Following on from the previous post about brown rice, I’ve had several questions regarding quinoa. ‘What is it?’ and ‘how to cook it?’.

Quinoa Plant and cooked grain (left photo Ragesoss on Flickr)

What is quinoa?

Quinoa originates from the Andes and was eaten as a staple by the Aztecs. It is a psuedo-cereal, true cereals are made from grasses; whereas  quinoa, chia,  buckwheat and amaranth all come from broadleaf plants which are free from gluten. psuedo-cereals may be used similarly to cereals to make flours and porridges.

Quinoa is higher protein than most other grains and is the only grain to contain a complete amino profile, making it a good choice for plant based eaters (vegans/vegos).Quinoa and it’s psuedo-cereal cousins are the only grains suitable on anti-candida protocols because they do not stimulate the growth of yeast.

The majority of quinoa is still grown in South America, however other cool-climate, mountainous areas have started to grow it, including Kindred Organics in Tasmania.

As well as whole quinoa grains, quinoa flakes and quinoa flour are also available. Quinoa flakes are a great gluten free alternative to oatmeal and quinoa flour is perfect for pancakes and crepes.

What does it taste like?

Quinoa has a texture similar to cous-cous when cooked, yet a little creamier. It has distinctive flavour which is nutty and just a bit sweet and bit tangy. It pairs well with earthy flavours such as cinnamon, saffron and nutmeg, as well as in sweet dishes with fruits and berries.

Indian Quinoa Hotpot/Corn and Quinoa Fritters (from Healthy Helpings www.healthyhelpings.com.au)

How to cook Quinoa?

Quinoa can be cooked much like rice. In my book, Healthy Helpings, I use quinoa to make paella, an Indian hotpot (similar to a pilaf) and for a cold breakfast alternative to oatmeal.

Like rice, quinoa should be rinsed thoroughly before use. If quinoa is purchased in bulk it may require soaking and more extensive rinsing than commercially packaged quinoa. If the quinoa you cook taste bitter, it probably is the kind that needs soaking.

Rice cooker:

After rinsing place the quinoa in a rice cooker and cover with about 1cm of water (fingertip to first knuckle), switch on and let it cook. After cooking allow it to sit for a 5 minutes, then fluff with a spoon.

Stovetop- absorption method:

After rinsing place the quinoa in a saucepan and cover with about 1cm of water (fingertip to first knuckle), Cover with a tight-fitting lid and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and rest for a further 5 minutes.

Strawberry & Lemon Quinoa with Cottage Cheese Cream/Quinoa Paella (from the book Healthy Helpings www.healthyhelpings.com.au)

Oven:

After rinsing place the quinoa in a saucepan and cover with about 1cm of water (fingertip to first knuckle), Cover and place in an oven pre-heated to 180ºC. Cook for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and rest, covered, for a further 5 minutes.

How do I know if the quinoa is cooked?

When cooked, quinoa will go semi-transparent and a small squiggly bit in the centre will be visible. Quinoa shouldn’t be crunchy once cooked.

As an added bonus I’ve included a video from the archives. This is where the quinoa paella in the book started out.

After losing the photos I’d taken for Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day from my camera I was a little frustrated but posted a link to these cauliflower pancakes. From this I was asked about crepes. You see, it’s quite easy to make fluffy pancakes, but much harder to get soft delicate crepes without the magic binding properties of gluten. Somewhere in the deep dark recesses of my mind I recalled I had cracked the code. Trawling through old notebooks I finally found a recipe for a very low-carb crepe using pea protein. It sounded like the perfect afternoon snack with a little ABC (almond, brazil, cashew) nut butter spread. These were really very good, but the request had been for one using quinoa or coconut flour. Again, this morning I got out my crepe pan (the pan that no one else is allowed to use for anything else) mixed up a few ingredients and like magic crepes appeared. The lovely thing about crepe batter is that it’s so thin that making a batch is quick enough that the first few don’t get too cold.

Inspired by the coconut milk in the batter, I felt the filling needed to be banana-y. Unfortunately, I was out of bananas, but a client had given me some banana flavoured whey to try. Combined with the tanginess of the blueberries and a little sprinkle of coconut it felt like a very lavish Thursday morning breakfast!

I will give both the pea protein and quinoa flour versions of the recipe. Both work exceptionally well, without cracking or falling apart. I was even able to ‘flip’ a few in the pan!

Serves: 1 small (either protein or quinoa crepes)
Prep-Time: 7 minutes
Cooking times: 13 minutes

Crepe: Lower-carb version

• 20g/ ¾ scoop Rice or Pea protein powder
• 1 whole egg, beaten
• 2 egg white
• 160ml/ 2/3 cup light coconut milk (or unsweetened almond milk)

Crepe: Quinoa Flour Version

• 35g/3 heaped Tbsp Quinoa flour
• 1 whole egg, beaten
• 2 egg white
• 160ml/ 2/3 cup light coconut milk (or unsweetened almond milk)

Banana Cream

• 15g / ½ scoop banana flavoured protein powder (or 1 small mashed banana)
• 40g /2 Tbsp light ricotta
• a splash light coconut milk

• Cooking oil for spraying/brushing
• 100g Blueberries
• 1 tsp shredded coconut, to serve.

