Delicious Ways to Prepare Quinoa

Quinoa: {keen-wah}

Cultivated in the Andes for over 5,000 years, quinoa has been called the "mother grain" and "the gold of the Incas." (It's technically not a grain but a seed, but it is used in virtually the same ways as other whole grains.) Today, the popularity of quinoa is growing steadily as people discover its pleasant nutty taste and super food qualities. As a complete protein source also high in iron, magnesium, and fiber, quinoa is not only one of our healthiest pantry staples, but also one that's incredibly easy and quick to cook.

To cook the quinoa, add one part of the grain to two parts liquid in a saucepan. After the mixture is brought to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer and cover. One cup of quinoa cooked in this method usually takes 15 minutes to prepare. When cooking is complete, you will notice that the grains have become translucent, and the white germ has partially detached itself, appearing like a white-spiraled tail. If you desire the quinoa to have a nuttier flavor, you can dry roast it before cooking; to dry roast, place it in a skillet over medium-low heat and stir constantly for five minutes.  BTW, you can use your rice cooker just use the 2:1 liquid to quinoa ratio and follow the instructions on your rice cooker.

**1 cup dry quinoa yields about 3 cups cooked quinoa

Quinoa Tabbouleh salad

1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package directions
1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
5 green onions, finely chopped
2 cups small grape tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded, thinly sliced
1 lemons, more to taste, Juice of
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt, pepper and crushed red pepper to taste
Source: Whole Foods

Fish Tacos with Quinoa Tabbouleh and Taziki

1 fillet fish, I used Gorton's Wild Alaska Pollock

1 whole wheat pita

1 tbsp taziki

2 tbsp quinoa tabbouleh (from the recipe above)

lemon, juice to taste

side of kale chips

Quinoa-Chia Mango Parfait

1 lb frozen mango, thawed

1/4 c agave nectar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1 can light coconut milk (about 1.5 cups)

1/4 c chia seeds

1 c cooked quinoa (white works best)

Puree mango, agave nectar, coconut milk, vanilla and cinnamon until smooth in your food processor.  Refrigerate for about 2 hours.  Layer quinoa pudding into bowls with fresh fruit and then top off with the chia seeds (about 1 tsp).  I put the chia seeds on last because they will expand and look like fish eggs.  My kids are picky about textures so I didn't want them to turn their noses up to the gel-like chia.  They loved this recipe and were begging for more after dinner as a dessert.  I layered their parfaits with blackberries.
Source: Whole Foods