The fella: What is it?
Me: Quinoa.
The fella: What is it?
Me: Quinoa. It's an ancient grain. All the people who eat things we've never heard of eat it. You know. Hipsters. 'Sposed to be better for you than rice or potatoes.
The fella: But what is it?
Me: Don't worry about it. It's round rice. Just eat it.
The fella: Round rice? That's fun.
½ hour later ...
The fella: That was gross.
Me: Yup.
The fella: What was that again?
Me: Gross.
That's the approximate conversation from a few years ago when I made Quinoa for the first time. It was also the last time I made it until last year when we underwent the dreaded, asshead, whole foods, takes 17 hours and knocking a cow on the head to make dinner, "meal plan". Not a diet. It was a "meal plan".
The meal plan included a recipe for Stuffed Peppers made with Quinoa instead of rice. I gave them a shot, they were gross and I put the Quinoa back in the cupboard just behind the 7 year old "Family Pack" of Lipton Cup-a-Soup but slightly in front of the cardboard box of "potatoes".
Then last summer we went for dinner at a local restaurant which served Quinoa salad. Out of the blue that's what the fella ordered for an appetizer. He must have been having one of his adventurous days. Or he thought Quinoa was French for chocolate cake covered with chocolate sprinkles, filled with chocolate pudding on a bed of Chunky Monkey ice cream. He loved it (the Quinoa salad). He loved it a lot.
He loved it so much it led to an assault. More on that later.
Seems all those years ago I was making quinoa. I was making it gross.
Quinoa's kindda like rice. Or tofu. You need to add stuff to it to make it more than just a lump of something on your plate.
As we were leaving the restaurant the fella saw a man with food stains all over his clothes walking in. Now, I would have assumed this guy was just a messy eater. The fella assumed he was a "cook", and grabbed the fella by the lapels and said "HEY! Are you the one griddling up stuff?" Or something like that.
Quite possibly on the verge of making another stain on his clothes, Jeff Crump, owner of several high end restaurants around town said ... Yup. I'm the owner and chef.
The fella: WHAT'S IN THAT QUINOA SALAD??!!!
Jeff: Um ... er ... um ... well there's quinoa and some lemon and some oil and um ...
While the shake down was going on, I had my iPhone out recording all of the ingredients.
A few days later I scratched out some semblance of the recipe and we've been eating it ever since. It's not as good as the one in the Bread Bar restaurant but it's good enough for you people.
HAH!
So ... do you have yourself a bag of Quinoa with no idea what to do with it?
Do this ...
Gather your Ingredients ...
1 cup Quinoa
1 Tbsp. White Wine Vinegar
3 Tbsps Olive Oil
2 Green (spring) Onions (sliced thin)
1 Cup drained and rinsed black beans (scant)
1 Cup drained and rinsed chick peas (scant)
1 - 2 jalapeno peppers (diced super-fine)
Lemon (for juice)
Feta Cheese
Cook the quinoa. For this recipe I just use the immersion method. Dump your cup of Quinoa into slightly salted boiling water (uncovered). The amount of water doesn't matter. 4 cups or so. Simmer for 13-14 minutes. Drain.
Add quinoa to a big bowl, mix in vinegar, olive oil, green onions, black beans, chick peas, jalapeno peppers and a big squeeze of lemon juice. Crack in some pepper, add a sprinkle of salt (not too much) and top with feta cheese. Taste and adjust salt if needed. (remember the feta cheese is really salty, so you may not need to add salt at all)
The first day this salad tastes O.K. The second day, it tastes like something that would prompt you to grab someone by the lapels and scream "WHAT'S IN THAT QUINOA SALAD?!?"
Jeff Crump by the way, is the chef who graciously let me use his pizza dough recipe on this site. The one from his fantastic Earth To Table cookbook. Jeff Crump has no idea my fella was the one that accosted him for his organic, Quinoa and fresh feta salad recipe, and I plan to keep it that way.
Quinoa? What's that.
Amendment: Many people are commenting that Quinoa needs to be rinsed. While that used to be true, it no longer is. Most commercially processed Quinoa now comes with the bitter, outer shell already removed. Unless you're buying your Quinoa from a local farmer or sometimes in bulk, you do not need to rinse and soak your Quinoa.
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jen
forgot to add that i will be making this salad today and eating it for lunch tomorrow. sounds delicious and i can't wait! yum!
jen
we LOVE quinoa, red or white. a few recipes we use it in that are always a hit with other folks:
http://jenfromtheblock.blogspot.com/2012/02/black-bean-quinoa-burgers.html
http://jenfromtheblock.blogspot.com/2011/12/mexican-quinoa-with-black-beans.html
http://jenfromtheblock.blogspot.com/2011/11/veggie-quinoa-soup-w-black-beans-and.html
Angie S
You are correct in that most quinoa doesn't need to be rinsed, however, if you soak it overnight or for a few hours (sprout it) it becomes even MORE nutricous as you are now eating a raw, living food! Quinoa sprouts faster than most other grains...