Place the protein powder or quinoa flour in a large bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring to combine thoroughly between each addition. Gradually add the coconut milk to form a batter the consistency of runny cream.

Preheat a small frying pan to a medium heat.

Meanwhile mix the ingredients for the banana cream to form a smooth, yet thick consistency. Set aside.

Lightly grease the pan.Pour a quarter cup of the crepe batter in to the pan and swirl to thinly coat the base. Wait for about a minute, until the edges become firm, then slide a spatula around the edges to loosen before flipping and cooking for a further 30 seconds.

Repeat with the remaining mixture to make approximately 5 crepes.

Fill each crepe with a dollop of banana cream and blueberries. Roll or fold, and top with a sprinkle of shredded coconut.

Protein crepes

259 kCalories, 31.6g Protein, 1.7g Carbs, 0.5g fibre, 13.7g Fat

Roll or fold, and top with a sprinkle of shredded coconut.

Quinoa crepes

318 kCalories, 19.4g Protein, 23.7g Carbs, 2.5g fibre, 15.6g Fat

Banana Cream with blueberries

167 kCalories, 15.6g Protein, 15.7g Carbs, 1.8g fibre, 4.2g Fat

For the next few posts it’s back to basics. Up first I tackle the seemingly impossible task of cooking brown rice.

Sure, I’ve cooked brown rice many times before, but very few times have I enjoyed the texture. My favourite brown rice has always been the repeatable pouches from the supermarket, but no way am I paying for someone else to cook and vacuum pack my rice.

I decided the only way to get to the bottom of this was to have a side-by-side rice cook-off.

I asked on Facebook whether anyone had a favourite method to share. There were a few votes for rice cookers, a lot of votes for ‘blergh, brown rice’ and a few votes for the pressure cooker method.

For my side by side comparison, all the rice came from the same packet and was rinsed several times before cooking.

Pressure cooker

The pressure cooker has been my favourite method for brown rice cooking as it cuts the time in half.
Rice to Water ratio: 1 cup: 2 cups
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Method: Place rice and water in a pressure cooker. Bring to pressure over a medium heat and cook for 15 minutes.  Release pressure slowly, fluff and serve.

Results:
Nutty and dense. This is what I’ve always thought brown rice tastes like. Not a real fan.

Microwave

My mum swears by cooking her rice in the microwave, for me it’s never quite worked. However, when I saw this video from the Hong Kong Health Department for microwave brown rice, I figured it was worth a shot.

The problem with microwave instructions is that microwaves come in a variety of strengths. Mines a whopping 1100watts which doesn’t make much difference over a few minutes, but over 30 minutes I was a little worried.
Rice to water ratio: 1 cup: 3 cups
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Method: Place washed rice and water in a microwave safe glass dish. Cook on high for 20 minutes, stir and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Results:
Crispy and dried out. This was not edible. Luckily I have a dog who’ll eat almost anything!

Oven

The idea of cooking brown rice in the oven was what started this whole adventure for me. I love cooking basmati rice, oats and quinoa in the oven as I’ve never had it go ‘wrong’. My biggest question with this was getting the rice to water ratio correct. I’d seen various suggestions from 1:2, 1:2.5 and 1:3. I opted for the most water, figuring I could always drain the rice at the end.
Rice to water ratio: 1 cup: 3 cups
Cooking times: 65 minutes (doing time 4 minutes)
Method: Pre-heat oven to 190ºC/375ºF  Bring water to the boil in the kettle. Place the rice in an ovenproof dish with a tight fitting lid (no lid, use foil). Pour the water over the rice, cover and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and rest, covered for 5 minutes.

Results:
Fluffy, slightly sticky. Soft! All signs of nuttiness gone.

Rice cooker

Due to the number of people suggesting using a rice cooker on Facebook, I figured I’d give it another go. I swear by my rice cooker for basmatti and jasmine rice, brown has always been a bit rubbery.
Rice to water ratio: 1 cup: 2 cups (this seemed to be the popular ratio on Facebook)
Cooking time: about 40 minutes
Method: I placed rinsed rice and filtered tap water in the rice cooker. Switched it on  and had a shower.

Results:
Rubbery and nutty. Very similar to the pressure cooker, but took twice as long.

The winner is….Oven Method!

Taste/texture: fluffy
Equipment: Almost everyone has access to an oven and a ovenproof pot.
Ease of preparation: Set and forget. You could even bake chicken breast and roast sweet potatoes and all your other veggies for the week while this cooks. Too easy!
Time: this is the only problem. Good news is, brown rice freezes really well. Allow to cool and freeze in single serve packages. Steam in a steamer or the microwave for a few minutes to bring back to life.

