Plant Based U

Fat-Free and Low Fat Vegan Plant Based Recipes

quinoa

SkinnyMs Plant-Based Quinoa with Black Beans (Vegan)

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Quinoa with Black Beans - SkinnyMs.com
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I have a wonderful quinoa and black beans recipe to share today from SkinnyMs.com! Quinoa is a perfect substitute for traditional ‘Rice & Beans’ and it cooks much faster too. If you’ve been skeptical of trying quinoa in the past and are not sure just what to pair it with, this is a great recipe for you to try as seasoned quinoa is very tasty and better than a bland and boring side. I love how quick this one pot meal is to throw together and it’s a perfect lunch or mid week dinner recipe.



Are you crunched for time, on a tight budget or just starving for healthy meal ideas? You will find delicious, healthy choices for you and your family at SkinnyMs.com.  Skinny Ms. offers recipes made with natural, whole food ingredients.  At Skinny Ms., we are devoted to providing information and tools that empower one to make choices beneficial to living a healthy lifestyle.   For our latest recipes, join us on Facebook.

If you are a quinoa hold out but love Mexican food, this dish will convince to make quinoa a regular part of your dinner menu. Skinny Quinoa with Black Beans is gluten free and vegetarian friendly.

Skinny Quinoa with Black Beans

 
Ingredients:

  • 1 medium sweet onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3/4 cup quinoa (uncooked), rinsed
  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • Kosher or sea salt to taste
  • 1 (4.5 ounce) can diced green chiles
  • 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro
  • 1 3/4 cup vegetable broth, low sodium

Directions:

Heat a large skillet to medium-low heat and sauté diced onions until tender (add water or broth if needed to prevent sticking), about 4 minutes, add garlic and sauté one additional minute. Add the remaining ingredients in the order listed above. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low boil and cook 15-20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and allow it to sit 5 minutes covered before serving. Fluff quinoa with a large spoon and serve.

Nutritional Data

Serving size: 1 cup | Calories: 201 | Total Fat: 4 g | Saturated Fats: 0 g | Trans Fats: 0 g | Cholesterol: 0 mg |Sodium: 204 mg | Carbohydrates: 33 g | Dietary fiber: 7 g | Sugars: 3 g | Protein: 7 g

This recipe was edited to omit the 1 TBSP of olive oil originally present in order to be in line with my reader’s interests. 

Thanks to SkinnyMs.com for sharing this recipe with my readers!

Vegan Chickpea Quinoa Burgers with Lemon and Thyme (Gluten Free)

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Summer is here and it’s the perfect time to be enjoying outdoor barbecues and picnics. Everyone wants to enjoy a freshly grilled hamburger or veggie burger. But making your own is quite easy and insanely tasty without using oils or refined soy products. My chickpea quinoa burgers are soy-free, nut-free and gluten-free so they will work for everyone no matter how they eat. If you’ve ever made homemade hamburgers or wanted to, you can make these.

A simple food processor is such a versatile tool for making your own chickpea quinoa burgers. Mine isn’t anything fancy, just a basic mid sized one and it’s perfect for pulsing various ingredients to use in veggie burgers.

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I like to top my veggie burgers with some fresh hummus (see my chickpea hummus here or my yam/sweet potato hummus here), sautéed mushrooms and onions (I use a little soy sauce and maple syrup to flavor them), lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. Cucumbers also work well in place of tomatoes for this chickpea quinoa burger as well as spicy mustard.

Find a nice whole grain bun or roll, toast the insides and top your veggie burger with all your favorite toppings. I also highly recommend some of my Summer salad recipes to go along with it such as Avocado Dill Potato Salad, Strawberry Spinach Salad, Shaved Asparagus Salad, Costa Rican Cabbage Salad, Sweet and Savory Asian Salad, or Rock my Broccoli Salad. So now that your head is spinning with delicious Summer recipes let’s get grillin’! Mmm hmm.

