we use quinoa whenever a recipe calls for rice or pasta, we substitute quinoa. We make a great risotto with it!

One delicious recipe- Cook some quiona, and then cut up some scallions, jalapenos, mangos, and bell peppers. Combine ingredients, and then make a dressing out of yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic. It's so addicting and healthy.

We use quinoa in cold salads sometimes, like a bulgar wheat salad but quinoa instead. yum!

You can also make patties out of quinoa, almost like a burger or cake. Just use egg/flour as a binder and add veggies.

I've done stuffed peppers with quinoa and beef. Just as good as when made with rice. I also use it as a side with most meals: roasted chicken breast, quinoa with evoo & lemon juice.

I make a Mediterranean version: cook quinoa in chicken (or vegetable) broth. To the cooked quinoa, add sauteed zucchini, squash, red peppers, and onions (I actually grill the veggies on a grill pan), then add fresh halved grape tomatoes, chopped mint, and feta. It is divine.

This is one of my favorite recipes - for breakfast quinoa! http://www.turntablekitchen.com/2009/07/quinoa-breakfast-bowl-a-fresh-start/

And I recently discovered this recipe and tried it last weekend - very delicious!!
http://cuceesprouts.com/2011/01/quinoa-mac-and-cheese-with-spinach/

make a big batch of quinoa on sunday night and then you can eat it for multiple meals during the week. eat scrambled eggs with salsa and green onions on top of it for breakfast, as a base for stir frys, as a side for chicken or other meat dishes.....cut up some tomatoes, throw in a can of blck beans, some shredded mexican cheese, corn, and lime juice for a filling side or lunch.

carrie
masteroffineeats.blogspot.com

I like to add to just about everything. We are vegetarian and it is a great source of protein. I add it to soup, amazing in tomato soup with chipotle seasoning. Nice as an addition to salad. If you have a spinach salad, just add a cup of quinoa for an extra added boost, along with some chickpeas or lentils, lots of protein there. Makes a great veggie burger base as well, with black beans and some salsa.

-Quinoa in black bean and chipotle chile served plain or on top of a baked sweet potato.
-Quinoa with black beans, corn, cilantro, tomato, bell pepper, and cumin lime dressing.
-Quinoa with cucumber, feta, tomato, bell pepper, scallions, chickpeas, fresh herbs, and tahini dressing.

Here is a southwest quinoa black bean recipe I do a lot and a template for other bean/quinoa recipes http://bodhibear.net/2011/01/southwest-quinoa-black-bean-salad/

you can sprout quinoa too (just like sprouted lentils - also delicious and full of protein). When I made quinoa sprouts, I briefly steamed them then threw them on top of a salad, but really you don't have to cook it at all once it's sprouted.
Here's a how-to on sprouting: http://www.ehow.com/how_4430690_sprout-quinoa.html

Quinoa is perfect anywhere you'd normally have rice- stir fries etc. I often add it to green salads or as a base for salads minus the lettuce- mix it with any sort of raw vegetables or serve warm with a mix of steamed veggies. I add it to stews and soups a lot as well. One of my favorite ways is with black beans, sweet corn, grilled chicken, grilled peppers and salsa- all warmed together with cilantro, avocado and lime wedges to garnish!

Try red quinoa if you can find it! It adds a bit more texture.

I will saute apples in butter and throw in cinnamon and nutmeg and later add cranberries to quinoa or saute nectarine and dried pineapple witha smidge of cinnamon.

I've had luck using quinoa as a binder instead of breadcrumbs making meatballs. Here's a recipe: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2533 Obviously you're getting protein with the beef but it'd be a good way to sneak in added protein.

Try Ancient Harvest Spaghetti Noodles: http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Harvest-Spaghetti-Supergrain-8-Ounce/dp/B000LKTB90

A coworker found these for me at Publix, and said she saw them at a Wal-mart too.

