I heart quinoa.
(Talk of the Town photos by Christy Smith)
I purchased a cookbook the other day, called Gluten Free, Sugar Free cooking. I rented it from the library first, and made a few dishes to make sure I liked it before buying it.
Two of the first recipes I made involved Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-WA), which is a type of grain (actually it's a seed, but that discussion is for a different kind of blog.) It is a gluten free grain, and I was anxious to try something new, in addition to the organic basmati brown rice, millet and teff I've been eating. 
Quinoa is as high in protein as dairy (almost 11 grams per cup), and is high in calcium, iron, B vitamins, zinc and potassium. It cooks quite a lot like rice, by boiling in water, or my preferred method, a veggie or chicken broth. It's apparently very versatile as you can see by the following recipes I tried.
Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa
These are red bell peppers with a quinoa, ground chicken and pine nut "stuffing". Very easy to make, and so delicious. I wish I grew peppers in my own yard, so that I could make this more often without the expense or pesticide worry.
Black Bean and Quinoa Salad
This salad had a bit of a Mexican feel, due to the added cumin and cilantro. But I think you could leave those out and add basil, or other seasonings to change it up. We served it with some ground chicken burgers that I added some cumin, garlic, red onion and cilantro to as well. Topped off with a big slice of avocado, and some homemade garlic pepper mayo, this was a nice dish for a hot night.
These little grains are interesting in that they start out as tiny little balls, but as they cook, the outer ring breaks away a bit, and leaves this cute little pearl looking grain. The center is translucent and soft, while the tiny rim is a bit crunchy and white.
If you're interested in the recipes, please post a comment below and I'll send them to you. Quinoa is a fun and wholesome grain to enliven any summer dish...and hey, you can even impress your friends and family by being able to pronounce it!
Christy Smith is the owner of www.dipstickspretzels.com. She and her husband, fellow small business owner Mark Smith, are the parents of young sons Jacob and Joshua.
Comments
Yes, please share your quinoa recipes. They look delicious and I'm always looking for a non-meat protein source. Thanks!
Posted by: Candice | June 3, 2009 10:02 AM
Candice..I haven't forgotten about you! I will post the recipes soon! I just need to re-type them, so it is taking me longer than I thought. :)
Posted by: Christy | June 16, 2009 12:15 PM
Black Bean, Red pepper, Corn and Quinoa Salad
½ cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup vegetable broth or water
1T olive oil
¼ t. ground cumin
¼ t. salt
¼ c. orange juice
½ t. freshly ground pepper
1 (14 oz.) can of black beans, drained
1 c. white corn (optional)
1 large tomato, chopped
1 large leek, chopped
3 T. chopped cilantro
Combine the quinoa with the vegetable broth in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Cook until light and fluffy, about 12 minutes. Cool.
In a large bowl, mix the remaining ingredients together. Toss well. Add the quinoa and toss again to mix. Serve cold.
Bell Peppers stuffed with Quinoa
This can be made with meat easily by adding ground chicken, turkey or beef to the mixture before stuffing the peppers.
4 large red bell peppers (or yellow, orange, or green)
1 ½ c. vegetable or chicken broth
½ t. salt
¾ cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 t. olive oil
1 c. red onion, chopped finely
½ t. ground cumin
¼ c. chopped cilantro
1 T. lime juice
¼ c. currants
½ c. pine nuts
Salt
½ t. freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil and cut the bell peppers in half and seed. Place them cut side down on the sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until tender. Reduce oven temp to 350.
In a saucepan, combine the vegetable broth, salt, and quinoa; bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer until done, about 10 minutes. Quinoa should be light and fluffy. If it is not, cook for 1-2 minutes longer.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the onions. Cook until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cumin and continue cooking for 1 minute. Add the cilantro, lime juice, quinoa mixture, currants and pine nuts. Toss to mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Stuff into the pepper halves and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes, or until heated through.
Posted by: christy | June 25, 2009 09:58 AM
Where can you find Quinoa? Wal-Mart? Kroger? What section is it in? I'd love to try it!
Rachel:
You can find Quinoa at our Columbia City Kroger store in the organic foods section (towards the rear of the store near fresh produce). It will be at eye level near other rices and grains on the shelf. Ours came in a red, resealable bag -- which was handy since we didn't use the whole bag at one time.
Jennifer
Posted by: Rachel | June 29, 2009 08:26 AM