Whether you use red, white, or black quinoa, they all cook up similarly. Quinoa is a very heart-healthy grain with many important nutrients (iron, potassium, fiber, Vitamin E, etc.) and more protein than any other grain. It is slightly crunchy when cooked.
Rinse the quinoa in cool water and drain before you begin. Cook it like rice as follows:
1 cup quinoa (for about 3 cups cooked grain)
1 ½ cups water or stock
¼ teaspoon salt
Put the rinsed quinoa in a cooking pot (2 quart) and add the water and salt. Cover with a tight-fitting lid.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low as you would for rice. Simmer for approximately 15 minutes, making sure all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat source and let stand for about 5 minutes. Fluff gently with a fork and serve.
Additional Flavors
At this point you may want to add other flavors (or not!). Here are some suggestions:
Butter—quinoa is always good with melted butter!
Herbs—hopped fresh herbs like thyme, oregano, flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, dill, or cilantro.
Sun-dried tomatoes—chop them as much as you can and fold into the quinoa.
Capers―don’t overdo it but several tablespoons of capers are great.
Sausage―chopped and cooked sausage pieces.
Vegetables―fresh and chopped into small pieces or cooked. Some examples: bell pepper, green or red, etc., brussel sprouts (lightly cooked and halved), broccoli (cooked and pre-broken into small pieces).
Nuts―chopped walnuts, roasted almonds or hazelnuts, chopped; pine nuts (whole)
Olive oil―just a touch with the pine nuts and dill is wonderful!
Feta cheese―crumbled
If you wish, you can cook twice the amount of quinoa and save half for another meal. See our page on reheating the leftovers in the microwave.
Vary the things you add to it for different flavors each time. Your kids will probably prefer and LOVE the quinoa with butter melting through it.
Your story was really informative, tnahks!