By Brian Leigh
Photo: 1.bp.blogspot.com
Quinoa is fast becoming very popular in both the health and weight-loss worlds, so we thought we would suggest a few very easy-to-follow quinoa recipes that make your meal times that little bit tastier than simply boiling the rice grain. Cooking quinoa is very easy, hope you enjoy these and they at least give you some inspiration as to what you can do with this new super food and how to cook quinoa properly.
Quinoa recipes: No.1: Breakfast porridge.
Ingredients:
2 cups quinoa, ½ pint water (or milk), a handful of sliced or crushed almonds, honey or jam.
Instructions:
The first things you need to do are wash and rinse the quinoa grain to remove all debris and coating on the seed. Place in a pan of water (can also try boiling it in milk for extra flavour) and bring to the boil, turn down the heat and gently simmer for 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally. Transfer to a serving dish and add a few almonds (either crushed or sliced) and serve with honey or jam.
Quinoa recipes No. 2: Quinoa Paella.
Ingredients: For 2-4 servings
2 cups of quinoa, one red onion (chopped), two (crushed) garlic cloves, 1-2 teaspoons of Saffron (preferably pre-soaked in warm water), 3 cups vegetable broth, one (chopped or sliced) red and green peppers, 1 cup green peas, 1 lime, salt and pepper and finally olive oil.
Instructions:
Warm through some olive oil in an average size pan and throw in both the chopped onions and the crushed garlic. Add both green and red chopped peppers and continue to stir. When these ingredients start to soften then add the quinoa rice and fry for a couple of minutes. Next add the green peas and the soaked saffron to the mix, and finally the vegetable broth. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and gently simmer for approx 15 minutes. Transfer onto serving bowls and serve with a wedge of lime.
Quinoa recipes No. 3: Quinoa veggie soup.
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, vegetable broth 5 cups, 3 cups water, 5-10 sliced mushrooms, 2 large plum tomatoes (chopped), 1 carrot (diced), 1 stick of celery (diced), 1 finely chopped onion, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 green pepper (chopped and seeded), small head of cabbage (chopped), vegetable oil, small bunch parsley, salt and pepper.
Instructions:
Warm through the vegetable oil in a medium-sized pot, add the following contents: quinoa, diced celery, mushrooms, diced carrot, chopped onions, chopped peppers and crushed garlic. Fry for a couple of minutes until they begin to soften, then add the vegetable broth, chopped tomatoes, chopped cabbage head and water. Bring all the ingredients to the boil and then turn down the heat and simmer for approx 15 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper for flavour and then serve. Garnish with parsley for visual effect. Serves 2-4 persons.
Quinoa recipes No. 4: Vegetarian Quinoa Recipe.
Ingredients:
2 cups of water, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil (preferably un-toasted) if not then you can simply use olive oil, 1 cup quinoa grain (please use a dry measure of grain after you have been through the wash and rinse process) a pinch of sea salt, 5 medium-sized mushrooms (sliced ), 1 large yellow pepper (diced ), 4 chopped bok choy leaves, 1 clove of crushed ginger,1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 1 lime (zest and juiced) 2 Tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
Instructions:
Add the 2 cups of water to the dried quinoa grain and a pinch of sea salt, bring to the boil and then simmer for 20-30 minutes. Whilst you're cooking quinoa there is no need to stir it. You will know when it is cooked correctly as you will visibly see the translucent centre of the grain as well as the swirl pattern on the grain itself. Heat another medium-sized pan and pour in the sesame oil (un-toasted) and the sliced mushrooms, cook until soft. Next add the diced yellow pepper and stir together with the mushrooms and again cook until they become softer. Add the bok choy leaves to the mix and cook further until the green parts of the leaves begin to wilt, then add the lime zest together with the crushed ginger and a pinch of sea salt to flavour and stir all contents taking care not to make everything mushy. Finally, transfer the cooked quinoa from the first pan into the cooked vegetables and add the tamari, lime juice and sesame oil continuing to stir ingredients.
There are many different types of meals you can do with quinoa, it is great for breakfast recipes, snacks, lunch meals and main dinners, it really is that versatile and can be mixed with almost any other ingredient that you would associate with a normal rice dish.
Please enjoy these four lovely quinoa recipes and feel free to experiment with cooking quinoa and other ingredients; you will be surprised just how versatile quinoa actually is.