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Vegan Chickpea Quinoa Burgers with Lemon and Thyme

 
Makes 10-12 patties (depending on size)

Ingredients:

1 cup mashed yam/sweet potato, cooled (1 medium yam, cooked)
4 cloves garlic
3/4 cup chopped red onion
2 cans chickpeas, drained and patted dry
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (stems removed)
2 tbsp lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled (I used 1/2 cup dry mix of white and red)
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp Herbamare or salt *or to taste

Directions:

1. Poke holes in your yam and bake at 400 F for an hour or until tender inside. Set aside until cool.

2. Cook quinoa with a 1:1 ratio of vegetable broth or water in a pressure cooker or on the stove. (See my directions here)

3. In a food processor, add the garlic and onion and pulse until chopped finely. Add the chickpeas, thyme, lemon zest and juice and pulse until chopped and well combined. Scoop out flesh from yam (discard peel) and to food processor along with quinoa, pepper and salt. Pulse until well combined.

4. Form into equal sized balls and place on a non stick sheet or plate lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate until needed.

5. Pre heat a pan or barbecue and press patties gently until slightly flatted and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, flipping once. Be careful to move gently so they don’t fall apart.

6. Serve on buns or lettuce wraps. (I find using a bun slightly bigger than the patty works best as they will squish a bit when eaten.

7. Store any patties in an air tight container and refrigerate or freeze until needed. (Leaving them uncooked is best).

Variations:

You can also use fresh dill instead of thyme if you wish for variety.

Also check out my Smoky Yam Black Bean Burger Recipe.

Have you ever made your own veggie burgers? What do you like to top your burgers with?

Vegan Southwest Sweet Potato Quinoa Breakfast Hash

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FTC Notice: This post contains affiliate links that go towards supporting the blog. 

While I was driving back through the states (on my trip back to Canada from Texas) and luckily I got to try a few vegan breakfast options along the way. (Which I use for inspiration!) I got this breakfast hash (picture below)  at the Flying Star Cafe in Albuquerque New Mexico. It’s normally served with eggs, but I asked for tofu instead for mine. This wasn’t bad, but I knew I wanted to make something similar at home, without using fried potatoes and fried tofu. I also thought the addition of black beans, bell peppers, salsa and avocado would improve the flavor as quinoa can tend to be pretty bland if not seasoned. I added some additional greens in there for good measure too. 🙂

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I have to say that I am totally in love with this new Southwest Vegan Breakfast Hash recipe and I’m definitely going to make it a regular breakfast/brunch item. Hey you can even make it for dinner if you want to and serve it with corn tortillas, or roll into a burrito. To save time with this vegan breakfast hash you can use leftover quinoa (or cook it the day before) and use cooked leftover yams. Either prebake a bunch of them to use in recipes, or peel them and steam them. I find using steamed potatoes a much easier way to ensure they cook quickly and are moist while staying oil-free instead of roasting in the oven.

This also makes for great leftovers the next day, just keep the avocado separate when reheating.

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Southwest Vegan Breakfast Hash

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 red onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 16 oz can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups cooked red quinoa (cook 1 cup dry, directions here)
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 green onions, sliced
2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
2 tsp roasted ground cumin
2 tsp smoked paprika
4 tsp low sodium soy sauce or GF tamari
1-2 large leaves of Swiss chard or kale chopped
1 large yam, baked or sliced and steamed
Chilli powder to taste
Herbamare or salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1 small Avocado, chopped
Salsa *optional

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa. (see my directions here) Or just put in a rice cooker with a 1:1 ratio of water.
2. Cook or reheat cooked yams. (I peeled and sliced mine and steamed them for 16-20 min, just until fork tender)
3. When quinoa and yams are almost done, sauté onions dry in a non-stick pan for 4-5 minutes until soft.
4. Add in garlic and bell peppers and sauté for another 2 minutes.
5. Add in black beans and quinoa and stir to heat through for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add in seasonings and Swiss chard and stir to wilt.
7. Add in green onions and cilantro and stir.
8. Cut up yams into cubes and gently toss with hash to combine..
9. Season to taste with chili powder, Herbamare or salt and pepper.
10. Spoon into bowls and top with chunks of avocado and salsa if desired.

Have you ever made a breakfast hash? What do you put in it?

