Posts Tagged ‘quinoa’

Microwave Cooked Quinoa Picture Book Directions

Quinoa (spelled as is but sounds like “Keen-Wah”) is killer excellent for nutrition, flavor, and versatility. Have it as is, add it to yogurt, use it instead of pasta or rice. Here’s how I’m having it now: combined with steel cut oats, bulgar wheat to make a multi-grain pancake covered with a fresh fruit topping, almond butter, a good shot of kefir, a squirt of honey – and a bucket of coffee (did I mention coffee?) – before rippin’ out for a gorgeous early spring Sunday road ride.

Last post showed how to cook quinoa on the stove.This post shows how to cook quinoa in the microwave oven – all as easy as it can be.

Here’s what you’ll need to cook quinoa in the microwave oven:

Click this link or any picture on this page for an easy to follow step-by-step picture book recipe.

How to Cook Quinoa on the Stove Picture Book Directions

Stove Cooked QuinoaQuinoa (pronounced “keen-wah”) is one of my favorite…seeds. Yah, right away, that’s one of the things that makes it stand out. Quinoa is not a member of the true grain family, like wheat, barley, rye and other “grass grains”. Instead, quinoa, which comes in white, red, and black color variations, is really a seed, and, specifically, it’s the seed of the goosefoot plant shown below.

Goosefoot PlantGoosefoot gets its name from the shape of its leaves and is related to spinach and Swiss chard. Quinoa grows in the South American Andes Mountains, mostly in Chile, Peru, and Bolivia, where it’s been cultivated for over 5000 years. Historical legend has it that Incan armies sustained themselves during long marches on “war balls” made of quinoa mixed with fat. Yes indeed, EMMMMM… Actually, after what I’ve recently learned about fat and how good a lot of it is for us, the idea behind those “war balls” makes good sense.

As you’d probably expect from a relative of spinach and Swiss chard, both exceptionally nutritious leafy greens, quinoa also packs a potent nutritional punch. It has about twice the protein content of barley, corn, and rice. Quinoa is gluten free and easily absorbed by the body. It’s a good source of manganese, magnesium, iron, copper & phosphorous making it particularly noteworthy for people affected by migraine headaches, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. It’s also exceptionally high in dietary fiber and is rich in “good” unsaturated fats like Omega-3. Here are the numbers I got regarding quinoa’s nutrition from a U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) table.

My favorite way to prepare quinoa is to make a batch with what you see below that yields about 2 ½ – 3 cups cooked quinoa. I then put the lion’s share of what’s left over in a sealed container either in the fridge for at least a week, or in the freezer where it lasts like any other frozen food.
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Needed to Make Stove Cooked QuinoaClick any picture on this page for a complete, easy to follow step-by-step picture book “How to Cook Quinoa” recipe.

Flavorful, Nutritious and Easy to Cook Quinoa – All in Pictures

How to Cook Quinoa

Quinoa (pronounced “keen-wah”) is a fully flavorful, highly nutritious seed that’s incredibly versatile to use and easy to cook. Now, before you say “Keen-what”, I know it sounds different, and it’s actually something that’s somewhat new to me.  My favorite variety is red quinoa because of its slightly sweet, nutty flavor. But quinoa of any color tastes great and has excellent texture – smooth on the inside with a great mouth pop to it when you first bite on it. And then there’s the incredible nutritional value, which is even more remarkable when you consider the tiny natural package it comes in. Read more »

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