Robbin
Just made a "Greek salad" version using the red quinoa this week. My Guyanese husband loved it and is making some to go with the chicken curry tonight. He also thinks it will be great with jerk pork as a "rice and bean" side, only with the much healthier quinoa instead of rice.
Pat
I throw a handful or two into homemade soups to give it a bit more oomph if needed. Have cooked it for a breakfast cereal....not so great and made breakfast muffins. My brother in law makes a similar salad that is very delish.
muttering
LOL! I love your site. 1. b/c it makes me laugh 2. b/c i've had a bag of that stuff in the cupboard for a very long time. every week i look at it in dismay b/c i have no idea what to do with it. 3. my fella likes all the stuff in the recipe so maybe he won't notice the good for you quinoa, lol. and dare say i may try some of the other repliers recipes. nummers.
Melissa
The PCC Edamame and Quinoa Salad is so wonderful if you like food with a bit of Asian kick: http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/pcc/recipes/pcc-sesame-quinoa-edamame
Debbie
I have had a box of it in my cupboard for 2+ years - bought it becuase it is supposed to be "good" for you - I will try this recipe -thanks - might give me some shelf space back.
LOVE your blog.
Karen
Thanks Debbie! Good luck with the quinoa. ~ karen
Barbara
YUM...Quinoa! Taste good, good for you. Especially if you are Gluten Free! Glad you tried it once again. ;0)
Angela N
I make a southwest version using rotel, blk beans, corn and veggie or beef broth. Top with shredded cheddar and a dollop of sour cream and eat with tortilla chips. YUM!
nicole d
i love jeff crump, his restaurants, and his recipes! thanks for the reminder of this one... i think i'll make it next week!
PS. i think pretty much everything at the bread bar is worthy of the lapel-grabbing assault. i'm sure Mr. Crump is used to it. hah.
Susan Whelan
I have Celiac disease and it didn't take long to discover quinoa. It really lends itself to my kind of cooking - "what do I have in the cupboard or fridge to throw in this stuff?" It's kinda like pasta or rice in that it is just the filler for all the good things you put in it. I throw herbs and spices in the cooking water, mix it with tuna and black olives, a little olive oil and a little creamy dressing, cook it with chile peppers and Mexican seasoning...my mother told people to never ask me for a recipe because it would have only been distantly related to whatever it was I cooked. Maybe what I like best about quinoa is that I always make too much for one person and it lasts for days as my side dish.
Karen
Susan - When the fella makes this Quinoa salad recipe he always puts half a jalapeno in the water he cooks the quinoa in. Adds good flavour. ~ karen!
Susan Whelan
Mmmm...my kind of fella. I'm sure he knows, what I had to learn the hard way, that six Scotch Bonnet peppers do not replace 6 Jalapenos. My son is still suspicious of me, thinking that I was trying to kill him.
Diane
Ha ha ha! What a great visual! Good timing though, I've been needing a good laugh AND I have quinoa in my pantry that's been waiting for a purpose.
Deb
I also have the box of Quinoa staring at me from the cupboard but haven't pulled the trigger to cook it yet. I will try the recipe, but I think I will cook it in Chicken Stock instead of water to help with the 'no flavor' thing...any thoughts?? (BTW - found this site through Pinterest and LOVE it. Can't get enough. Thank you!)
Karen
Thanks Deb! Pinterest is definitely my friend. :) ~ karen
Barbie
I have a whole SHELF of quinoa! My sister kept sending me Trader Joe care packages (when we didn't have one here yet) and she always put quinoa in them (several boxes at a time) until we had like a billion boxes! I have so much and don't know what to do with it! I have so much that I have started giving them away as wedding and birthday presents! I now have a decent recipe for it! GOODIE! I will try this one.
MsMarmie
Fantastic! I happen to have a 3year old bag of Quinoa in my cupboard and I'm going to use it with this recipe! Looks great! Thanks!
Karen
MsMarmie - LOL. Make sure pantry moths don't fly outta the bag. ~ karen
Amanda Pedro
Thanks for the recipe. I need to add more stuff to it. But if you really wanna crank up the *WOW* factor, roast the quinoa first! Yes, dry pan roast like you would do with pine nuts. When it starts to crack or pop, you're done. It adds a nuttiness to the flavour. yumo.
Susan
Funny if I can't pronounce it I don't eat it! Pass the dill pickle chips!:-)
Tanya
Yum, that looks delicious.
I also make it for breakfast. Red or white quinoa. Cook it, drain it and while warm add a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, raw flaked almonds or any nut hanging around in the cupboard (pistachios are really good) and a dash of low fat cream. Makes a nice change from boring old cereal and warms your tummy on a cold morning.
Karen
Tanya - That sounds good. Pretty much anything drizzled with honey or maple syrup sounds good. ~ karen
Nicole2
Will they eat it? I play that game with my family every day. I should start my own video feature.
Kidding aside, we love quinoa hot as a side dish cooked in broth with just a bit of olive oil, but I am very eager to try this quinoa salad, especially now that summer is basically here. I love a cold, meatless meal in the summer. I'm also looking forward to making your delicious salad with the candied pecans and brie and strawberries. On a super hot day, I love making gazpacho too. So yummy and healthy!