Monday, November 29, 2010

Quinoa Recipes?

Quinoa is one of my new favorite foods. Here's our latest quinoa recipe, courtesy of Cooking Light:

Sesame Quinoa with Tofu

8 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Place tofu on several layers of heavy-duty paper towels; let stand 20 minutes. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add tofu and seeds; sauté 3 minutes. Remove tofu mixture from pan. Add quinoa to pan; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add stock and salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Place in a large bowl. Add tofu mixture, green onions, soy sauce, and pepper; toss.


Here's how I do it:

I stick the tofu between two plates and weight it down with a heavy can. I'm not sure what the best way to drain it is, but that's how the first tofu recipe I ever tried said to do it, so that's what I usually do. Anyone who knows better is welcome to leave your suggestions!

I first made this when a friend was in town visiting and realized upon finishing it that it didn't make all that much, so I quickly threw together another batch. I'm not sure if a whole package of tofu is 16 oz. or not, but that's what I use. Just doubling the recipe would mean that you use two tablespoons of soy sauce, which I felt was a bit overkill - it pretty much tasted like soy sauce (sorry about that, Kristine!).

Tonight I doubled everything, except the salt (since I was not using low-sodium soy sauce) and the soy sauce. I just sprinkled a pinch of salt in and used one tablespoon plus a bit of soy sauce. Much better flavor! I also had some broccoli on hand (one smallish head), so I threw that in while cooking the tofu. I love that this recipe is easily augmented; I look forward to trying out other veggies throughout the various seasons. Oh, and if you're going to be doing much cooking with quinoa I'd recommend looking for it at your local natural foods market. Ours has a bulk area (with spices as well - so awesome to be able to get as much or as little as you want) and the quinoa there was about half the cost as what you'll find in the grocery store.

So, here's my problem. I've only got two quinoa recipes. The one above and this one (also tasty). I tried looking up quinoa recipes on my usual trusty site and didn't come up with much (I was probably looking for meatless dishes though, now that I think of it, so maybe that hindered my search some?). Anyone have a great quinoa recipe they'd like to share?

5 comments:

kristine N said...

Mmm, I love that quinoa recipe. Thanks for posting it--I may try it (though probably without the tofu).

I'll keep an eye out for good recipes. We've got some quinoa around here we should use, so if I find something we like I'll be sure to share.

Quinoa Diet Tips said...

Hi Erin,

I really like your quinoa recipes.
I try to collect different quinoa recipes on my site - savory and sweet too. So if you have time check them out. The latest quinoa recipe I found was the spiced banana quinoa waffles. They are really yummy:)

Naomi

Erin said...

For anyone interested, I've found a few more here: http://www.101cookbooks.com/ingredient/quinoa

I haven't looked too closely through them yet, but I'm sure at least a couple of them will be tasty!

kristine N said...

Here is one for a black bean, corn, and quinoa recipe.

Alanna said...

Hey! I just found this recipe-- it calls for rice, but the girl says she prefers using quinoa! (I still don't actually know what quinoa is, but I saw it and thought of this post!). Hope it's good!

http://recipepicnic.blogspot.com/2010/12/spicy-asian-chicken-with-brussels.html