Perfect Quinoa - DF,GF,V

Perfect Quinoa – DF,GF,V

I worked at Whole Foods back in the day and I never knew how to pronounce the weird grain Quinoa.  Quinoa pronounced KEEN-Wah, not Q-Noah, not Qui-No or any other fun way you have heard it pronounced.  I have been using quinoa in place of rice in most of my recipes and I have loved it.  If part of your New Year’s resolution is to eat a bit healthier, then quinoa is going to be your new best friend. It is nice to have a protein filled rice alternative that tastes just as good as rice, but also packs a protein punch to make a well rounded guilt free meal.  Quinoa is one of the most versatile food items that I have started to use in the past year or so.  Just like rice there has been a lot of trial and error in learning how to make it well, and I think that I have finally discovered the secret.  When I first started making quinoa, it would turn out really mushy and had a weird soapy after taste.  I thought that it had something to do with the water or broth that I was using, but come to find out it has to do with a natural coating that is on the quinoa.  All I had to do is rinse the heck out of it and have a little patience.  After the quinoa is rinsed, toast it in a pot with some oil before adding your liquid of choice and BOOM! You now have the most perfect quinoa.  To get yourself emotionally prepared for the most amazing quinoa of your life, enjoy the fun quinoa video below.  Besides a good laugh it should also teach you one of the ways that quinoa should not be pronounced. 🙂

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcQmBCM3JMs]

Ingredients

  • 1 Cups Quinoa
  • Olive Oil
  • 2 Cups Liquid, such as broth or water
  • Salt (optional)
  • Fine Mesh Strainer
  • Patience

Directions

1. Measure out 1-cup quinoa and 2 cups liquid.

2. Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer, and rinse thoroughly with cool water. Rub and swish the quinoa with your hand while rinsing, and rinse for at least 2 minutes under the running water. Drain. This will eliminate the bitter soapy taste that quinoa tends to have.

Rinsed Quinoa

3. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in the saucepan over medium-high heat, and add the drained quinoa. Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute, letting the water evaporate. You can get sassy and add flavored oil instead of olive oil, to add a little boost to your quinoa.

Saute quinoa

4. Stir in the liquid and the salt (if using) and bring to a rolling boil.

2013-12-16 16.59.15

5. Lower heat to a low simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes, until all of the liquid is evaporated.

6. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner. Let stand for 5 minutes, covered. This is where your patience comes into play

7. After 5 minutes, remove the lid, fluff the quinoa gently with a fork, and eat! (You should see tiny spirals (like teeny tails) separating from and curling around the quinoa seeds.

Now go make the heck out of some curry and dump it all over your perfect quinoa.

Pumpkin Curry Finished

Pumpkin Curry…Click HERE for the recipe!

Enjoy!

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