Keen… Wha'??

by Kathy Humphrey

Quinoa, where have you been all of my kitchen-based life? Quick cooking, mild in flavour, and a strong source of iron as well as protein and fibre, quinoa should be a mainstay of our diets, not relegated to “best-kept secret” status. Maybe the “q” makes us shy, perhaps we avoid words that look hard to pronounce. Whatever the reason, we need to get over it and usher quinoa into the mainstream diet. Rice and potatoes are a bit same-old/same-old, barley is great for now and then but not all of the time, couscous is fine but really, just another pasta. The people of the South American Andes knew quinoa as the Mother Grain, and told of Inca leaders planting the very first crops with golden shovels. Incan warriors were fed quinoa to build their strength and sustain energy. A seed that is treated like a grain, it can be bitter: some cooks advocate rinsing it several times before cooking. Its mild flavour makes it ideal for any kind of treatment: instead of simmering it in water, use stock, juice, or coconut milk. Use it in baking, for breakfast, in salads, under curries or ragouts. Make it your word of the day!

Cinnamon Quinoa

1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 cup water
1 cup apple juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 apple, diced (optional)
1/4 cup raisins or other dried fruit (optional)
pinch cloves

In medium sized pot, bring water and apple juice to boil. Stir in quinoa, cinnamon and cloves; reduce heat to low. Stir occasionally: if adding fruit, sprinkle over top at 10 minutes into the cooking and stir well. Simmer until tender and fluffy (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat. Serve hot, warm, or cold, with brown sugar or maple syrup and milk, cream or yogurt over top, if desired.

Quinoa Yogurt Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup mashed bananas
2/3 cup yogurt
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Stir dry ingredients together (excluding quinoa). Add berries; mix until coated with flour. In separate bowl, blend bananas well with yogurt, oil and eggs. Stir into dry ingredients briefly, add quinoa, then stir all just until well combined. Fill greased muffin tins (these make great mini-muffins) and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.     

Mediterranean Quinoa

1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 English cucumber, finely chopped
1 ripe tomato, chopped
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
1/2 cup each fresh basil and mint, torn
1/4 cup black olives
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Bring stock to boil in medium pan. Stir in quinoa: reduce heat immediately and allow to simmer gently until tender and plumped (20-25 minutes). Set aside: allow to cool. Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, basil and mint. Stir cucumber, tomato, feta and olives: mix well. When quinoa has cooled to room temperature, add to vegetable/cheese mixture. Toss well, ensuring that quinoa is well covered with dressing. Serve.

Black Bean Quinoa Salad

2 tsp grated lime zest
2 Tbsp lime juice
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp sugar
1 cup quinoa
1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper

Whisk together lime zest and juice, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time. Cook quinoa in boiling salted water, uncovered, until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and remove lid. Allow to cool a bit (10 minutes or so). Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

Spicy Sweet Potato and Quinoa

1 cup quinoa, uncooked
2 cups vegetable broth
1 sweet potato, baked and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Simmer quinoa in vegetable broth about 10 to 15 minutes, or until water is gone and quinoa is light and fluffy when stirred. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Toss together quinoa, sweet potato and bell pepper in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil and cayenne pepper. Gently toss this dressing with the quinoa. Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper.

Kathy Humphrey lives in Victoria with her husband and two children. She tries to see cooking for a family not as a chore but as a creative outlet.