Cooking with quinoa is a healthier option than using ordinary processed carbohydrates. Learn how to cook quinoa to perfection and incorporate it in some seriously delicious healthy recipes!
KEEN-WA.
Was anyone else totally off the mark when they first discovered quinoa? That’s my first memory of it…sounding like a bit of an idiot trying to pronounce the strange-to-me superfood. It then took a while for me to actually buy it, because budgets on a grad students salary are tight, y’all! Then I eventually warmed up to this food after making some other cuts to the grocery fund—like CHEESE. Cutting out some of the cheese we were eating drastically opened up some money to purchase some healthier options like good ol’ quinoa!
I currently only purchaser quinoa from Costco. They typically have at least one variety there, and it is sooooo much more affordable than anywhere else I’ve seen. Even Walmart. I think it saves $1-2/pound than buying it in any bulk bins too! If you don’t have your Costco membership yet, you should probably go out and get one. Now. I could preach about my love for Costco alllll day long. (Except for how crazy busy that place gets. And the people who cut in front of you in line for food samples. Rude.) But instead we’re gonna talk about cooking quinoa and a bunch of different recipes you can use it in!
Quinoa is a staple in my typical food preparation. It’s super easy to make a big pot of it and then throw it in or on the side of whatever dishes you want. I’ve used it for lunches, in dinner mixes, breakfast skillets and even in yogurt bowls! Kyle thought that one was pretty strange, but it tasted freakin’ delicious. Many recipes on the blog use pre-cooked quinoa, because you can mix it in with recipes that still need bake or cook time and it turns out great. It’s one of the best carbs to cook and have on hand because it doesn’t get dried out like rice, or soggy like baked sweet potatoes can do sometimes.
The way I cook quinoa is also a little bit different than I’ve seen it done before. I use a quinoa:water ratio of 1:1.5, which uses much less water than several people do it. I find this way it doesn’t get too soggy, and the cook time is always right on the 15 minute mark!
Sooo today’s recipe is simply how to cook quinoa! To perfection, and to use in whatever recipes your little heart desires. Like one of the following recipes below! Most of these recipes used cooked quinoa, but there are a couple that use it a little differently. They looked too good not to incorporate!
Cooking Quinoa plus 13 Quinoa Recipes
Cook
Total
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1.5 cups water
- EVOO or coconut oil*
Instructions
- Add water to a pot. Stir in quinoa and a swirl of EVOO or small drop of coconut oil.
- Place the pot on high heat and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, turn the heat to low and cover the pan. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat and use quinoa as desired.
Notes
*This is optional, but it sometimes helps the quinoa from sticking together once it's cooked. If I'm using the quinoa for savory dishes, I'll use EVOO. Otherwise using coconut oil is a little more generic if you're baking with it or mixing it with something sweet.
Courses Sides
1. Veggie Quinoa Breakfast Skillet
2. Quinoa Breakfast Bars via The Lean Green Bean
3. Quinoa and Avocado Romaine Salad
4. Crockpot BBQ Chicken Quinoa via Food Faith Fitness
6. Honey Toasted Pine Nut and Leek Quinoa Salad via Cotter Crunch
8. Greek Quinoa Bowls via Peas and Crayons
9. Chickpea Quinoa Power Burger by Vegan Heaven
10. Buffalo Cauliflower Quinoa Meatballs via The Almond Eater
12. Cranberry White Balsamic Quinoa
13. Sundried Tomato, Kale and Quinoa Mac ‘n Cheese via Fit Foodie Finds
thanks lovely! these look wonderful. Sharing!
How long can Quinoa be kept in fridge after making??
I usually keep it about a week!