Quinoa Pilaf Recipes

QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallot, tomatoes, peppers and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring often, until slightly softened and aromatic, about 4 minutes. Season with the salt and add the quinoa. Using a wooden spoon, stir to coat the quinoa in the oil. Add the chicken broth, stir and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and cook until the quinoa is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir in the spinach to wilt and serve drizzled with olive oil.

QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• Heat the fat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion until translucent and fragrant. Add the quinoa and stir to coat. Add the liquid and bring to a simmer for about 20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is tender. Combine with the herbs, spices, or seasonings and season with salt, and pepper, to taste.
• Quinoa Pilaf Variations:
• Coconut-Lime Quinoa: Cook the quinoa in 1 cup coconut milk and 1 cup chicken broth. Season the quinoa with fresh lime zest and lime juice.
• Mediterranean Quinoa: When the quinoa has finished cooking, add chopped fresh parsley, diced tomatoes, kalamata olives, fresh lemon juice and zest. Top with feta cheese.
• Lemon-Thyme Quinoa: Cook the quinoa in 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1 3/4 cups chicken broth. Season the quinoa with chopped fresh thyme leaves.

QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• Cook's Note: To toast the almonds, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven until lightly toasted, 6 to 8 minutes. Cool completely before using.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saucepan or a high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper, salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 5 minutes. Make a space in the center of the vegetables and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring constantly, until coated with oil, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until all of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer until all of the broth has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Keep covered and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the arugula, almonds, mint, cucumber and lemon zest and toss well. Season with salt and pepper.

QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine broth, quinoa, bay leaf, turmeric, salt, pepper and olive oil in a saucepan. Stir in preserved lemon and cover. Simmer until water is absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat. Add tomato, artichokes, onion, olives and currants, mix well to combine. Top with mint and serve.

QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the shallot, fennel, carrot, and a pinch of salt and sauté for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables start to sweat. Stir in the quinoa, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, and cardamom, then stir in the broth and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender.
• Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork, then add the parsley and fluff again. Do a FASS check and add a spritz of lemon juice to amp up the flavor if needed.
• rebecca's notes
• Rinse, rinse, and rinse again! Quinoa is naturally coated with a bitter-tasting resin. To get rid of the resin, put the grain in a bowl of cool water, swish it around with your hand, then drain it in a fine-mesh sieve.
• Quinoa is gluten free, which makes sense when you consider that botanically, it isn't a grain at all; it's more closely related to beets. It makes a great replacement for couscous in Orange Pistachio Couscous (page 145). It's also a great hot cereal; try it in place of oats in Best Oatmeal Ever (page 128).
• storage
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days.
• nutrition information
• (per serving)
• Calories: 270
• Total Fat: 9.9g (1.3g saturated, 5.7g monounsaturated)
• Carbohydrates: 39g
• Protein: 8g
• Fiber: 6g
• Sodium: 180mg
• WHO KNEW? Chemo and Carbs and Diabetes Risk
• By now, most of us know that chemo can cause muscle loss. But it can also lead to diabetes if you're not careful. Less muscle mass is a double whammy: You burn less sugar than with normal muscle levels, and you also store less sugar, in the form of glycogen, in those muscles, meaning all that unused consumed sugar stays in your body (usually in the liver, blood, and kidneys), elevating overall blood sugar levels and forcing you to use more insulin.
• Dr. Jeanne Wallace says that on top of that, "when you're given chemo, you're often given a steroid that really increases the glycemic response," creating the type of blood sugar spikes and insulin surges that can predispose people to diabetes. Wallace's suggestion? While you're in treatment, forget the USDA food pyramid. It suggests 6 to 11 servings of carbs per day. You want to eat fewer carbs, so shoot for half of that if not less. When you do eat carbs, avoid refined white flour and sugar and stick with whole grains, as their higher fiber content slows the release of their sugars into the body. This may have direct anticancer benefits too, as some studies have shown that lowering blood sugar levels in animals suppressed tumor growth.

QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook onion in oil for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add carrot, and cook 3 minutes more. Stir in quinoa and vegetable broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender and fluffy.
• In a bowl, toss quinoa together with walnuts and parsley. Serve hot or at room temperature.

TOASTED QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• Place the quinoa in a large, ungreased skillet and toast it, stirring frequently, over medium heat until it has a nutty aroma and has darkened slightly. Remove the quinoa from the pan and simmer in water, covered, until tender. There should be about 4 cups.
• Heat butter or oil or both in the skillet. Add onions and apple and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they become very tender and golden brown.
• Stir in the cooked quinoa. Add thyme, season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook gently until heated through. Fold in parsley and serve as a side dish with poultry or meat or use as a stuffing.

QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• In a small nonstick saucepan coated with cooking spray, cook onion and carrot in oil for 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, water and salt; bring to a boil., Add quinoa. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat. Fluff with a fork.

VEGETABLE QUINOA PILAF

Steps:

• Pour oil into a medium saucepan, and place over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots; cook and stir for 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
• Using a strainer, rinse quinoa under cold water. Drain well. Stir into the vegetables; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add water, bay leaf and lemon rind and juice; bring to boil. Cover, and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender.
• Discard bay leaf. Stir in peas, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.