I have just discovered Quinoa

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

Does anyone do anything amazingly exciting with it? I'm shooting in the dark at the moment :)

i tried a few things but in the end have just added handfuls to stews. if find it is better 'in' things.

Fry some peppers (a mixture of different colours looks rather nice) with onions (red ones, if you fancy it), add some pieces of chopped chorizo if you're a meat eater, add some quinoa, boiling water and a stock cube and let it bubble until the quinoa is cooked. You can add anything else you fancy to the general mix - garlic, mushrooms, whatever. I really like it!

Yeah, thats pretty much what I am doing....I boiled it up with some veg stock and shoved cherry tomatoes, sweetcorn and cashews in there and had it on a bed of spinach with balsamic vinegar.

Thanks!

What is it?

I usually add it to rice (not exciting) but I have done a nice grain and chicken salad as well: used leftover cooked chicken, boiled quinoa, parsley, cherry toms and dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.

I have a Peruvian friend who makes a sort of cheesy potato bake with it.

This recipe is similar and I've followed it roughly and had some success.

www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/baked-quinoa-casserole-with-peruvian-potatoes-and-cheese-recipe.html#

I use it for salads with some soy sauce in it. I once made porridge with it as recommended by Scott Jurek, Ultrarunner extraordinaire. Clearly I would then be able to run for 100 miles, except I gagged on it as it was bloody awful and I threw it all away.

I usually buy Waitrose ready made sachets, quinoa/lentil combo, serve it with baked fish/gratin or lamb. I had a great salad from a deli with sweet potato, almonds, coriander, raisins, lime and olive oil dressing.

Google Jamie Oliver's blackened chicken San Francisco quinoa salad-it is amazing! I am vegetarian so just leave out the chicken and it's so delicious, I tend to make it and keep in fridge and take it to work for lunch over a few days, yummiest thing ever!

it's not very ethical

soya and quorn have massively dubious ethical considerations too.

What's the issue about Quorn? Tbh I think the issues around quinoa are worse, you are literally stealing food from people.

Visited Peru & ate it there but I won't buy it here for above mentioned reasons.

I use quinoa in place of rice quite a bit, so as a base for chilli or curry, or in risotto-like dishes, or in salads.

I really had no idea about this. I love quinoa. I'm shocked and will stop buying it now. What alternatives would be ethical? Bulgur wheat?

Came on to talk about the ethical considerations too :(

Is it delicious, or is it just something people eat because it is supposed to be healtyh?

I've only recently discovered quinoa too...had no idea about the ethical considerations though. Looks like I won't be buying again!

littlebaby - same is true of all imported foods really - such as rice - floods combined with so much being exported has left people starving before.

quorn is something to do with the levels of energy used in its production and there have also been issues with it's safety as it's an allergen and concerns regarding knowing really what the long term or wider issues are of eating foods produced from that level of fermentation and bacteria (i'm sorry i'm no scientist and i'm trying to recall from conversations with people much better versed in this stuff than me). i may be talking shite as i'm going on what i've heard rather than hard fact and a quick google didn't show much - i also have gut concerns about it being a patented food owned under a copywrite - somehow don't like the idea of 'food' being owned and controlled hence feeling uncomfortable with giants owning seeds or crops - i can see very scary potential futures down that path. however this is all my opinion btw.

< looks out at the rain >

We can probably start growing our own rice soon.

You can get fair trade quinoa, but ethical considerations aside, the sesame cashew quinoa on this page is delicious hot or cold - www.patrickholford.com/advice/eight-key-diabetes-food-and-low-glycemic-load-recipes

Organic Fairtrade quinoa is available from Infinity Foods so you don't have to give up eating it. In fact growing it in Ecuador has positively helped a small scale co-operative including many women. link to Infinity Foods here

I don't eat it because it gives me violent stomach cramps. Had no idea about the ethical issues!

It looks like eyes.

You can get ethical Fairtrade quinoa from Infinity Foods and Waitrose also sell it - it's not hard to find.

I eat quinoa most weeks- my favourite is roast tomato, avocado and quinoa salad:

Roast cherry tomatoes and garlic cloves in balsamic vinegar in a little foil parcel. Meanwhile, make up the quinoa with some stock, lemon juice and pepper.

Arrange sliced avocado around the plate, stir feta into the quinoa if you fancy it, then ladle it into the centre of a plate. Put the roasted tomatoes and sauce I've the job, et voila!