Quinoa, basic instructions

How To Cook Quinoa

What You Need

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa (any variety — white or golden, red, or black) 
Olive oil (optional) 
2 cups liquid, such as broth or water
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

Tools

Fine mesh strainer
2-quart saucepan with lid
Spoon

Instructions

1. Measure quinoa and liquid. Measure out 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups liquid.

2. Rinse the quinoa. Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer, and rinse thoroughly with cool water. Rub and swish the quinoa with your hand while rinsing, and rinse for at least 2 minutes under the running water. Drain.

Why rinse quinoa? Rinsing removes quinoa's natural coating, called saponin, which can make it taste bitter or soapy. Although boxed quinoa is often pre-rinsed, it doesn't hurt to give the seeds an additional rinse at home. Some cookbooks suggest soaking the quinoa but, in our experience, this is unnecessary.

3. Dry and toast quinoa in saucepan. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in the saucepan over medium-high heat, and add the drained quinoa. Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute, letting the water evaporate.

4. Add liquid and bring to a boil. Stir in the liquid and the salt (if using) and bring to a rolling boil.

5. Lower heat and cook covered for 15 minutes. Turn heat down to the lowest setting. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

6. Let stand covered for 5 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner. Let stand for 5 minutes, covered.

7. Fluff and eat! After 5 minutes, remove the lid, fluff the quinoa gently with a fork, and serve. (You should see tiny spirals (the germ) separating from and curling around the quinoa seeds.)

Additional Notes: 
• One cup of dried quinoa yields about 3 cups cooked. 
• Some people like to add olive oil, butter, salt, or pepper. Cooked quinoa can also be used as the basis for pilafs, salads, breakfast porridges, and more.

Vegan Sweet potato and Kale Soup

Instructions

Serves: 6

I enjoyed this soup very much.  Because I didn't have a grain, I added the kale during step 5 after the soup had simmered for about 20 minutes. Then, I added a pinch of cayenne.  I have an immersion blender so I semi-pureed the soup.  We used nori chips as topping. 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 small to medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (or butternut squash)
• Salt, to taste
• 2 tablespoons red Thai curry paste (I used roasted Red Curry Paste)
• 1 cup uncooked farro, rinsed (or 2 cups cooked whole grains, like wheat berries, spelt berries or kamut)*
• 6 to 7 cups vegetable broth (or water flavored with vegetarian bouillon cubes)
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas (or one can of cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained)*
• 1/2 roasted red pepper, finely chopped (I used jarred)*
• 1/2 small bunch of crinkly purple kale or green kale, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, if you like it extra spicy like me)

*I omitted these the first time I made this. 

1. In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Stir in the onions and sweet potato and a big pinch of salt. Sauté for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to soften.
3. Add the curry paste and stir until the onions and sweet potatoes are coated and the curry is fragrant (about a minute).
4. Add the farro, if that’s your grain of choice, and six cups of veggie broth or water and bouillon cubes.
5. Bring to a boil, then set the timer for thirty minutes, cover the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer.
6. After thirty minutes, uncover the pot and add the chickpeas and red pepper. Taste and season with more salt as needed (if it tastes flat, add more). If you chose to use cooked whole grains, add them now. Cover and simmer for another twenty minutes.
7. Uncover, stir in the kale, add cayenne pepper if desired, and serve.

I enjoyed this soup very much.  Because I didn't have a grain, I added the kale during step 5 after the soup had simmered for about 20 minutes. 

Note: Farro requires less cooking time than wheat berries, spelt berries or kamut, so it can be cooked along with the soup. The soup is great with those other whole grains, but you’ll want to start cooking those in a separate pot well before the farro; just add the whole grains along with the chickpeas so no ingredients are overcooked or lose their texture.
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