Vegan Quinoa Chickpea Pilaff

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Quinoa is all the rage now, and so are quinoa salads and pilaffs. There are hundreds of ways to season quinoa and you don’t have to just eat it plain on the side. If you find cooking quinoa properly still a challenge, check out my post How To Cook Quinoa Perfectly to make sure your next batch turns out amazing.

This time I decided to mix things up and make my quinoa a little different. A heartier side filled with chickpeas, carrots, onions and celery. This would work as a warm side dish, a cold salad, or you can make it a meal by adding some sautéed tofu, tempeh or soy curls on top as well.

To get those pretty colours I used both white and red quinoa in this dish. Feel free to use either, I just like the look of multicoloured quinoa for some variety. This recipe makes a lot so it’s great for leftovers you can keep in the fridge or freezer for a quick meal or snack later on as well.

Quinoa Chickpea Pilaf

 
Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups quinoa (I used 1 cup white and 1/2 cup red)
3 cups/709.76 ml low sodium vegetable broth
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large carrot, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 15 oz./425g can of chickpeas
2-3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or GF tamari)
2 tsp roasted cumin (ground)
1/2 tsp roasted coriander (ground)
1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
2 tsp Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute (or other salt free seasoning mix) *optional

Directions:

1. Sauté the onions, carrots and celery in 1/2 cup of broth for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute and add the chickpeas.

2. Add remaining broth to a medium pot, quinoa, seasonings and saucepan ingredients. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low (about 3 on the burner) and cook covered for 25 to 30 minutes until quinoa is cooked. (If you put it on very low, or 1, it probably won’t have enough heat to cook the quinoa because of the other ingredients.)

3. Stir as required to prevent sticking at the bottom.

4. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Have you ever had a quinoa pilaff? What’s your favorite way to season quinoa?

Low Fat Vegan Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini Boats

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These vegan quinoa stuffed zucchini boats would make a delicious entree for a special dinner or any holiday occasion. I really think it’s important to have a nice entree when serving a holiday meal without meat so those who are not used to eating vegan feel more comfortable eating something more eye catching and filling than a plate full of vegetable sides.

Honestly I think that’s the major problem with people’s perception of a vegan diet. When you take away the meat, they assume they are supposed to just eat salad, a side of steamed vegetables and maybe some rice or a potato and this can get rather mundane day after day. I find that most traditional restaurants have no clue how to make a vegan plate and often just take take take without giving anything back. No meat, no cheese, no creamy sauce/dressing and you’re left with a tiny plate of vegetables with little calories (so you’re starving 30 minutes later).

Don’t let this happen to your family or dinner guests! If you want to serve them a delicious vegan dinner, why not have a beautiful entree like a stuffed vegetable? I have made Greek Stuffed Eggplant on the blog here, Greek Stuffed Peppers and Holiday Stuffed Acorn Squash in my new ebook here. All of them contain rice, so let’s switch it up and try quinoa instead of rice for a change?

Now quinoa can be quite bland on it’s own so it’s nice to serve with saucy vegetables, or season it while it cooks (which is what I did in this recipe.) Then I sautéed it with cooked vegetables to let the flavors meld and then tossed in some chopped pecans and cranberries for good measure to add some more flavor and texture to it.

Most recipes I’ve seen on the internet for zucchini boats are based on ground beef and then topped with cheese and let’s face it, zucchini doesn’t have to be completely hidden by overpowering flavors for people to enjoy it! Zucchini lovers unite! Show everyone how delicious it can be on it’s own without being covered in meat and cheese. 🙂

Check out my recipe below:

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(Vegan) Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini Boats

 

Serves 8 

Ingredients:

Quinoa:

1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup vegetable broth low sodium or homemade
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp fresh or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper (as desired)

Zucchini Boats:

4 medium zucchini, washed
1 medium sweet onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 handful of greens like spinach, chard, beet greens etc. chopped
1/2-1 cup vegetable broth low sodium or homemade (to cook with)
2 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
2 tbsp cranberries (apple juice sweetened)
1/4 tsp Herbamare or salt (or as desired)
Fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Soak the quinoa in a bowl of cool water for 15 minutes.

2. Fill a large 6 quart/litre pot with water and bring to a boil.

3. While waiting for pot to boil, drain quinoa, add vegetable broth 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, thyme and salt and pepper to a small pot. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce heat and cook for 25 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff and set aside.

