Quinoa with Lemon, Shallots, and Herbs

Quinoa is a wonderful, versatile grain, and this delicious recipe can easily be made into a main dish with the addition of garbanzo beans or another protein source.

INGREDIENTS:

1–2 shallots (or ¼ of an onion) – very thinly sliced – see notes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 ½ cups quinoa, rinsed, drained (rinsing removes bitterness)

2 1/4  cups water

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 ½ teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon granulated garlic (or use 1–2 minced garlic cloves with the shallot)

1 teaspoon dried oregano (or italian seasoning, or herbs de Provence, or similar)

Garnish:

lemon zest from one small lemon,

sprinkling of fresh herbs ( italian parsley, dill, basil, cilantro)

2 tablespoons slivered almonds (optional- other nuts & seeds are ok, or just leave off)

sautéed shallot (see notes) or crispy shallots

drizzle of good olive oil– optional but good.

See the entire recipe and directions at Feasting at Home.

Edamame Quinoa Salad

With March on the way, I'm basically pretending it's spring. Well, this is a perfect salad for pretending it's springtime, it's fresh and delicious- plus it's full of good vegetarian protein!

Ingredients
2 cups uncooked quinoa
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup celery , sliced
1 (15-oz) can corn, drained
1 (15-oz) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup cilantro, finely minced
1 heaping cup dried cranberries
1 (12-oz) package edamame, cooked and shelled
2 red bell peppers, diced
1 cup sliced almonds (or any nut you like)
3 Tablespoons olive oil (more or less to taste)
5 Tablespoons lime juice (more or less to taste)
salt to taste

See the full recipe and directions at The Girl Who Ate Everything.

Confetti Quinoa and Chickpea Lettuce Wraps (Vegan)

This makes an absolutely gorgeous, healthy lunch! Replacing tortillas with lettuce leaves reduces your carb load and adds an extra boost of health!

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa
1½ cups cooked chickpeas
1 cup diced bell pepper
1 cup shredded kale
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
2 tbsp chopped chives
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp hemp oil (olive, avocado, flax, or sacha inchi oils are also fine)
1 tsp dijon mustard
Sea salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
16 romaine lettuce leaves

Read the entire recipe and directions at The Full Helping.

Lemon Blueberry Quinoa Pancakes

These whole grain, high protein pancakes are a great way to start the day, and are a perfect accompaniment to a relaxed Saturday morning!

INGREDIENTS:

Dry ingredients:
1 cup cooked quinoa
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients:
1 egg
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk or coconut milk
1 tablespoon coconut sugar or honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
zest of 1 large lemon
1/2 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

See the entire recipe and directions at Ambitious Kitchen.

Blueberry Quinoa Smoothie Bowl

I was reading something that said how Smoothie Bowls are the hottest thing- then, since I had to look up what a "smoothie bowl" even was, came across an article that said, "Smoothie bowls are SO 2017"! Well, before today I had never heard of them, so maybe I just live under a rock. They do sound neat though, a smoothie that's a little more filling, that you eat with a spoon rather than a straw- sounds good to me!

My coworker, Liz, loves smoothies for breakfast, but personally, I feel like I need something I can chew a little. Well, smoothie bowls are the perfect happy medium (plus they're a great way to get more fruit in your diet), and since this recipe contains quinoa (a great high protein grain), it can help you to feel more satisfied than a plain fruit smoothie.

This recipe makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

For the quinoa:

1 Cup Quinoa uncooked
2 Cups Almond Milk  

For the smoothie:

2 Cups Almond Milk
4 Cups Frozen Blueberries

For topping:

1/4 Cup Honey
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Almond Milk
1/2 Cup sliced almonds, toasted 

See the entire recipe and directions at the Food, Faith Fitness Blog.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

This recipe is delicious and makes wonderful use of the peppers and tomatoes available at Farmer's Markets- plus it's gluten free!

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed thoroughly and drained
2 cups filtered or spring water
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
¾ cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced (see note)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder, plus more as needed
¼ teaspoon sea salt, plus more as needed
¼  teaspoon turmeric
4 large sweet red, yellow, or orange peppers
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (optional)

See the entire recipe and directions at Laura Theodore.

