A New Pantry Staple- Quinoa

by Rachel on February 25, 2010

Recently someone suggested quinoa as a great source of iron, as I was looking to boost the iron in my son’s diet.  Since that suggestion I have been on such a quinoa kick!  Quinoa is a very nutritionally packed grain, that has such versatility.  My first attempt at cooking quinoa, I just followed the instructions on the box, although I used vegetable stock, rather than chicken stock or water to cook it in.  I was surprised by the delicious distinct flavor.  Next I tried a breakfast quinoa recipe with apples, cinnamon and honey, which was equally as delicious, and a nice alternative to the typical oatmeal.

Now that I have a few quinoa options under my belt, I have found that quinoa is very versatile.   While shopping at Whole Foods a week ago, I discovered quinoa flakes and quinoa flour.  The quinoa flakes are a great instant version of quinoa for breakfast, which cook in only 90 seconds.  The quinoa flour is a gluten free flour option that can be used in baking for cookies, muffins, breads, etc.

I love that quinoa is such a totally healthy and versatile grain.  Since I have added quinoa to my diet I have actually found many store-bought items with quinoa as one of the ingredients.  I have found whole grain O’s cereal from Whole Foods that has quinoa as an ingredient.  I have also found quinoa bread from Trader Joe’s.  Today I ate lunch out at the local market and had quinoa curry soup full of yummy root vegetables.  It’s funny to think that this little grain has been out there forever and I have just now discovered it.

I would love to hear if you have some delicious quinoa recipes.  I am eager to experiment more with delicious recipes, especially since I have found that my son loves it as much as I do!

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9 comments

Article by Rachel McFadden

Before motherhood I had an appreciation for our planet, but once I knew that I was bringing a new life into the world suddenly my urge to live a greener life was much greater. I knew that I must do my part to help create a beautiful place for my future generations to live. I take steps each day to reduce my carbon footprint. This blog is dedicated to documenting the changes I make in order to help others do the same.

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  • Molly

    this is a recipe from wholefoods.com
    It’s a Quinoa Salad w/ chicken, grapes & almonds. I serve it on lettuce with a little vinagerette dressing. It’s sooo yummy!
    http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/611

    • http://www.greenbabiesblog.org Rachel McFadden

      MMMM….thanks Molly, I’m definitely gonna give that a try…maybe this weekend!

  • http://www.puremodlife.com PureModLife

    So I tried it as a side dish with cod & salad. I put olive oil with some s&p..it was delicious, def something we will incorporate into our meals. great find…thank you!

  • Allie

    Rach, I love quinoa also! La used to make a yummy quinoa chili when we lived together. Beans, tomatos, spices..like chili with no meat! It was so delicious. We also used to do quinoa with feta, tomatos, olives, red onions, and shrimp….you can pretty much add anything!

  • http://marlieandmommy.blogspot.com Teresha@ Marlie and Me

    I like to grind it up and add it to my smoothies. I a few months I’ll be adding it to Miss M’s homemade baby foood

  • http://organicmotherhoodwithcoolwhip.com Organic Motherhood with Cool Whip

    Gotta love Quinoa. Good stuff. I just found your awesome blog. Following you now. Come by and visit me sometime too if you want:

    www. organicmotherhoodwithcoolwhip.com

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  • Julie

    Rachel – This is a great salad to take for lunch or as a side-dish for a mexican-style dinner. It’s delicious! I’m going to post the whole recipe because I forget which site I adapted it from….

    3/4 cups quinoa; cooked
    1 can of black beans (15 oz.), drained & rinsed
    1 1/2 tbs. red-wine vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
    1 1/2 cups cooked corn
    3/4 cups red onion, diced
    1 tsp. ground coriander
    DRESSING:
    5 tbs. lime juice + 1 tsp. salt + 2 tsp. ground cumin, or to taste + 2 tbs. olive oil

    While quinoa is cooking, combine vinegar, beans, corns, onions and coriander in a bowl. Cool quinoa in a separate bowl, then combine with other ingredients.
    Whisk together dressing ingredients in small bowl. Stir all ingredients together and refrigerate to allow flavors to marinate.

  • Auntie E

    Rachel,

    Try red quinoa, it is my favorite .. the flavor is differnt. Also if you soak it first you can get rid of the slight soapy taste of the white varriety.

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