I recently made some quinoa muffins (from Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone"). The recipe called for quinoa flour. My first reaction was -- what? where am I possibly going to find quinoa flour? And then -- ta da! -- I decided I would try to make my own. So, I put some quinoa in the blender and blended the holy crap out of it. Next thing you know -- flour! It was awesome. I will absolutely use quinoa flour again...sub out 1 c of white flour for about 3/4c of quinoa flour in any recipe. Like pancakes. Now I'm dreaming of quinoa pancakes topped with Greek yogurt...

In olive oil sauté some chopped onion and whatever veg you fancy, I like chopped up cauliflower, carrot and green beans. Add 1/2 tsp cumin, mustard seeds and turmeric. Add quinoa and water or stock. Cook for 15 mins and eat with Greek yoghurt. Yum!

Lots of Quinoa recipes on Allrecipes.com.

It is a myth that quinoa is "loaded" with protein. In comparison to other grains, quinoa has 2-3 more grams per serving - not exactly a powerhouse of protein. Wheatberries have nearly as much and rice trails not very far behind.
It's not like eating quinoa is the equivalent of a vegan steak.

I like to just sautee some veggies in olive oil, maybe add some chicken sausage or smoked salmon, and mix it in with my quinoa when its done. I drizzle more olive oil and salt and pepper and dinner is done!

This recipe is amazingly delicious: http://www.food52.com/recipes/2434_one_pot_kale_and_quinoa_pilaf

Make these for my husband for a quick breakfast! Yummy and good for you!

Quinoa Muffins
Ingredients
Makes 12

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/4 cup vegetable oil, such as safflower, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 cup water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cover, and cook until water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, 11 to 13 minutes.
2.Meanwhile, brush a standard 12-cup muffin pan with oil; dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, raisins, and 2 cups cooked quinoa; reserve any leftover quinoa for another use.
3.In a small bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg, and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir just until combined; divide batter among prepared muffin cups.
4.Bake until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool muffins in pan, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 5 days.

I love quinoa, but this spicy qunioa salad from serious eats definitely takes the cake. I make it about every other week and even my picky husband gobbles it up. (plus it's vegan)

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/10/dinner-tonight-spicy-quinoa-salad-recipe.html

Gluten Free Goddess website has sooo many Qunioa recipes.

Her quinoa taco salad is delicious.

@Trish1980 - I never rinse my quinoa.. I just cook it like rice (I don't rinse that either) and it turns out really nice!

I put in browned ground turkey, a small can of diced tomatoes, and a package of McCormick's taco seasoning along with the quinoa and water and let it simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes or so. I serve it with a dollop of sour cream and some grated cheese. Yummy!

Quinoa is delicious, nutritious, a great subsitute for rice and pasta (there are quinoa based pastas too), a complete protein, but at the end of the day it only provides about 8g per cup. It's also really high in phosphorous if your husband has to reduce his intake.

Take a look at this website (http://nutritiondata.self.com). I was a lifesaver for me when I had a really restricted diet. It gives you really in-depth nutritional analysis of all different types of food, even processed and chain restaurant foods (they're gross, I know, but some times you can't avoid them). The dialysis diet can be totally counter-intuitive to what you consider a healthy diet. Do a lot of research, use that website and best of luck to you both.

@Trish1980, I was scrolling down hoping to see some better replies to your question, because I have the same issue. @sydthewyd you must be buying the pre-rinsed quinoa, because otherwise isn't there the soapy saponin stuff that needs to be washed off? Anyhow, I'm also a rice-rinser, that's just how I was raised. :)

I do a Mexican quinoa similar to this recipe - http://www.food.com/recipe/mexican-quinoa-salad-419089 - topped with extra cilnatro and sliced avocados. Super fat and yummy. This is similar to the recipe that CCKelly suggests and I have to co-sign their suggestion!