4. Preheat oven to 375 F / 191 C and add zucchinis whole to the large pot of water and boil for 15 minutes until tender. Set aside on racks to cool.

5. Slice zucchinis in half and scoop out the middle seeds, leaving enough flesh to hold the zucchini together. Chop the flesh and set aside. (You can use or discard the seeds if you wish. I discard most of them in favor of the other diced vegetables I’m using)

6. Meanwhile in a large skillet or wok add 1/2 cup vegetable broth and heat over medium high heat. When hot, add onions carrots and thyme. Sauté for 2 or 3 minutes and then add celery, some of the zucchini pulp, balsamic vinegar and garlic. Continue cooking until tender. Add more broth if needed to prevent sticking. Toss in pecans, cranberries, and quinoa and season with salt and pepper as desired.

7. If desired sprinkle some balsamic vinegar and/or salt lightly on the inside of the zucchini boats. Stuff the zucchini with filling mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes until tender.

8. Serve warm.

Please note: you will not have room for all the other vegetables and quinoa if you use all of the zucchini pulp and seeds. So i just use the pulp and chop it and discard the heavily seeded parts.

I served these with traditional Thanksgiving sides like Garlic Mashed Potatoes and stuffing. For more Thanksgiving and other delicious entree recipes check out my new recipe ebook Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World. (Some favorite holiday recipes include Holiday Stuffed Acorn Squash, Garlic Mashed Potatoes With Mushrooms and Onions, Cranberry Pecan Holiday Stuffing, Holiday Yam Pecan Casserole, The Best Cabbage Rolls and more.)

Have you ever had stuffed zucchini before or any other stuffed vegetable?

Super Protein Packed Spinach Salad With Quinoa, Chickpeas and Creamy Orange Hemp Seed Dressing

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I think it’s time for more salads. Yes, sometimes you can get tired of the same old ones, so I wanted to create a better recipe that was all around tasty, just like you’d find at a vegetarian restaurant.

All salads are not created equal of course… sometimes you just eat one because they’re good for you and you feel you’re “supposed to”. Other times you might have a delicious and gourmet salad at a restaurant, but it’s not really on the healthy side as it’s loaded with things like feta cheese, creamy dressing, bacon, battered chicken strips etc. If you’re vegan you may have a love/hate relationship with eating salads at restaurants.  Sometimes they are ok but often they don’t have many ingredients in them so you can have a rather small meal and let’s face it vegan salad dressing options at restaurants flat out SUCK.



Never fear, I am here to bring to you…

THE ONE SPINACH SALAD TO RULE THEM ALL!

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This salad is so good that you will actually crave more of it… You might even gets your kids or husband begging for it regularly. In fact I would bet that any vegetarian restaurant would be thrilled to have my super spinach salad on their menu.

What’s the secret to an amazing salad? Well several things, first picking delicious ready-to-go  ingredients that go well together, second that are healthy and lastly and more importantly are satisfying and filling but without all the guilt! (And it doesn’t hurt to top this salad off with my killer Creamy Orange Hemp Seed Dressing either).

I am NOT a fan of store bought dressing. In fact I despise it. If you’re in North America like I am you know there is often an ENTIRE wall of salad dressings at the grocery store. And yet still picking out a dressing that is tasty, healthy and you don’t get tired of is really hard.

Could it be that your taste buds are smart enough to know your body shouldn’t be consuming the same oily, vinegary, high fructose corn syrupy dressing all the time?



That may well be… Even just reading the ingredients in most salad dressings is enough to make me want to gag. Where’s the real ingredients and real flavour?

Well your salad dressing problem is solved! I guarantee that you’re going to love this protein packed spinach salad. I know it’s definitely going into my weekly lunch menu for myself. And my Creamy Orange Hemp Dressing is very delicious and will complement it perfectly.

BTW did I mention the dressing is also completely oil free? (Your pants should be rejoicing right now!)

Eat To Live fans will be happy to know that this is a Dr. Fuhrman style salad packed with nutrient dense ingredients that will curb your appetite and stimulate weight-loss as well.



