WHAT’S GOOD QUINOA AND WHY IT MATTERS

Good quinoa is great, bad quinoa is inedible and let me tell you, it took me a while to get to master this flavorful and fluffy protein dense fuel. But here’s a summary of what I’ve gathered.

THE TIPS

RINSE RINSE RINSE. Because cooked dirt doesn’t taste good. This is where the siv you’ve always had but never actually used comes in handy. Or just buy it from Costco, it comes pre-rinse- praise be.

POT PREFERENCE. IMO the deeper the dish, the less you’ll need to clean the stove post cooking. Also, nonstick is key. I’m partial to Great Jones

TOAST THE B. Take your deep pot/pan, put it over medium heat, add about 1-tbsp per cup of dry quinoa of a high smoke point oil (olive or avocado are good). Add quinoa and stir continuously until grains begin to pop and smell light peanut butter. Note: this is also a good time to add chopped garlic to your pot

SPICE UP YOUR LIFE. This is where a good spice blend comes into play. Taco Seasoning, Italian Blend, it’s your dish- go crazy! Adding these is during the end cooking process will allow the quinoa to really absorb the flavors of the spices.

LET IT COOK. More often then not bad quinoa is a result of under cooking, keep mixing that baby until it becomes light and fluffy.

THE METHOD

Now that you’ve got some background, here’s how to cook it.

  1. Pot or deep pan over medium heat with the appropriate amount of olive oil.

  2. Add rinsed quinoa to the pan and move around until it they start to pop

  3. Add the appropriate amount of water, stir for a minute, cover and let sit for 5-10 minutes.

  4. After most of the water has been absorbed start to stir - make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan so nothing sticks and burns. Stir until fluffy.

Britney Zamora