Thread: Introductory quinoa recipes?

Im trying to ease my hubby into eating healthier food, including moving away from white rice and pasta in favor of “wholer” starches. (Subbing it for white rice garnered zero interest and some resistance.)
Does anyone have recipes that might get a meat-n-potatoes kind of eater would enjoy? Vegs are still a challenge for him - he eats them more often if they are integrated unavoidably into the food (and coated in sauce).
Couscous recipes might work too! (Im going by size, shape, and sort of texture.)

We absolutely love this recipe. We don't miss the meat at all.

Quinoa Chili

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can diced green chiles
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder, or more, to taste
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups corn kernels
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
• Stir in quinoa, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chiles, chili powder, cumin, paprika, sugar, cayenne pepper, coriander and 1-2 cups water, making sure to cover most of the ingredients; season with salt and pepper, to taste.( Note: I usually don't add that much water. I think it's all preference and how you like your chili.)
• Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, until thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in beans, corn, cilantro and lime juice until heated through, about 2 minutes.
• Garnish with avocado, shredded cheddar cheese, and sour cream - if desired.

Do you need instructions how to cook basic quinoa when prepping for it's use in recipes, or do you already have that figured out? (I only ask because I had to look it up myself when we started using it.)

Sorry I don't have any quinoa specifc recipes as my kids don't like it. But I have found the book Wholegrains for a New Generation to be really good for various wholegrain recipes. It includes a chapter on how to cook each of the different grains at the start. I also have Ancient Grains for Modern Meals but have not used it as much. Does your library have either of those?

We cook >90% vegetarian and are dairy free. We eat pasta and rice all.the.time. I don't think they are inherently bad. But we do choose the wholegrain varieties (brown rice and 100% wholewheat pasta).

As a general for vegetarian/vegan cooking, I find many people forget to have a lot of variety in their meals because they think that the veges are "done"/included in the meat replacement dish. However, its much more interesting for your palate if you still include all the same sort of things that you would have in a meat meal. So we make a vege protein dish (e.g., nut mince, bbq beans, refried beans, chili beans), a vege carb dish (e.g., rice, pasta, kumara, potato, crepes, tortillas, couscous, polenta, bulgar wheat), a vege vegetable dish (e.g., salad, steamed veges, stir fried veges), and then some sort of toppings/dressings. With the toppings/dressings, its great to add any of something crunchy (like nuts or seeds, roasted or plain), a fat (e.g., avocado or cheese if you can eat that), and something with bite/acid/hotness (like a relish, hot sauce). Adding something crunchy is great because veges often all have the same texture. Another way to do this is to have a mix of cooked and raw vege dishes. Then with all that you have all the different layers of flavors and textures and even those who don't like veges tend to find they like it.

Then once you get a few different recipes you can mix and match what you make for the different vege dishes, and you don't have to be limited by having set recipes for an entire meal.

Another recipe book is Ancient Grains: Whole-food recipes for the Modern Table.

I don't have a specific recipe for you, my family are not big fans. But, I have had it in a couple of recipes (not my own) where I thought it was tasty, probably because it was not the star. One was in chili (like Inmom posted) and the other was a corn and potato chowder (they used tri color). I would think that you could add a cup of the cooked grain to a soup or stew you already make.

Thanks! Chili is on the list for next week. (I hope nobody tries peeling avocados! Even Alton Brown was clueless how to manage the little green gems.)
I will also keep it in mind for a soup!

Ive got Wholegrains for a New Generation checked out now, thanks for that book! The other one isnt owned by the library I use, alas.

Im not opposed to white rice and pasta, but we just have so much of it, and I dont see a lot of “slow carbs” or fiber in hubbys meals.
I bought some quinoa pasta to make with the yummiest vodka tomato cream sauce ever - I just hope the extra processing doesnt get rid of all the benefits of choosing quinoa over wheat. (We tried brown rice pasta before, and even I admitted it was pretty yucky.)

Wish me luck!

The chili was a hit with me and the boys! Super Yum! (I dont like corn, so put red/orange/yellow baby bell peppers instead.)
Hubby said it wasnt bad, but was probably better for him than my regular chili. I havent told him what the grains were yet.
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Thanks for the recipe!

I am always impressed how you act on things quite quickly AM (if it was me, it would linger on my "I should try this list" for month). Well done making it and that your family enjoyed it. I

So glad you enjoyed it! The nice thing about chili is you can make so many variations, tailoring it to your family's tastes.