Bonus cooking tips:

Instead of water, use chicken or vegetable stock.

Kate rice cooking tip: “add ginger slivers, tied pandan leaf and a clove of bruised garlic. Equal amounts of water and coconut milk …. Remove garlic, giner and pandan before serving. Add flaked roast chicken, egg and some fried peanuts. Perfect nasi lemak. *drool*”

How do you cook your rice?

Holy broccaumole, I’ve been busy. Between powerlifting training, freelance design clients, helping out with the new local chapter of ANB and organising the reprint of Healthy Helpings (nearly sold out!); I haven’t had time to scratch myself.  Dishes have been piling up around my computer and creative moments in the kitchen have been way too few and far between.

This little gem of a dish emerged late one Friday evening, when I was faced with the last remaining items from the previous Saturday’s farmers market.  A slightly too ripe avocado and some tired looking broccoli. My friend Jude had told me how she likes to make broccoli mash with avocado stirred through and I’d been meaning to try it for while. As I blended the avocado into the puréed broccoli my mind started to wander ‘south of the border, down Mexico way’. I rescued the last few sprinkles of some spring onions and red capsicum from a container in the fridge and a teensy squeeze of a once loved lemon. Darn, that was a nice way to end a week!

That was 3 weeks ago. Since then I’ve left avocados to ripen too long by the time I’ve remembered to buy broccoli, or been out of broccoli when I’ve had a nice new avocado. Good things come to those who wait, and finally I’ve had time to get back in the kitchen. A few planned tweaks for a bit more colour, and some creamy, zingy result.

This time of year it’s hot, I’ve eaten more rich food than usual and the shops are open sporadically. All this leads to a general feeling of not wanting to be in the kitchen too long. If I can get a meal on the table in under ten minutes it’s a winner in my eyes. I think the Thai’s must suffer this heat lethargy all year round, other than their laborious spice paste, most of their cuisine is so quick to prepare.

This beautifully simple stir fry is inspired by a recipe in David Thompson’s ‘Thai Street Food’. The list of ingredients are glaringly simple, yet the combination of flavours are much more than their individual parts. I’m not one to include a lot of pepper in my food, but this is the secret to the success of this dish. In David’s book, he suggests switching different greens and different seafood or poultry in this recipe. I had some frozen scallops in my freezer, which I quickly defrosted in the microwave, and a few bunches of asparagus to get through and that was all I needed.

Asparagus and Scallops

• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 2 bunches asparagus, woody bases trimmed and cut into 4cm length
• 350g scallops, thawed if frozen
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced/chopped (not crushed- it will burn!)
• 1 Tbsp light soy sauce (tamari for gluten free)
• 2 Tbsp chicken stock or water
• ½ tsp freshly ground pepper

1. Heat a wok until very hot. Add the coconut oil and heat until shimmering.
2. Add the asparagus and scallops and stir-fry for 3 or 4 minutes, until the scallops begin to loose their translucent quality.
3. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 2 minutes.
5. Taste and add more pepper if desired

Summer took it’s time but it’s finally here. 41ºC (106ºF for your American types) makes it officially too hot to leave the house or cook. I’ve been eating frozen peas straight from the packet to keep cool, then I spotted the frozen berries and it all became clear, I would exist on frozen yoghurt!

Possibly the simplest recipe in the world, this is the cousin of the Maple Pecan Frozen Yoghurt recipe your find in my book, Healthy Helpings. No need for any fancy equipment (see the tips, below, for ice-cream maker-free options) I was able to throw this together while grilling my lunch on the bbq.

Fruits of the Forrest Frozen Yoghurt

• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 (30g) egg white, use pasturized egg whites if concerned about eating raw eggs
• 500g low-fat yoghurt, I used Paris Creek Fat Free Swiss style Biodynaic Yoghurt
• 3 scoops (90g) Vanilla protein powder, I used WPC
• 100g frozen mixed berries

Place all the ingredients except the berries in a mixing bowl and combine until smooth.

Stir in the berries and place in a ice-cream maker. Churn until frozen.

Store in the freezer.

SUBSTITUTES & VARIATIONS

• If you don’t have an ice-cream maker, place the mixture in a metal baking tray, cover with plastic wrap and freezer for 3 hours. After 3 hours scrape the mixture into a freezer-safe container and freeze for another 2 hours
• Protein powder can be replaced with skim milk powder. However, the recipe will be lower in protein.

Nutrition:

Small: 142 Calories, 1.3g Fat, 10.2g Carbs, 1.0g Fibre, 22.1g Protein

Large: 284 Calories, 2.6 Fat, 20.4g Carbs, 2.0g Fibre, 44.2g Protein