Fluffy Quinoa 101

My bestie, Gloriann, has been a fan of Quinoa for a long time and kept telling me what a fab kitchen staple is it. Once I tried it, I was hooked. It’s great as a simply side dish served like one would serve rice but is versatile enough for a salad or other mainstays like stuffing for a squash or eggplant.

Quinoa provides all nine essential amino acids and is a gluten-free protein source, so good for you!

Success in making Quinoa is to be sure you rinse it very well for about 3 minutes under cool running water to remove the saponin, a bitter-tasting coating that some people might be sensitive to.

I typically cook my Quinoa in a cup of chicken broth and a cup of water but if you prefer a completely vegetarian version, just use two cups of water.

Makes about two cups of cooked Quinoa.

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups of chicken (or vegetable) broth or water (or one cup of each)
• ½ tsp. each garlic powder, salt and pepper

Cooked Quinoa

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan over high heat, combine the broth/water, garlic powder, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
2. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the rinsed quinoa, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until water has evaporated.
3. Leaving the cover on the pan, let the Quinoa stand for five minutes.
4. Uncover, fluff the Quinoa with a fork and either use right away or cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to a week.