Just Bento

Hello Neveth,

I tried posting this once and it disappeared! Anyhow, have you looked at Maki's recipe for quinoa, parsley, and pepper salad? It's yummy!

http://justbento.com/handbook/recipe-collection-mains/quinoa-parsley-and...

One nice thing about quinoa is that it cooks fast, which is nice in the morning. I know you need to soak it ten minutes or so and then rinse it before cooking to get ride of the bitter taste. Thats about the time it takes me to get the water boiling. Then 1 cup quinoa cooks in 2 cups boiling water for 20 minutes. I like to make it with chicken broth and a clove of crushed garlic to add a nice flavor to it. Perhaps a few peas would add some color, texture, and even a little more protien. Mostly I just finely dice vegetables (like carrots or green bell pepper) and toss them in to add some color.

When it's cooked it looks like small rings have come off of the quinoa grains. It has a very soft, delecate texture but the grains are separate, not like oatmeal where they stick together. The taste is also fairly mild.

Mandachan

Yep yep - I love quinoa as a meat replacement, it's actually one of those 'wonder foods' that health food people LOVE - cause it can be a carb and protien in one! And it's actually a pretty complete protien, as compared to other grains.

I make a chili with it - i don't have the exact recipe in front of me and i can't look it up - but basically i take:

1 can black beans, rinse and then heat up in a seperate pot. Cook the quinoa in a seperate pan till done. I combine 1 tbs cinnamon, curry powder, and chilipowder (yes, it's spicy and you put that in the beans) - then I combine the black beans and quinoa together - and it makes a somewhat sticky chili that is GREAT for bentos - or any other lunch really. I actually got this out of Oxygen magazine - So i'll look up the Oxygen link later if they still have it listed.

But yes, the taste is mild and you can combine it with just bout anything. (i've even seen desserts made with the stuff).