Quinoa

[eyeball]

Such a handsome little grain.  Where has this craptastic (TONS O FIBER) little bit of heaven been all my life???

I made chicken fried rice last night substituting rice for quinoa...and by golly it was pretty tasty.

anyone else partaking???

[Butter]

Tried it once. 

Once.

[frizgolf]

Tried it once. 

Once.

Is that Joe Piscopo holding his finger up once?

[MissKitty]

Quinoa is pretty awesome stuff. Have you gotten into bulgar wheat? That's another little grain that is packed with wholesome goodness and very versatile.

Here's a wonderful quinoa/black bean salad recipe:
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups cold water
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped celery
Optional: 1 carrot, peeled, halfed lengthwise, sliced thin diagonally
Optional: 1 cup chopped fresh yellow or green beans
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced OR 1 Tblsp minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced, OR 1 tsp garlic powder
1 red pepper, sliced thin
1 green pepper, sliced thin
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 Tblsp chopped fresh cilantro or basil
1/4 cup chopped scallions
Optional: 1 large ripe tomato
Optional: 1/2 cup sliced olives
Dressing:
2 Tblsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper
Pinch cayenne or chili powder

Directions:
The quinoa can be made ahead of time and refrigerated
1. Soak the quinoa 1/2 hour in cold water
2. Rinse very thoroughly in water several times. For each rinse, pour off most of the water and finish draining through a large fine mesh strainer
3. Place in 2 qt pot with 1 1/2 c. water and 1/2 tsp salt
4. Bring to a boil, turn down to low, cover tightly, and cook for 15 minutes
5. Remove from heat and allow to sit 5 minutes covered. Fluff gently with a fork and set aside to cool.
6. Saute jalapeno, fresh garlic, in 2 Tbsp oil until garlic is browned, pepper and celery are softened
7. Add the green and red peppers and saute briefly
8. Add the cumin and coriander, cook and stir 5 minutes
9. Blend dressing ingredients with a whisk or shake in a jar
10. Gently combine sauteed veggies, tomatoes, black beans, quinoa and dressing in a large bowl
11. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cilantro and scallions, and serve warm or cover and chill for later

[Butter]

Tried it once. 

Once.

Is that Joe Piscopo holding his finger up once?

Bingo.

[frizgolf]

Tried it once. 

Once.

Is that Joe Piscopo holding his finger up once?

Bingo.

My father hung me on a hook, Johnny. Once.
*slam*

[clemsonfan]

The time I made it a few years ago I must have not prepared it right or something. Maybe I needed to soak it longer. I think it's time to try it again. Speaking of bulgur, I'm going to whip up some tabouleh sometime soon. I have this little fantasy of making a mid-east dinner for the family: falafel in pitas with tahini sauce, hummus with fresh veggies, and tabouleh. Butter says that if I do that, the terrorists win.

[MissKitty]

Cfan, if you make that dinner please invite me over. YUM!!!!

[Rafe]

Speaking of bulgur, I'm going to whip up some tabouleh sometime soon.

Great idea! I haven't fixed up a tabouleh salad for awhile. I know what I'm preparing as part of our dinner tomorrow. It's a good excuse to make a tzatziki, too. I'll smell even more like a donkey's back end than usual, but there we go.

[c-lando]

Tried it once. 

Once.

Is that Joe Piscopo holding his finger up once?

Bingo.

My father hung me on a hook, Johnny. Once.
*slam*

You fargin' iceholes.

[eyeball]

yea I love bulgar wheat.

I'm loving the high protein high fiber in these grains.  if I'm gonna have the carbs they HAVE to be good for me.  otherwise...its pointless.

[MissKitty]

The time I made it a few years ago I must have not prepared it right or something. Maybe I needed to soak it longer. I think it's time to try it again.

That's probably right - it isn't actually a grain at all, but seeds. And those seeds need to be soaked for about a half hour and rinsed in several washes of water to get rid of the bitter coating. For me that's the biggest turnoff to using it - having to soak it for so long before cooking.

[cuddlyevil]

Have any of you folks tried Teff? Or adding amaranth to your baked goods?

[MissKitty]

I've never used teff but would like to try my hand at making my own injera.

I don't care much for amaranth because it gets gummy if overcooked. I have heard that you can pop it like popcorn but I've never tried that. If you bake with it make sure to use only 25% amaranth to 75% wheat flour or your breads won't rise. Amaranth doesn't have any gluten, so it won't rise.

[Kwyjibo]

You guys are just making things up now.