Let there be salad:

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Super Protein Packed Spinach Salad With Quinoa, Chickpeas, Tempeh and Cranberries

Serves 1

Ingredients:

2-3 cups packed baby spinach
1/4 cup cooked quinoa (see my post here on how to cook quinoa)
1/3 cup cooked chickpeas (I used Eden Organics)
2 strips of cooked tempeh (I used Sesame Garlic Marinated Tempeh) or smoked tofu (optional)
1/4 cup shredded carrot (store bought is fine)
1 tbsp dried cranberries (I used apple juice sweetened ones)
small handful of micro greens or sprouts

Directions:

Arrange salad ingredients into a large bowl and garnish with micro greens or sprouts as desired. Top with dressing.



Raw Vegan Creamy Orange Hemp Heart Dressing:

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/3 cup fresh orange juice from 1 medium orange (use sweet oranges)
1 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 tbsp hemp hearts/seeds (sub sesame or tahini if you can’t find)
1 tsp fresh ginger
2 small dates pitted and chopped (soaked if you don’t have a Vitamix)
1/8 tsp Herbamare or salt

Directions:

Place all ingredients in Vitamix or blender and blend until smooth. Taste test and add more ginger, vinegar or salt if desired. Blend again.

Yields 1/2 cup of dressing. Best used within 3 days due to the nature of raw ingredients.

Variations:

You can add a plethora of other ingredients into your protein packed spinach salad such as tomatoes, cucumbers, apple slices, other dried fruits, etc. What really makes this salad filling is the addition of quinoa and chickpeas, so it’s also a great salad to take to work without needing a giant salad container.



What’s your favourite dressing for spinach salad? 

Like this recipe? Get more here.


How To Cook Quinoa Perfectly Every Time On The Stove Or In A Rice Cooker With Photos

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tPerfectly cooked fluffy white quinoa

Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wa) is a delicious low fat superfood grain (actually a pseudo cereal, it is not a grass like wheat is) that comes from South America and is closely related to beets, spinach and tumbleweeds, believe it or not! This is also why it is gluten free. Quinoa is not related to wheat and does not contain any gluten at all either.

Perfectly cooked quinoa is something you can achieve! I’ve eaten quinoa cooked by many different people and there is a world of difference in the enjoyability of quinoa if it is mushy and overcooked, or light and fluffy. Generally what you see at vegan potlucks are mushy overcooked quinoa dishes, while at vegetarian restaurants you get these nice chewy perfectly cooked separate quinoa granules.



The BIGGEST mistake people make when making quinoa is using a 2:1 water to quinoa ratio. Quinoa absorbs much less water than rice, so it is unnecessary to cook it in so much water. Trust me, your quinoa will turn out perfectly if you do it this way (see recipe below). If you insist on having wetter slightly mushier quinoa you may find this ok. But I like to have my quinoa be fluffier so it can absorb some of my sauce or it can be lightly sprinkled into salads or used as a base for a salad.

Once you know how to make quinoa, you will enjoy eating it regularly. It’s an easy replacement for rice or couscous as a side dish and much more nutritious.

How do you know if you’ve overcooked your quinoa? It will probably be very wet (a result of too much water) and will be mushy and not light and fluffy. Quinoa doesn’t absorb as much water as rice so adding too much water can result in mushy quinoa. It could also be sticky and burned on the bottom of yuor pot.



So mix it up!

Let’s get started and teach you how to cook quinoa perfectly. Below are the best quinoa cooking instructions!

How To Cook Quinoa Perfectly Every Time Tutorial

Makes about 6 cups of cooked quinoa (Perfect for dinner and then leftovers or use the extra in cold salads)

For this recipe you will need:

1 1/2 cups dry quinoa (white, or red quinoa)
1 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth (low sodium or homemade)
1 tsp of salt or Herbamare (if desired)
Fresh ground pepper to taste (if desired)
2-3 tbsp lemon juice or other seasonings like parsley flakes or Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute *optional

Tools:

Measuring Cup
Pot with a lid or a rice cooker. I enjoy using my Zojirushi rice cooker.



