The great quinoa adventure

So, this isn’t my normal end of the night post, but fuck it.  It’s my blog, I do what I want.  

I decided to try quinoa today.  I figured that if I screwed it up too badly, I would have more time to cook something else.  I was pleasantly surprised with the way it turned out.  I did quite a bit of research, and it seemed to have paid off.

Here was what I made, step by step:

Step One:  Rinse off the quinoa.  Important so it won’t be bitter.

Step Two:  Toast the quinoa.  I did this in a wee bit of olive oil.  Somewhere else I saw a recommendation for sesame oil, which I forgot I had.

Step Three:  Add the liquid and seasoning.  In my case, I added dried pesto, some Mrs. Dash tomato basil seasoning, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and water.  I added some tuna after a few minutes.

Step Four:  Boil.  I boiled for about 18 minutes, and that may have been a little long.

Step Five:  Simmer a few moments.

Consequently, before, after, and during each of these steps, I had to knock my cat off the counter.  He wanted to try quinoa too, apparently.

I have made this basic dish before using both pasta and rice, and I think quinoa made a nice base for it.  I think I can get used to it, for sure.  I want to try a sweet version analogous to oatmeal tomorrow.  Maybe do it in unsweetened apple juice with cinnamon and potentially a little honey.

I know this blog is pretty young, but I would love your tasty quinoa recipes in comments.  All the ones I see include beans, which I am not a superfan of.   I’d love to hear them!