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Quinoa: Pretty good!

During the last Costco expedition, I noticed they were offering organic quinoa, a grain I’ve long been curious about. The package suggested preparing it like tabbouleh, something I happen to favor.

First time I fixed it, though, it was breakfast time and things were a bit too rushed to fiddle with slicing garlic and onions and with harvesting herbs and making vinaigrette. One of my eccentricities is that I don’t like milk, and so I don’t at all care for hot (or cold) cereals splashed with the stuff. Oatmeal’s OK, if it’s prepared like pasta as a savory dish, instead of gooped up with milk and sugar.

So… I decided to try something along those lines with the quinoa.

It’s easy to cook, much like regular oatmeal or converted rice: just dump a cup of it into two cups of boiling water, turn down the heat, and let it simmer 20 minutes or so, till the water is absorbed. The result is a nice, fluffy product, light and pretty, with an interesting texture.

I had some sausage that I’d cooked and frozen. While the quinoa was steeping, I reheated that and sliced it into bite-sized pieces. Cut up a ripe tomato. sliced a green onion, chopped some parsley.

When the cereal was finished cooking, I served it up in a bowl with a big dollop of butter on it, and then topped it with all of the above, with a sprinkle of Parmesan. It turned out very tasty! And it really filled me up: I didn’t get the slightest bit hungry until past lunchtime.

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August 18, 2009 | Filed Under recipes

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5 Responses to “Quinoa: Pretty good!”

Carrie on August 18th, 2009

when i was a kid i had pet birds and we gave them millet as a treat so now whenever i eat quinoa i feel like i’m literally eating bird food
Revanche on August 18th, 2009

Oh goodness, that sounds like a fabulous combination! I love simple dishes that explode with taste. I’m thinking some chicken apple sausage will do the trick nicely … thanks for another great breakfast idea.
frugalscholar on August 18th, 2009

Do you have Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone? She has an interesting recipe for soup–quinoa, spinach, feta, and other stuff. Made it a long time ago. Maybe I can find the quinoa for a second round.
funny on August 19th, 2009

No, I don’t have that book. I’ll have to look for it. That sounds like a very interesting recipe!

Just discovered last night that the dog thinks quinoa is the best thing since fried bacon. She’s indifferent about the rice I use to pad her food with starch, but when I substituted some leftover quinoa, she licked up every molecule. Follows, I suppose: it’s high in protein and contains a higher proportion of “complete” (i.e., usable) protein that most other grains or grain-like products.
Make It From Scratch Carnival on August 27th, 2009

[...] presents Quinoa: Pretty good! posted at Funny about Money. As I commented on the post, I still feel like I’m eating bird [...]