Quinoa for Beginners

Time to dust off that bag of quinoa sitting in your pantry collecting dust.  If you are a quinoa newbie or a quinoa expert, Quinoa for Beginners is for you! Vegans, vegetarians + yes, even meat-eaters can and should be eating quinoa. Let’s start by demystifying the why and how of quinoa and get you (back to) cooking this superfood immediately!

Tara’s Tuesday Tips:

Quinoa For Beginners

Why Should We Be Eating Quinoa?

• High in Fiber: Yes, quinoa is classified as a grain BUT unlike white bread, white pasta, and white rice, quinoa has NOT been ‘refined’ and stripped of its grain.  This superfood takes longer to digest, does not spike your blood sugar, and keeps you feeling fuller longer. 5 grams of fiber per one cup serving compared to not even 1 gram in one cup of white pasta!!
• A Complete Protein: Quinoa is one of the only plant-based-foods that is a complete protein containing all of the essential amino acids. Our bodies cannot produce these, and we need to consume them in our food.  8 grams of protein per one cup serving!
• Great Source of Iron: This is great for vegetarians and vegans! Iron helps us form hemoglobin –> hemoglobin carries oxygen to our cells –> our cells need oxygen for energy, metabolism, growth, and repair –> more iron = more hemoglobin = feel better, do more, less headaches, less fatigue, less disease … simple enough 😉
• Gluten Free: There is no wheat or wheat germ in quinoa. People with gluten intolerance, Celiac Disease, wheat allergy, gluten allergy can all enjoy this great grain without worry. No wheat makes quinoa a better grain for diabetics too.
• Low Calorie: less calories in any given food means we can eat more of it, sounds good to me. Quinoa has only about 200 calories per cup.

So Many Reasons To Eat Quinoa! Here Are A Few More:

• Great Replacement Food: Breakfast bowls, stir-fry, in soups, sauces, as a side dish, as a main dish. Replace pasta, rice, orzo, barley, farina with quinoa. By replacing your other grains with quinoa, you slash the calories, lower the glycemic index, increase the fiber, and you will feel fuller with the same serving size.
• Reduces Inflammation: Quinoa contains phytonutrients that help the body fight inflammation. Fueling our bodies with nutrients that fight inflammation (quinoa, spinach, almonds, blueberries, olive oil) instead of foods that worsen inflammation (mayonnaise, alcohol, fast foods, refined flour, artificial sweeteners) allows our bodies to function more efficiently, heal better, and fight diseases such as obesity, heart and cardiovascular disease, and cancers.
• High in Monounsaturated Fat (the good one): The fats in quinoa come in the form of oleic acid and omega-3. Eating quinoa will help protect your heart and blood vessels leading to less chance for stroke and heart attack.
• Can Help With Your Weight Loss Efforts: Quinoa is a low glycemic food, high in fiber, low in fat and calories. Foods with a lower glycemic index don’t raise your blood sugar as quickly. With a more stable blood sugar, you get less cravings, you are not as hungry, and you eat less calories and you lose weight. Get it?
• Super Versatile: Easily + effortlessly can be a replacement for rice or pasta.  The beauty of quinoa is that it merges well with other flavors surrounding it but also has a mild flavor on its own so you can’t go wrong.

How to Cook Quinoa For Beginners

Cooking Quinoa Stove-Top:

• Rinse quinoa
• Bring 1 cup of water + 1 cup of quinoa to a boil, lower heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes. You will know the quinoa is cooked when all of the water has been absorbed and you can see the quinoa open up a little. After 10 minutes, remove the lid and fluff with a fork.

Rice Cooker Quinoa:

• Rinse Quinoa
• Place 1 cup of water of water + 1 cup of quinoa in your rice cooker. Follow your device’s instructions as you would for white rice. The cooker should automatically turn off when quinoa is finished cooking.

Instant Pot Quinoa

• Rinse quinoa
• Place 1 cup quinoa + 1 cup water in Instant Pot.
• Put the lid on and set the lever to ‘seal’.
• Press ‘manual’ and adjust the arrows to 1 minute cook time.
• When your Instant Pot beeps, allow the pressure to release naturally (usually takes around 10 minutes).
• See my full post here on Basic Instant Pot Quinoa.

Why Do We Rinse Quinoa?

If you learn only one thing from Quinoa for Beginners, learn this: You MUST rinse quinoa before cooking + eating! Rinsing it washes away the coating called saponin. If you don’t rinse it … it will taste like soap and you will never eat it again.  Use a fine mesh strainer and run it under cold water for a minute.  It is easy + worth it!

How to Eat Quinoa 

Beginner or expert, there is a recipe for you!

Click any title on the list below to see the full recipe 🙌🏻

• For Breakfast:
  • Pumpkin Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
  • Instant Pot Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
• For Dinner or Meal Prep:
  • Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
  • Mexican Quinoa
  • Quinoa Vegetable Soup
• A Quinoa Snack:
  • Toasted Quinoa
  • Quinoa Crackers …. YUM!!!!

❤Did you love Quinoa for Beginners? Have more quinoa questions? Leave a comment below ❤

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