Quinoa Pilaf

From: Sarah_Jayne

On Aug 18, 2008

I cut this recipe in half because there were only two of us eating but I wish I had made the whole recipe because I really enjoyed it. Even though I cut the ingredients in half I did end up needing the full amount of water. I skipped the oil and did the veggies with a non-stick cooking spray and that worked well. I also stirred in a bit of vegetable stock powder to the water which added a nice depth of flavor. I skipped the salt because of that. It went very well with the fish we had tonight. Made for Market Tag.

From: DuChick

On Mar 19, 2008

This is a great, healthy alternative to a rice side dish. I love quinoa, its texture, and how it adapts to any meat entree. Next time, I'll use chicken broth instead of water, add more garlic and maybe some shredded carrot. The flavor is very mild and doesn't overpower your entree. Thanks Toni! Made and reviewed for 2008 Photo Tag.

From: FlemishMinx

On Jan 30, 2005

Tasty side dish that nicely accompanies many other main dishes (I served with duck). This is the first quinoa dish that I've prepared that my husband ate without complaining (in his opinion, it was the added flavor of the peas which he liked). Next time I would wait to add the peas until about the last 5 minutes (just to warm them) as they got a bit mushy after 15 minutes. Just a note to first-time quinoa cookers about the rinsing: it is very important to do so 2 or 3 times, agitating with your hands and until the water is clear to remove a natural substance which otherwise makes the quinoa "soapy" and bitter tasting. After doing so you can simply drain and proceed with the toasting. Thanks for posting, Toni!

From: Roosie

On May 29, 2005

Very good! I made with red quinoa, which was beautiful studded with the green peas. I think I have to agree with mermaid magic that this is probably supposed to be covered at step 5. I tried cooking it uncovered for a bit, but it didn't seem to be working very well, so I covered it. I used frozen peas rather than canned, adding in the last 5 minutes per FlemishMinx's suggestion. Nice flavors- I really appreciated the fact that the veggies were sauteed beforehand. A lot of pilafs I have made just call for the veggies to be added with the grain, and I'm not a fan of the flavor of boiled onions. We served this with an improvised Brazilian-style chicken dish and it was great. Thanks, Toni!