Quinoa Ideas

So much has been said about the health benefits of quinoa, a complete protein. I enjoy eating it just cooked with a little salt and pepper. But if you are really interested in the small seed, you may be looking for other ideas.

I have eaten quinoa flakes as a cooked cereal. It does have a somewhat bitter flavor, but with a little maple syrup, cooking it with fruit juice or adding a little fruit sauce, I enjoy it. It is a much softer texture than oatmeal. The flakes can also be used in cookies. You can use quinoa flour by adding it to pancakes, cookies, etc. Again, it has a different flavor, so my family enjoys it in small amounts.

We enjoy cooked quinoa seeds the most. I have made a pilaf with it, served it like rice, and added it to soup. I have heard it's good in chili, but have not experimented with that yet. For breakfast, I like to eating it with a scrambled egg. I fry an egg, breaking the yolk and scrambling it. When it is still a little soft, I add a 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa and desired seasonings, and finish cooking the egg while warming the quinoa. It's sort of like a stir fry, heavy on the egg. You could add veggies like zucchini, pepper and onion.

Quinoa also makes a great cold salad. I posted one of my favorites a few weeks ago - Meditteranean Quinoa Salad. It's a beautiful colorful salad that works great for parties and potluck.

If you haven't eaten quinoa yet, give it a try.

What other ways do you use quinoa?

Quinoa Chicken Soup With Gluten-Free Dumplings

We're having another cold fall day where a bowl of soup sounds perfect for lunch (or dinner). Soup is definitely a comfort food for me. And since I really enjoy both the taste and nutritional benefit of quinoa, I tried it in my favorite soup. You could use rice instead, but I've gotten so used to it this way, I couldn't imagine eating it the way it was before with the rice. This is a light, yet filling soup. Make it more hearty by adding dumplings or extra meat and quinoa.

Quinoa Chicken Soup With Dumplings                 print recipe

1 T. olive oil
1/2 c. chopped onion
3/4 c. chopped celery
5 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 c. chopped carrot
2 t. tarragon
1 1/2  - 2 c. cooked quinoa
1 - 1 1/2 c. diced cooked chicken
2 1/2 T. cornstarch
2 1/2 T. water

dumpling batter, if desired


Heat olive oil in large soup pot on medium heat. Saute onion and celery for 5 minutes. Add broth, carrots, tarragon and quinoa. Bring to boil and simmer on low/medium for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix water and cornstarch together until dissolved, prepare chicken, and lastly, make dumpling batter, if desired.

Stir cornstarch liquid into hot broth. Add chicken. Simmer until chicken is heated through and serve, or make dumplings. To make dumplings, see linked recipe or use your own recipe. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls into hot soup and simmer on low for 20 minutes, keeping covered. Serve soup, but allow it to cool a little before eating. Serves 6-8.

Notes:  I like to make my broth from scratch. I usually end up with about 5 cups of broth, which is the reason for using 5 cups in the recipe. Adjust the recipe as needed with the amount of broth you have. I use my leftover quinoa, but you should be able to cook quinoa in the broth just like you can rice. I would simmer it at least twice as long.

Enjoy!

Potato Cauliflower Soup

     It's another cold and rainy fall day here. A nice bowl of hot soup sounds good about now. One of my favorite recipes is a vegetable soup that is very satisfying and comforting especially on dreary days. You can choose to use chicken broth, vegetable broth or just water. And vegetables are naturally gluten and dairy-free. No need to check those labels! Just simple, basic food.

Potato Cauliflower Soup          print recipe

1/2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
2 c. gluten-free broth
2 c. water
3/4 - 1 head of cauliflower, trimmed and chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 t. tarragon or thyme
salt and pepper to taste

     Heat olive oil in medium sauce pan. Saute onion, garlic and celery for about 5 minutes on medium heat until translucent, stirring frequently. Add water and broth, cauliflower, potatoes, and desired herbs. Bring to boiling and simmer 45-60 minutes until vegetables are nice and tender.

     I use a potato masher to mash vegetables into small pieces or a hand blender to puree the soup. I enjoy it both ways. Be cautious as the soup is very hot. Use salt and pepper to taste. Sometimes I will add 1/2 c. of dairy-free, unsweetened milk to give it a little creaminess. Milk can be used also.

     Enjoy a bowl of hot, homemade soup today!

Simple and Easy Gluten-Free Dumplings

     Now that the cool weather is back, soup sounds soooooo good. And there's something very simple you can add to your favorite soup to make it extra delicious, even more of a comfort food - dumplings! I took my favorite dumpling recipe and converted it to gluten- free.

Simple Gluten-Free Dumplings          print recipe
3/4 c. brown rice flour
1/4 c. potato starch flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 t. zanthan gum
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. non-dairy milk
1 1/2 T. olive oil

     Mix all dry ingredients together well in a small bowl. Make an indentation in the flour mixture and pour milk and olive oil in it. Mix together until the lumps are gone. Dough will be wet. Let dough set for a few minutes until it thickens and will hold a shape.
     Drop by spoonfuls into a hot liquid such as soup or stew. Cover and simmer on low/medium for 12-15 minutes for small dumplings and 20 minutes for large dumplings. Recipe will make about 54 small or about 18 large ones.

Notes:
     Make dumplings small if you like them "gummy". Make them large and add 1/2 t. baking powder if you like them fluffier.
     If you want to add some flavor to the dumplings, try adding 1/2 t. of dried Italian herbs or 1 t. finely chopped fresh parsley along with 1/8 t. of onion powder and 1/4 t. garlic powder to the dry ingredients.
Or use your imagination and add other herbs and have fun.