Too Many Chefs

I enjoy quinoa enormously, but I find for a week afterwards tiny little grains showing up in the weirdest places in the kitchen.

One of my experimental goals is to work up a quinoa crusted savory pie.

Yum. Quinoa always seemed so intimidating to me (so many different ways of preparation etc.), but you've inspired me to give it a go. Thanks!

Just found your blog. I love quinoa. You can take cooked quinoa (1 cup), low-fat or fat-free vanilla yogurt, sliced strawberries, sliced kiwi fruit. Mix all together. Yum!
You get protein, dairy, fruit, fiber, grains, what more could you want.

Still trying to like quinoa. Last weekend I made the Quinoa with Corn, Scallions and Mint from Aug 2006 Gourmet Magazine. It was disappointing but maybe it was the recipe itself not the quinoa. Anyone try this particular recipe?

Only had quinoa for the first time few weeks ago, after reading about pretty much everywhere. My first attempt was mango & quinoa cream, which was lovely, so now I'm ready for quinoa salads:)

Lu, I think that - like couscous - quinoa depends on a flavourful recipe to be successful. On it's own it has a slightly nutty flavour but it isn't really striking. The main thing is the texture, which you either love or loathe in my experience. The Critic LOATHES grainy textures, which is very sad for me!

I believe the reason for the several washes is to remove the saponins which quinoa contains. Without doing this, quinoa tastes bitter/soapy. Can you confirm if this is accurate/necessary? Thanks.

This sounds so nice and simple. I'll probably substitute the goats cheese ( not available) with buffalo paneer though it probably won't be as flavourful.

Kit --

Some (but not all) varieties of quinoa do have heavy saponin coatings in the wild, and a few decades ago the quinoa that was sold in the US still had those coatings so the washing was important (not only for the flavor, but also because saponin is an antinutrient that robs quinoa of most of the nutritional effectiveness that quinoa is so famous for), but I believe almost all quinoa that you get in the US now is either pre-washed, or polished to remove the saponin coating. If you want to be sure, just dunk your quinoa in some water, and see if it foams up; if so, then you've got unwashed/unpolished quinoa and you probably want to go through the full rinsing process.

I've been highly intimidated by quinoa recipes too- despite the box waiting in my kitchen for the past two months. Your recipe inspired me to improvise my own salad. I’m hooked!

Meg,
While on holiday last month in the US I sang quinoa's praises to lots of friends and family, who have since tried it themselves and are now converts too.
Too Many Chefs has begun a trend!
Now must try it sweet instead of savory; sounds yummy!
Taina

You’ve probably heard the rumour that quinoa is the new rice. While this is true, it’s better than rice because it’s a complete protein and rice is not. In simple terms, it’s equal to eating a piece of chicken because it’s a complete source of amino acids which are the building blocks of every single cell in your body. Sufferers of anxiety and depression are more often then not deficient in these vital amino acids as they are the raw materials for neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. Vegetarians, vegans, gluten-free-bees, meat-eaters who’ve tried it, all love it.