OMG, I almost forgot about the quinoa crunch recipe; I haven’t made it in about five years. I created this recipe for a children’s menu concept. Creating nutritious food is pretty easy, the hard part is to cook it stealth healthily; or how to sneak nutrition, painlessly, into a diet while maintaining the integrity of the dish. This recipe is awesome, think of it as seasoned, crunchy sesame seeds. I truly love this one, however, I have to admit, it took several tests and attempts to get it just right.
Quinoa:
End of the day, quinoa is one of the healthiest and most nutritious foods on the planet. There are three types of quinoa, white, red, and black; this recipe is using white quinoa. Quinoa is one of the most protein-rich foods we can eat. It helps to prevent heart disease by reducing high blood pressure and it can be incorporated into a healthy diabetic diet. Quinoa is also high in fiber, magnesium, B vitamins, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin E. Even though, technically, it is not a grain, it still counts as a whole grain. One more bonus, it is very high in antioxidants, substances that are believed to help fight aging and many diseases.
Quinoa crunch:
Quinoa crunch is awesome for breading oven-fried chicken fingers, and meatballs, or as a topping for hummus, baba ganoush, salads, etc. It adds a wonderful crunch and awesome flavor. To add more flavor, I cook quinoa with my vegetable stock recipe, which is always on standby in my freezer. If you do not have homemade vegetable stock, it is perfectly fine to use good-quality store-purchased stock.
Chef’s tips:
Every little grain of quinoa is covered with saponin, a natural chemical that wards off insects. Saponin needs to be rinsed away; so rinse it well, if you don’t, it’s going to taste bitter. Cooking is playing with flavors, you may want to add a little extra spice, like chili powder, or add a pinch of curry powder, the flavor options are endless. Once oven-dried, store the crunch in an air-tight container.
Quinoa Crunch, Oven Roasted and Awesome
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa white
- 16 fl oz vegetable stock
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika powder sweet sweet
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
Rinse the quinoa
- Place quinoa into a bowl filled with cold water. Stir and let the seeds settle. Pour water off the top and add more water, rinse until the water doesn't look foamy. Add quinoa to a strainer and give it a final rinse under cold running water.1 cup quinoa
Cook the quinoa
- Add 2 cups vegetable stock to a saucepan, add quinoa, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until water is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside, off the heat for 5 minutes; uncover and fluff with a fork.16 fl oz vegetable stock
Season and bake the quinoa
- Preheat oven to 350 F. In a bowl blend cooked quinoa with seasonings. Spread seasoned quinoa on a sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes. Turn quinoa with a spatula and bake for an additional 10 minutes until completely dry and nicely browned.1 tsp onion, 1 tsp paprika powder sweet, 1/4 tsp garlic
Pulse the quinoa
- Place quinoa into a robot cope and pulse a few times to break down the quinoa to a medium grind. Do not over-blend. Place in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate