Best Red Quinoa Recipes

STUFFED RED PEPPERS WITH QUINOA, MUSHROOMS, AND TURKEY

Steps:

• Bring water and quinoa to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add turkey and season with salt and pepper; cook and stir until turkey is no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Transfer cooked turkey mixture to a large bowl. Add cooked quinoa, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Stir well; add additional tomato sauce as needed, until filling has the consistency of a casserole.
• Arrange red bell peppers in a baking dish and spoon an equal amount of filling into each.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and top each stuffed pepper with Cheddar cheese. Continue baking until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes more.

RED QUINOA AND AVOCADO SALAD

Steps:

• Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Spread into a mixing bowl, and refrigerate until cold.
• Once the quinoa has chilled, gently stir in the tomatoes, cucumber, and onion. Season with lime juice, cumin, salt, and pepper; stir to combine. Divide the spinach leaves onto salad plates, and top with the quinoa salad. Garnish with the avocado slices to serve.

RED QUINOA SALAD WITH WALNUTS, ASPARAGUS AND DUKKAH

Steps:

• Steam asparagus for 3 to 4 minutes (4 if thick, 3 if thin) above 1 inch of boiling water. Remove from heat, rinse with cold water, drain and dry on dish towels, and set aside.
• Combine quinoa, chives, parsley and walnuts in a large bowl.
• In a small bowl or measuring cup whisk together lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt, and oils. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add to quinoa mixture along with freshly ground pepper to taste, and toss together.
• Spoon quinoa onto plates or into bowls. Top each serving with 1/2 teaspoon dukkah. Garnish with asparagus spears and serve.

GRILLED LEMONGRASS CHICKEN WITH RED QUINOA AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Marinade: Puree shallots, lemongrass, ginger, 1/4 cup oil, lime juice, tamari, sugar, sea salt, pepper, and coriander in a blender until smooth. Place chicken in a baking dish and spoon on marinade, rubbing it on all sides. Cover; chill 1/2 to 2 hours. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook quinoa until toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Add broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until quinoa absorbs liquid, about 20 minutes. Turn off heat; let sit, covered, until ready to serve. Heat a grill pan or skillet over high heat; coat with cooking spray. Cook chicken, turning once, for 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, turning once, until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove chicken; let rest two minutes. Slice each breast on the diagonal into 1/2-inch pieces. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook sugar peas and peppers until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat. Add mint and toss. Divide quinoa among 4 plates. Top each with 1 sliced chicken breast and 1/4 of the vegetables.

QUINOA AND RED LENTIL STEW

Steps:

• Heat oil and butter in a heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, quinoa, and lentils; stir until coated. Cook until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Season with pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Stir in chicken broth and increase heat to medium-high; bring to a boil. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, for 10 minutes.
• Uncover and stir in curry powder, cumin, and ginger until well incorporated. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 35 minutes. Taste and season with more sea salt as needed.
• Ladle warm stew into bowls and garnish with yogurt, avocado, and green onion.

RED QUINOA AND CITRUS SALAD

Steps:

• Rinse the quinoa in a strainer several times with cold water. Bring 1 1/4 cups water to boil in a medium saucepot with a tightly fitted lid. Add the quinoa, cover and simmer until the grains display a thread-like spiral and the water is fully absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, undisturbed, for 5 minutes. Fluff with two forks and transfer to a large glass mixing bowl to cool. Set aside.
• Combine the lime juice, agave nectar, jalapeno, garlic and cumin in a glass mixing bowl, whisking briskly. Drizzle in the oil slowly, continuing to whisk. Once the vinaigrette is smooth and slightly thickened, whisk in the 1/2 cup cilantro and the lime zest. Season with salt.
• Place the oranges, jicama, onions, almonds and remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro in a medium mixing bowl. Pour in about half of the cilantro lime vinaigrette and gently toss. Fold into the quinoa. Drizzle in the remaining vinaigrette, and toss to combine thoroughly. Season with salt.
• Transfer the quinoa salad to a large serving bowl, garnish with almonds and serve immediately.

BLACK BEAN, SWEET POTATO, AND RED QUINOA SOUP

Steps:

• 1. In a medium-sized pot, add quinoa along with 1.5 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cover with tight fitting lid. Simmer covered for about 17 minutes or until the water is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy. Remove from heat, fluff with fork, and keep it covered until ready to use. 2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large wok or pot. Add garlic and onion and sauté for a few minutes over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Now add in the jalapeno and sweet potato and sauté for 5-7 minutes more. 3. Stir in the cumin, chili powder, coriander, and broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 18-20 minutes uncovered, or until the potatoes are tender. 4. Just before serving, stir in the cooked quinoa, drained and rinsed black beans, cayenne, and optional spinach. Season with salt and pepper to taste, adding more spice if desired. 5. Garnish soup with cherry tomatoes, cilantro, green onion, corn chips, avocado, and/or cashew cream.

OVEN-ROASTED QUINOA WITH SPICED APPLES, CARROTS AND RED ONIONS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 425°. In a small bowl, stir together cardamom, coriander, pepper and ¾ teaspoon salt. In a 9--by-13-inch baking dish, add the carrots, apple, red onion and olive oil. Add the spice mixture and stir to combine. 2. In an 8- or 9-inch baking dish, add the rinsed quinoa and spread into an even layer. Place the quinoa and vegetables in the oven. Toast the quinoa until fragrant and golden, about 8 minutes, then pour 2 cups water over the quinoa and loosely cover the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil. Cook the quinoa until it uncoils and looks fluffy, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the quinoa from the oven, fluff with a fork, re-cover with foil and set aside. 3. Meanwhile, continue to roast the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to blacken around the edges and the carrots are tender, about 30 minutes total. 4. Transfer the quinoa to a serving dish. Stir in the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, the lemon zest and lemon juice, then the parsley. Serve alongside the roasted vegetables.

ROASTED SQUASH AND RED ONION GRATIN WITH QUINOA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment or foil. Toss squash with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread on baking sheet in an even layer. Place in oven and roast for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until tender and caramelized. Remove from the oven and turn the heat down to 350 degrees. You should have about 2 cups roasted squash.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil in a medium skillet and add onion. Cook, stirring, until it begins to wilt, about 3 minutes. Add leek and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until onion and leek are tender, another 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Remove from the heat.
• Oil a 2-quart baking dish or gratin. In a large bowl, beat eggs and add salt and pepper to taste (I use about 1/2 teaspoon salt). Whisk in milk. Add onions and leek mixture, squash, Parmesan and quinoa, and combine well. Scrape into the prepared baking dish.
• Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until set and the top is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes or longer before serving.

ROASTED CARROTS AND RED QUINOA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss carrots, onion, thyme, and 2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, stirring once, until tender, about 40 minutes.
• In a saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil. Cover; reduce heat and simmer until tender, 16 minutes. Add spinach, cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; top with vegetables. In another bowl, whisk together miso, lemon juice, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Drizzle over salad; toss.

QUINOA WITH CHICKEN, ASPARAGUS AND RED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Stir quinoa and chicken broth together in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the quinoa has absorbed the chicken broth, about 15 minutes.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook and stir the chicken breast pieces in the hot oil until no longer pink inside, about 5 minutes. Stir asparagus and red bell pepper into the skillet and cook and stir until barely tender, about 3 more minutes.
• Lightly mix cooked quinoa into the chicken and vegetables until thoroughly combined, heat for 1 to 2 minutes, and serve.

SWEET POTATO, QUINOA, SPINACH AND RED LENTIL BURGER

Steps:

• Combine quinoa, red lentils, water and salt to taste (I used a rounded 1/2 teaspoon) in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until quinoa is tender and blond quinoa displays a thread, and lentils are just tender. Drain off any water remaining in the pot through a strainer, tapping strainer against the sink to remove excess water, then return quinoa and lentils to the pot. Cover pot with a towel, then return the lid and let sit undisturbed for 15 minutes.
• Skin sweet potatoes and place in a large bowl. Mash with a fork. Add spinach and mash together (I use my hands for this). Add quinoa and lentils, feta, mint, chives, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix together well. Mixture will be moist.
• Take up about 1/3 cup of the mixture and form into a ball (you can wet your hands to reduce sticking). Roll the ball in the panko or chickpea flour, then gently flatten into a patty. Set on a plate and continue with the rest of the mixture. Refrigerate uncovered for 1 hour or longer (the longer the better).
• When you're ready to cook, place a rack over a sheet pan. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch, heavy nonstick frying pan over high heat. Swirl the pan to coat with the hot oil. Lower heat to medium. Place 4 to 5 patties in the pan (do not crowd), and cook until well browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn and brown for about 4 more minutes. Remove to rack. Heat remaining oil in the pan and cook remaining patties. Keep patties warm in a low oven until ready to serve. Serve with a salad and your choice of toppings, such as the usual (ketchup, mustard, relish), or yogurt raita, garlic yogurt, or chutney.

QUINOA SALAD WITH CORN AND RED PEPPER

Steps:

• Whisk olive oil, vinegar, basil, mustard, and garlic in a large bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add the quinoa, corn, and peppers to the bowl; lightly toss to combine.
• Arrange watercress on a large platter. Mound the salad in center of platter. Garnish with scallions.

RED QUINOA AND MANGO SALAD

Steps:

• Rinse the quinoa in a strainer several times with cold water. In a medium pot over medium-high heat, add 1 1/4 cups water and bring to a boil. Add the quinoa, cover, and turn off the heat. Allow the quinoa to steam until the water has been absorbed completely and the quinoa grains pop open, 10 to 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Set aside to cool.
• In a large mixing bowl, add the vinegar, mustard, garlic, shallot, 2 teaspoons salt and 5 to 6 turns freshly ground black pepper. While pouring in a slow, steady stream, whisk in the olive oil until fully incorporated and lightly emulsified. Add the peppers, mango, mint and quinoa. Toss to combine well and serve.

QUINOA AND RED LENTIL BURGERS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• 2. Combine the quinoa, lentils, seasoning blend, and oats in a medium saucepan with 3 1/2 cups water. Bring to a rapid simmer; then add the scallions, curry powder, cumin, and paprika as the water is heating up.
• 3. Simmer gently until the water is absorbed and the quinoa and lentils are done, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cilantro, then season with red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir in the olive oil if desired for a little added richness.
• 4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Coat the inside of a round 1/2-cup measuring cup (like the one in the photo on the facing page) with a little olive oil. Grab a level scoop of the quinoa mixture; invert it onto the parchment, and give the bottom a sharp tap to release it. Using the bottom of the measuring cup, flatten the quinoa mixture into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Repeat with the remaining quinoa mixture; you should wind up with 8 patties.
• 5. If you don't have a round 1/2-cup measuring cup, you can improvise by using any sort of 1/2-cup measure and shaping the mounds into burgers once they're on the parchment paper.
• 6. Bake for 15 minutes, then carefully flip each burger and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until golden and firm on each side. Remove from the oven and serve the burgers on their own or with the bread of your choice.

ROASTED RED-PEPPER SOUP WITH QUINOA SALSA

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and red-pepper flakes and cook until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add roasted peppers and stock. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then puree in a blender until smooth. Season with salt.
• In a small bowl, mix together quinoa, red onion, avocado, and cilantro. Season with salt. To serve, ladle soup into bowls, top with quinoa salsa, and squeeze with lime.

CURRIED QUINOA WITH RED LENTILS AND KALE

Steps:

• Bring water and broth to a boil in a stockpot; add lentils, onion, jalapeno pepper, and garlic. Cover stockpot, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Mix quinoa, cumin, curry powder, salt, chili powder, cinnamon, black pepper, coriander, cardamom, and cloves into broth mixture; return to a boil. Cover stockpot, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes more.
• Stir kale, peas, and butter into quinoa mixture and return to a boil. Cover stockpot, reduce heat to medium, and cook until kale and peas are tender, about 10 minutes more.

RED QUINOA WITH PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add quinoa and cook, stirring frequently, until quinoa starts to toast and smell nutty, about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
• Stir in quinoa, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently until quinoa is tender, 25-30 minutes (15 if using white quinoa). Remove pan from heat, fluff quinoa with a fork. Cover; let stand for 5 minutes.
• Fold pistachios, parsley, and mint into quinoa. Season with salt and pepper.

RED LENTILS AND CHILI SAUCE WITH QUINOA

Steps:

• Combine quinoa with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to boil in uncovered pot.
• Cover lentils with water, then bring to boil and simmer about 10 minutes, partly covered, until lentils are soft but have not lost their shape.
• Chop whole onion; saute in hot oil in nonstick skillet.
• Cover quinoa, reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes.
• With food processor on, put garlic through feed tube. Add to onion and continue cooking until onion is soft and beginning to brown.
• Chop carrots in food processor.
• Reduce heat under onions; stir in cumin, coriander and chili powder for about 20 seconds.
• Add tomato paste and stock to the onions and stir to blend. Stir in carrots; reduce heat and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.
• Wash, dry and chop cilantro.
• When lentils are cooked, drain well and stir into chili-carrot mixture. Season with salt, if desired.
• Arrange lentil mixture over quinoa; sprinkle with cilantro.

STUFFED RED PEPPER WITH QUINOA AND CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil.
• Bring water and quinoa to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender and water has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Mix garbanzo beans, stewed tomatoes, walnuts, raisins, white parts of green onions, lemon juice, chili powder, garlic powder, mint, and cinnamon together in a bowl; stir in cooked quinoa.
• Arrange red bell pepper halves, hollow-side facing upwards, in the prepared baking sheet. Spoon quinoa mixture into each red bell pepper half.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bell peppers are tender, about 30 minutes. Spoon a few teaspoons of drippings from the bottom of the baking dish over each stuffed pepper; top each with 1 tablespoon goat cheese and green parts of green onions.