I could eat quinoa til the cows come home. And I don’t just eat it plain—I make it into salads, granola, or burgers and eat it alongside chicken, fish, veggie dishes…the possibilities are endless. For those of you who don’t know, quinoa is a seed-like grain that has been used for thousands of years and can be used in place of rice in many dishes. Quinoa is also a great source of iron, protein, and fiber.
I’m going to show you how to cook quinoa at home the easy way. It only takes a few minutes, two ingredients, and one pan. So let’s get started!
The proportions for quinoa are this: 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water. You can add 1/2 teaspoon of salt per cup of quinoa (to flavor it), but if you’re on a low-sodium diet, you can easily omit it.
The first thing you’re going to want to do is rinse the quinoa because quinoa has a coating called “saponin” that makes it very bitter. A vigorous rinse through a fine sieve can get rid of the saponin easily though.
Once you rinse the quinoa, plop it into a saucepan, pour the water over the top (look for proportions below), and put it on the stove. Turn the heat to medium-high and wait for it to boil. Once it starts boiling, cover it with a lid, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for about 12 minutes or until the quinoa is fully cooked and fluffy.
Here’s a quick reference for quinoa proportions:
1 cup quinoa + 2 cups water = 3 cups cooked quinoa
2 cups quinoa + 4 cups water = 6 cups cooked quinoa
4 cups quinoa + 8 cups water = 12 cups cooked quinoa
Here’s the recipe:
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt (optional)
- Rinse the quinoa vigorously in a fine sieve until the water goes clear (this gets rid of the bitter taste that occurs naturally in quinoa).
- Put the rinsed quinoa in a small saucepan, add the water, and put it on the stove. Turn the heat to medium-high and wait for it to boil. Once it starts boiling, cover it with a lid, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for about 12 minutes or until the quinoa is fully cooked and fluffy.
I love love love quinoa! I eat it all the time it’s so health and versatile! Going to share this post on my google+ page for others to see! Thanks for stopping by the sparkles of inspiration party!
Thanks Jessica! So…it’s not just me who love’s the heck out of quinoa?
Thanks for sharing!
I’ve tried making quinoa a few times but was often disappointed in the results. I will definitely give your formula for success a try next time! Pinned for future reference!
Thanks for sharing (and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop)!
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
Great post! Glad you shared it on Nifty Thrifty Sunday. I’m not sure why it is so intimidating but every time I start to make Quinoa I fear that I’m doing something wrong. Have a great day!!
Thanks for this post! I found you via the Say G’day party.
I enjoy quinoa as well. Very informative post. Thanks for posting at Wildcrafting WEdnesday.
Great tips! You just made me hungry for Quinoa! I’m glad I found this at Motivational Monday today!
Thank you for this, pinning right now! Found you through the Sincerely, Paula Party, nice to “meet” you!
This has reminded me to look out some more quinoa recipes. I have served it with pinto beans and lime juice which was yummy.
Love that you shared this with WYWW. I was about to buy some Quinoa the other day but didn’t because I was unsure how to prepare it. Thanks so much for the info!!! Come back tomorrow!
I love quinoa, but I can never get it quite right. Now, I know, it really looks so simple. I’m pinning it now! Visiting via Whimsy Wednesdays.
Thank you for the great tips on cooking quinoa and sharing it at Share It One More Time. Cathy
Very helpful! Great post
Thank you for sharing this how to cook quinoa post at City of Creative Dream’s City of Links last Friday! I appreciate you taking the time to party with me. Hope to see you again this week
Happy Sunday! Hope you’re having a FABULOUS weekend–just wanted to swing by and give you a huge “Thank you!” for linking up at Bewitchin Projects last week–and we’ve already got the party started again today, so be sure to come link up again here: http://www.ourminifamily.com/2014/08/bewitchin-projects-block-party-week-5.html
XO
~Cathy Mini~
OurMiniFamily.com
I’ve never tried quinoa before, thanks for the useful post. Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!!