Photo: 1.bp.blogspot.com
Quinoa is fast becoming very popular in both the health and weight-loss worlds, so we thought we would suggest a few very easy-to-follow quinoa recipes that make your meal times that little bit tastier than simply boiling the rice grain. Cooking quinoa is very easy, hope you enjoy these and they at least give you some inspiration as to what you can do with this new super food and how to cook quinoa properly.
Quinoa recipes: No.1: Breakfast porridge.
Ingredients:
2 cups quinoa, ½ pint water (or milk), a handful of sliced or crushed almonds, honey or jam.
Instructions:
The first things you need to do are wash and rinse the quinoa grain to remove all debris and coating on the seed. Place in a pan of water (can also try boiling it in milk for extra flavour) and bring to the boil, turn down the heat and gently simmer for 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally. Transfer to a serving dish and add a few almonds (either crushed or sliced) and serve with honey or jam.
Quinoa recipes No. 2: Quinoa Paella.
Ingredients: For 2-4 servings
2 cups of quinoa, one red onion (chopped), two (crushed) garlic cloves, 1-2 teaspoons of Saffron (preferably pre-soaked in warm water), 3 cups vegetable broth, one (chopped or sliced) red and green peppers, 1 cup green peas, 1 lime, salt and pepper and finally olive oil.
Instructions:
Warm through some olive oil in an average size pan and throw in both the chopped onions and the crushed garlic. Add both green and red chopped peppers and continue to stir. When these ingredients start to soften then add the quinoa rice and fry for a couple of minutes. Next add the green peas and the soaked saffron to the mix, and finally the vegetable broth. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and gently simmer for approx 15 minutes. Transfer onto serving bowls and serve with a wedge of lime.
Quinoa recipes No. 3: Quinoa veggie soup.
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, vegetable broth 5 cups, 3 cups water, 5-10 sliced mushrooms, 2 large plum tomatoes (chopped), 1 carrot (diced), 1 stick of celery (diced), 1 finely chopped onion, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 green pepper (chopped and seeded), small head of cabbage (chopped), vegetable oil, small bunch parsley, salt and pepper.
Instructions:
Warm through the vegetable oil in a medium-sized pot, add the following contents: quinoa, diced celery, mushrooms, diced carrot, chopped onions, chopped peppers and crushed garlic. Fry for a couple of minutes until they begin to soften, then add the vegetable broth, chopped tomatoes, chopped cabbage head and water. Bring all the ingredients to the boil and then turn down the heat and simmer for approx 15 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper for flavour and then serve. Garnish with parsley for visual effect. Serves 2-4 persons.
Quinoa recipes No. 4: Vegetarian Quinoa Recipe.
Ingredients:
2 cups of water, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil (preferably un-toasted) if not then you can simply use olive oil, 1 cup quinoa grain (please use a dry measure of grain after you have been through the wash and rinse process) a pinch of sea salt, 5 medium-sized mushrooms (sliced ), 1 large yellow pepper (diced ), 4 chopped bok choy leaves, 1 clove of crushed ginger,1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 1 lime (zest and juiced) 2 Tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
Instructions:
Add the 2 cups of water to the dried quinoa grain and a pinch of sea salt, bring to the boil and then simmer for 20-30 minutes. Whilst you're cooking quinoa there is no need to stir it. You will know when it is cooked correctly as you will visibly see the translucent centre of the grain as well as the swirl pattern on the grain itself. Heat another medium-sized pan and pour in the sesame oil (un-toasted) and the sliced mushrooms, cook until soft. Next add the diced yellow pepper and stir together with the mushrooms and again cook until they become softer. Add the bok choy leaves to the mix and cook further until the green parts of the leaves begin to wilt, then add the lime zest together with the crushed ginger and a pinch of sea salt to flavour and stir all contents taking care not to make everything mushy. Finally, transfer the cooked quinoa from the first pan into the cooked vegetables and add the tamari, lime juice and sesame oil continuing to stir ingredients.
There are many different types of meals you can do with quinoa, it is great for breakfast recipes, snacks, lunch meals and main dinners, it really is that versatile and can be mixed with almost any other ingredient that you would associate with a normal rice dish.
Please enjoy these four lovely quinoa recipes and feel free to experiment with cooking quinoa and other ingredients; you will be surprised just how versatile quinoa actually is.
I have always been a fitness enthusiast and found it difficult to diet properly; until I finally discovered quinoa rice and the incredible nutritional value it has. Now I find it easy to stick with my diet, so I have put together many delicious quinoa recipes for you to try out for yourselves on my website. There is a wealth of other information on cooking quinoa that you will find very interesting.
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