Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Hi Familia!!

I have a Quinoa issue.  I tried to prepare it once and found it pretty bad and unacceptable for consumption.  I can think of 3 potential reasons for this:  1)  I hate Quinoa; 2) the box I purchased from Trader Joes was rancid, or  3) I had a poor recipe.  Can anyone help?  Does anyone actually like quinoa?
Love you all,
Marilynne

4 comments:

  1. We tried it once and had a texture issue with it. I think that it is easy to overcook. Consequently, we have a half-used box in the pantry.

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  2. Ryan's mom made a quinoa recipe over the weekend with corn and black beans. It was SOOOOO good. I have the recipe at home and will send it your way!

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  3. hey there - i love LOVE quinoa - seriously!! my mom has makes tons of good recipes using quinoa... too bad we cannot get her on this food blog! : ) The first thing she told me about cooking it is to substitute chicken stock for water. We just do that and then add veggies, i.e., edamame, black beans, and corn. Nance made a really good quinoa and spinach recipe this past weekend - I'll see if I can get it from her and share with you all.

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  4. Hey Marilynne,

    Quinoa can sometimes be tricky...I usually add a little more than double the water (I have never tried chicken stock, but I am sure it give it a good flavor). Below is a good healthy turkey meatloaf that I make with quinoa in it. I make cauliflower mash as a a side and fresh spinach or broccoli to go with it.

    Turkey Meatloaf
    • 1/3 cup quinoa
    • A little over 2/3 cup water or chicken stock
    • 1 teaspoon olive oil
    • 1 small onion, chopped
    • 1 large clove garlic, chopped
    • 1 ½ pounds ground turkey
    • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
    • 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
    • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 ½ tablespoons fresh rosemary
    • 1 egg
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
    • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 1 teaspoon chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme

    For the glaze:
    • 1/2 cup ketchup
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • Dash Worcestershire sauce
    • Dash hot pepper sauce
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    Directions
    • Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
    • Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
    • Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute; remove from heat to cool.
    • Stir the turkey, cooked quinoa, onions, tomato paste, hot sauce, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire, egg, salt, thyme, cayenne, chili powder, rosemary and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. The mixture will be very moist. Shape into a loaf on a foil lined baking sheet. Combine the ketchup, cumin, Worcestershire, honey and hot sauce in a small bowl. Rub the paste over the top of the meatloaf after about 10 minutes of cooking.
    • Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 50 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Let the meatloaf cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

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