magical quinoa

I haven’t posted much about quinoa lately, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not still utterly smitten with this little super-grain. Loving quinoa has gotten easier over the past couple of years because I can now even find this at my local Walmart Supercenter here in NW Arkansas – and when it’s convenient to purchase, it’s convenient to work into your recipe rotation!

I’ve seen a couple of quinoa patties around the internet lately (I blame Pinterest). So, when I picked up a new pack at the store last night, I figured there was no time like the present to give it a go. Might’ve been some sort of (vain) attempt to offest some of the damage I’ve done this Superbowl weekend. Maybe.

These are really easy to throw together and will be a new regular at our house. In the future I can see dressing them up in all sorts of ways – with different veggies, different cheeses, maybe even a Mexican or a Greek version!

Quinoa Patties
(adapted from Epicurious)
2 cups cooked quinoa, at room temperature
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 yellow or white onion, finely chopped
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, plus more if needed
Water, if needed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Combine the quinoa, eggs, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the onion, cheese, and garlic. Add the bread crumbs, stir, and let sit for a few minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a mixture you can easily form into four 1/2 cup patties (approximately 6″ in diameter and 1″ thick). Try to err on the very moist side because it makes for a not-overly-dry patty, but you can add more bread crumbs, a bit at a time, to firm up the mixture, if need be. Conversely, a bit more beaten egg or water can be used to moisten the mixture.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat, add patties and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the bottoms are browned. Carefully flip the patties with a spatula and cook the second sides for another 5-7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and serve warm.

Greek Quinoa Salad with Shrimp

We’ve got some quinoa goodness going on over at FGG today — Greek Quinoa Salad w/ Shrimp!

quinoa – the mother of all grains

I have a new favorite thing. And, amazingly enough, it’s not covered in chocolate, it doesn’t have more fat grams than I need in one day, and… wait for it… it’s good for me. Crazy, I know. It’s quinoa.

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah), though new to many of us, has been around since pre-Columbian civilizations. Because of its amazing nutritional properties and its ability to survive in even the harshest of environments, the Incas considered it so sacred that they referred to it as chisaya mama – mother of all grains. It’s been classified as a “super crop” by the United Nations because of its high protein content. In fact, quinoa is what’s considered a complete protein, meaning that it has all nine essential amino acids. It’s also an excellent source of lysine, manganese, magnesium, iron, copper, phosphorous. Oh, and it’s an excellent source of dietary fiber. Want more? It’s gluten free and it’s easily digestible. See? It’s amazing.

There’s just one thing about this mother of all grains… it’s not actually a grain. Though it can be used in most any application that you would normally use a grain like rice or couscous, it’s actually the seed of a plant called chenopodium quinoa and is related to beets, spinach, and chard.

Grain or not, I love this little super food. Its nutty and earthy, crunchy and chewy, and is just so much more fun than plain old rice. Add to it that it’s actually better for me too? Quinoa was an easy sell.

We started small with the Quinoa Encrusted Salmon last week. Bolstered by the success of that, I was ready to tackle something bigger. So, I cooked up a batch of quinoa with the intent to use it in whatever sounded good over the course of a few days. I was not disappointed. We used it in a stir-fry with shrimp and veggies. We ate it in conjunction with a stew which I’ll post about later this week. And, this morning, I had it for breakfast. I think I may be in love.

First… let’s talk about how to cook quinoa. It’s dead easy and pretty quick.

Cooked Quinoa
In a medium (3-4 quart) pan over high heat, bring 3 cups water to a boil. In a strainer, rinse 1 1/2 cups quinoa under running water and drain thoroughly (this ensures you remove any remaining saponins which can make your quinoa bitter). Add quinoa and 1/4 teaspoon salt to pan with boiling water. Adjust heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender to bite, 20 to 25 minutes. (Makes 5 cups or about 4 servings.)

We kept (and will continue to keep) the cooked quinoa, covered, in the refrigerator for easy meals. Case in point… breakfast.

Susan and K both mentioned that they enjoy quinoa for breakfast – something I hadn’t even considered. Turns out that it’s quite popular in that application as well and I was excited to discover yet another way to enjoy my new favorite thing. And enjoy I did…

Warm Quinoa Breakfast Cereal
1 cup prepared quinoa
1/2-3/4 cup skim milk (depending on the consistency you like)
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup toasted almonds

Place prepared or leftover quinoa in a sauce pan. Add milk, butter, honey, cinnamon and raisins. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until the cereal thickens slightly. Garnish with nuts and an additional drizzle of honey if you like. Makes one very hearty serving or two more modest ones.

You can also cook the quinoa IN milk, but I don’t find there’s much of a diffeence and using the prepared quinoa fits better into my morning routine. And you can vary your fruits (think peaches, apples, blueberries) and your toppings (pecans, sunflower seeds). I don’t foresee myself getting bored with this one for a while… if ever!