Lemon Turmeric Quinoa

Turmeric is a fantastic anti-inflammatory spice, and this recipe is an easy (and delicious) way to add a bit more to your diet; plus this recipe only uses 5 ingredients, so it's simple to put together!

3 cups cooked quinoa (from 1 cup uncooked)
1 teaspoon coconut oil
Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon (about 1 tablespoon juice, 1 teaspoon zest)
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon salt

optional add-ins: chopped green onions, Thai basil, ground black pepper, cashews, etc.

Read the entire recipe and directions at Simply Quinoa.

Tuscan Toasted Red Quinoa Pilaf

If you've never had red quinoa, this recipe is a perfect way to serve it.  Red quinoa has more fiber than regular white quinoa, and while both varieties are great for you, if you haven't tried the red variety, it's a real treat!

Quinoa is a wonderful, high protein ancient grain that is also gluten free.  The Ancient Grains brand we carry is washed and pre-rinsed so it's ready to cook.  Quinoa should always be rinsed before preparing, but since the grains are tiny it can be a real challenge with most colanders, so the kind we carry at the store saves you a step!

2 cups red quinoa
4 cups lower-salt chicken or vegetable broth
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 medium lemon, finely grated to yield 1 tsp. zest and squeezed to yield 2 Tbs. juice
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Read the entire recipe and directions at Fine Cooking.

Quinoa Salad with Grilled Vegetables

This salad is the most gorgeous thing ever, and is fantastic for end of summer barbecues! Grilling the vegetables gives them such a delicious, smoky flavor, and quinoa is a wonderful, high protein grain.

Ingredients:

1 large red onion, peeled, trimmed, sliced
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, sliced
1 large yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, sliced
1 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise
1 medium yellow squash, sliced lengthwise
1 medium eggplant, trimmed, sliced
2 large portobello mushrooms, stemmed
1 pound asparagus spears, ends trimmed
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
2 ears of fresh corn, corn silk removed, husks on
3 cups cooked quinoa
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
Juice from 1 lemon
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

Read the entire recipe and directions at The Gluten Free Goddess.

Chia Lemon Quinoa Bowl (gluten free and dairy free)

This recipe is simple, light, and fresh, and perfect for our warmer weather!

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1½ cups almond milk
• 4½ Tbsp. pure maple syrup (or honey)
• 3 Tbsp. slivered almonds
• 1 Tbsp. chia seeds
• ¼ tsp. sea salt
• pinch fresh lemon zest

See the entire recipe and directions at The Healthy Apple.

To read more about the many benefits of quinoa, see this article.

Creamy Quinoa Corn Chowder with Baby Spinach

This soup is healthy, fresh, and delicious!

• 3/4 cup white quinoa, rinsed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 sweet potato, diced
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels (3-5 cobs if you’re using fresh, reserve the cobs for the stock)
• 1 handful of chopped cilantro
• 8 oz baby spinach
• salt and/or pepper for taste
• extra cilantro, paprika, extra virgin olive oil and fresh pepper for garnish/serving

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Read the complete recipe and directions at What's Cooking ~ Fine dining my way.

Buddah Bowl

This makes a wonderful light lunch or dinner, and is a great way to clear out leftover veggies in the fridge.

• 2 cups dry quinoa
• veggies and greens of choice- I used broccoli, arugula, shredded carrots, diced yellow squash, red onion, and frozen peas
• 2 cloves garlic
• sea salt & pepper
• 2 Tbs flax seeds
• 2 Tbs nutritional yeast

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Read the complete recipe and directions at lindawagner.net

Quinoa Salad

This salad is easy and delicious.  I also love it since it features quinoa, which is a high protein, fast cooking grain.

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, uncooked

2 zucchini, quartered

3 bell peppers (red, yellow, orange), bite size

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup  (3.8 oz.) black (or green) olives, sliced

4 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp garlic powder

salt + pepper

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For complete directions, go to the with Style and Grace blog.