@Trish1980 I use a medium or large sized canning jar (the kind with a ring and a lid). In the jar, I add the quinoa and enough water to cover in by an inch. I shake it around for a minute or two, and then carefully pour out the water by keeping the flat lid on the jar as much as possible. It is somewhat like draining a can of tuna.
Then, I dump the jar into the pot. You can use your spoon to get all the quinoa out of the jar and the jar rinses clean.
Like others have said, it isn't always a must to rinse it. But, I prefer it rinsed.

I fudged a 101 Cookbooks recipe recently with red quinoa, roasted butternut squash and onions, and ricotta salata. It was good.

http://dailywd.womansday.com/blog/2011/03/dinner-diary-quinoa-with-roasted-squash-and-ricotta-salata.html

I think Bob's Red Mill makes a red quinoa that's pre-rinsed (rumor). Otherwise the bulk stuff can be very bitter; my technique is the fine-mesh strainer but I have the same problem of all the little bits of quinoa stuck to it.

We really like adding warm or ambient temperature quinoa to salads- I prefer cooking it in chicken or vegetable broth. Add some chickpeas/beans or grilled tofu/chicken/steak and you can come up with some great dinner salads, too.

This is my absolute favorite quinoa recipe. Simple to prepare and so addictive.

http://sweetpea.ch/2009/09/25/avocado-goats-cheese-quinoa-salad-recipe/

This is our favourite quinoa recipe! http://moreterriers.blogspot.com/2011/03/in-three-months-i-go-back-to-work.html

I love quinoa for breakfast. Top a small bowl with strawberries and jalapenos mashed up with balsamic vinager (sometimes i'll toss it in the food processor to really bring the heat out), and I like to chop some bean sprouts and toss them on top for crunch. Spicy, sweet. AMAZING.

Pineapple stir fry--cook 1 cup quinoa with 1 cup water and 1 cup pineapple juice. then make stir fry (red peppers, scallions) and add pineapple chunks and cashews, and some red pepper flakes--yum. I usually get a can of pineapple chucks packed only in juice and just use the juice from the can. it adds a lot of flavor to the quinoa.

@Trish1980, I use a fine mesh strainer when I rinse quinoa. Nothing is lost through the mesh, but sometimes bits get stuck. I use a bristle brush to dislodge them when I clean the strainer. That said, I once forgot to rinse and turns out that it didn't make any difference at all. Since then, I rarely bother to rinse and I've had good results with every brand and type of quinoa that I've cooked: boxed, bagged, bulk, red and regular.

Wow, these are some really good ideas!

My favorite quinoa recipe has always been tofu-quinoa balls. They bake up fluffy and crispy and oh-so-tasty:
http://books.google.com/books?id=yQQAAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA79&lpg=RA1-PA79&dq=tofu+quinoa+balls&source=bl&ots=vujvpzVtyK&sig=NZfY0oW6AGYnAxb7__xfI3u-rLg&hl=en&ei=yxyUTYeTBdTRiAKv4oWdCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=tofu%20quinoa%20balls&f=false

To strain quinoa, use your fine mesh strainer, adding cheesecloth or handkerchief, use cloth to squeeze quinoa. Use warm, not cold water.

@Trish1980 - I only make single servings, so I don't use a lot, and I rinse mine in a coffee filter inside the strainer. It takes a bit of time to drain but I don't lose any of it!

Perhaps I have unwittingly taken the Dread Pirate Roberts approach and have become gradually acclimated to ingesting unrinsed quinoa. Now to find some iocaine powder! ;-)

Janis - LOL love that response!

miriamc - the protein in quinoa is nice, but it is the presence of ALL amino acids that makes it a powerhouse.

thanks everyone for recipe ideas, and rinsing clues, i love that i now have a use for all my leftover coffee filters... (though i still feel guilty using my mesh filter, when the paper is healthier for you... what to do, the flavor is better w/o!?!)

I strain quinoa in an inexpensive, plastic strainer that I think is meant to rinse rice. I got it at an Asian food market. Works great.