This method will ensure that your quinoa is light and fluffy and never soggy or overcooked. You can make up a big batch for dinner and save extra portions for the fridge or freezer so you can reheat it easily. Using less water (1:1 ratio instead of 2:1) achieves the best results for white or red quinoa. I’ll show you how to cook it on the stove first, and then you can scroll down to view the rice cooker directions. Note, for black quinoa, I found that it was a little crunchy. So I would recommend using 1.25:1 ratio of water to black quinoa. 1 1/4 cups water for 1 cup of black quinoa so it’s moister and softer. Use whatever quinoa you prefer or whatever is cheapest that you can find.

Fluffy black quinoa

How To Cook Quinoa On The Stove Top Directions:

soaking quinoa

Step 1: Soak quinoa in a large bowl for 15 minutes in cool water.

Rinsing quinoa

Step 2: Using a fine mesh strainer, drain and rinse your quinoa until the water is clear and it’s not foamy anymore. About a minute or two and then dump it into a pot.



How To Cook Quinoa Perfect Every Time On A Stove Or In A Rice Cooker
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(Stovetop Directions Follow – Scroll Down For Rice Cooker Directions)

How To Cook Quinoa Perfect Every Time On A Stove Or In A Rice Cooker
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Step 3: Combine rinsed quinoa and water (use a 1:1 ratio) in a pot. Add seasonings. Turn on to medium heat.

How To Cook Quinoa Perfect Every Time On A Stove Or In A Rice Cooker
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Step 4: When the quinoa is simmering, cover it, reduce it to low heat and cook for 30-35 minutes.

How To Cook Quinoa Perfect Every Time On A Stove Or In A Rice Cooker
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Step 5: When all the water is absorbed remove the pot from heat. Let sit covered for 5 minutes to finish steaming.

How To Cook Quinoa Perfect Every Time On A Stove Or In A Rice Cooker
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(Finished quinoa after steaming)

How To Cook Quinoa Perfect Every Time On A Stove Or In A Rice Cooker
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Step 6: Fluff with a fork before serving.

How To Cook Quinoa Perfect Every Time On A Stove Or In A Rice Cooker
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Serve and refrigerate any leftovers for another dish or to sprinkle on salads.

How To Cook Quinoa In a Rice Cooker Directions:

I love my Zojirushi 5 ½ cup (dry) rice cooker. It can cook white rice, brown rice, sushi rice, porridge, steam vegetables and even bake cake!

I have owned many rice cookers over the years.  And while the cheap $10 ones might be ok in a pinch, they fail at cooking most things other than plain white rice. If you’re interested in cooking whole grains like brown rice or steel cut oats a better quality rice cooker does wonders. Zojirushi makes a number of rice cookers from small personal ones to ones large enough to feed the whole family. There are different settings for white rice, brown rice, sushi rice, sticky rice, porridge and cake. You can also program your rice cooker the night before and fill it with water and steel cut oats for homemade oatmeal every morning. It also handles all the timing for you, so unlike the cheap rice cookers you don’t have to keep checking it and pressing the lever to continue cooking. It has a smart “fuzzy logic” computer inside that knows how long to cook each grain and only turns off when it’s done.



Step 1: Soak quinoa for 15 minutes in cool water.

Step 2: Using a fine mesh strainer, drain and rinse your quinoa until the water is clear and it’s not foamy. About a minute or two.

Step 3: Combine rinsed quinoa and water (use a 1:1 ratio) in rice cooker. Add seasonings if desired.

Step 4: Set to white rice setting and cook.

Step 5: When the cooking cycle is complete, let it steam for 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Step 6: Serve with your favourite entree or vegetables.

Update! I just made red quinoa with the same stove-top instructions above (because I know some of you don’t have a rice cooker) 

Red quinoa has a much more rich flavour and is more moist and chewier. I wouldn’t say that I prefer white or red more than each other, they just taste a little different. I will continue to make both. I think red is a little stickier so I wouldn’t use it for salads. I think white quinoa would still be the best if you want a tabouli or cold quinoa salad as the grains are individual.

How To Cook Quinoa Perfect Every Time On A Stove Or In A Rice Cooker

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Fluffy red quinoa

Enjoy!

What do you think of this tutorial? What do you like to serve quinoa with?