Quinoa is an ancient grain that comes from South America. "It was one of three staple foods, along with corn and potatoes, of the Inca civilization. Quinoa was known then, and still is known with respect as the Mother Grain."
Previously when I've read about quinoa, I was scared off a bit by the fact that it had an unpleasant taste and needed to be washed and rinsed before cooking. The quinoa I bought was pre-washed and required no rinsing. The quinoa could be cooked just like rice, in a rice cooker...or in a pot of boiling water. I choose to cook it in a pot.
Inside the box was a little recipe booklet and some additional information on quinoa. The instructions state that "when done, the grain appears soft and translucent, and the germ ring will be visible along the outside edge of the grain." For some reason I thought it was cool seeing the little germ ring...kind of a little curl.
Plain, the quinoa did not have much taste. Similar in taste and consistency to things like couscous or bulgur. The girl really liked the flavor - the boy thought it was mediocre. I left some plain for them to sample and then followed the recipe in the booklet for the "Mexican Quinoa With Pinto Beans" (revised greatly due to the fact that I didn't have the required pinto beans...used black beans, didn't have bell peppers either).
Previously when I've read about quinoa, I was scared off a bit by the fact that it had an unpleasant taste and needed to be washed and rinsed before cooking. The quinoa I bought was pre-washed and required no rinsing. The quinoa could be cooked just like rice, in a rice cooker...or in a pot of boiling water. I choose to cook it in a pot.
Inside the box was a little recipe booklet and some additional information on quinoa. The instructions state that "when done, the grain appears soft and translucent, and the germ ring will be visible along the outside edge of the grain." For some reason I thought it was cool seeing the little germ ring...kind of a little curl.
Plain, the quinoa did not have much taste. Similar in taste and consistency to things like couscous or bulgur. The girl really liked the flavor - the boy thought it was mediocre. I left some plain for them to sample and then followed the recipe in the booklet for the "Mexican Quinoa With Pinto Beans" (revised greatly due to the fact that I didn't have the required pinto beans...used black beans, didn't have bell peppers either).
