:
1 ½ tablespoons teriyaki sauce
2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
¾ teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
Rinse quinoa a few times in cold water.
Bring quinoa and water or chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan, and then reduce to a simmer. Season with salt.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes until quinoa is fluffy and cooked through. Remove from heat and let set for five minutes or so. Fluff with a fork.
Cool and store in the fridge, preferably overnight.
Mix teriyaki, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
Heat ý tablespoon olive oil in a large sauté pan over a high heat. Add onion and carrot, cook about two minutes. Add 2 scallions, garlic and ginger to the pan. Cook another two minutes. Add in the rest of the olive oil and the quinoa. Stir-fry about two minutes. Add sauce and stir-fry until incorporated, about two minutes. Make a well in the center of the quinoa pour eggs in, scramble. Throw in peas, then toss everything together until the peas are warmed through, add remaining scallion and serve.
And I absolutely love everything Mediterranean so this sounds wonderful:
Quinoa Tabouli
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed, drained and cooked according to package instructions
2 cups chopped tomatoes, about 2 large
1 1/2 cups chopped cucumbers
1/2 cup chopped onion (can substitute green onions)
1 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
2 cups fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
Dressing:
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/3 scant cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1 garlic clove, grated
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon Koser salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Combine quinoa and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Transfer to a large bowl to cool while you prep other ingredients.
Add chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and fresh herbs to cooked, cooled quinoa. In a small bowl, whisk together ingredients for dressing. Pour over quinoa salad and toss to combine. Refrigerate for a couple hours to chill slightly. Serve room temperature or cold.
Notes
If you want to make this the traditional way, just substitute 1 cup of bulgur for quinoa and cook per package directions. Adjust the seasonings as needed. You can always add more or less vegetables or herbs depending on your preferences.
Quinoa Vegetable Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked quinoa
15 oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3 roma tomatoes
1 orange bell pepper
1 1/2 cups corn (I used frozen, thawed)
4 green onions
{For the dressing}
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. basil (or fresh if you have it)
Directions
Rinse quinoa, and cook according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, and basil. Set aside.
Slice green onions, dice roma tomatoes and bell pepper.
When quinoa is done cooking, let cool. Then place all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
Pour dressing over top and mix well to combine.
Can eat immediately or chill before serving.
Ok, so those are all great recipes for salads. What about main dishes? Well, here's a few ideas:
Sesame Chicken with Quinoa
Garlic Butter Shrimp Quinoa
Creamy Chicken Quinoa Broccoli Casserole
Creamy Chicken Quinoa Broccoli Casserole
Ok, so some meta:
WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!
The schedule is open and
TX Scotia has promised to grace us with more yummy salad diaries but we don't know what dates yet. If you are interested please let me know if you would like to do a diary. Send me a kos message, it's so much easier than having to go back to a diary and comb through the comments;)
And, fellow Pinterest users, I have created a What's for Dinner? DKOS board and I was thinking it could be useful for archiving and inspiration. If you are on Pinterest please let me know, I could make it a group board!
Here's my Pinterest page if you want to check it out:
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