quinoa cooked right, every time. If you haven't tried freezing portions before, then I urge you to give it a go! It will save you in both time and hassle for future meals
Total time to make : 25 minutes Time to prep : 5 minutes
Time to cook : 20 minutes
Servings : 3
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked quinoa (makes 3 cups cooked quinoa)
Pinch of salt
Method
Rinse the quinoa. This is easiest done using a fine mesh colander and silicone spatula
Using the spatula, scrape the rinsed quinoa into a saucepan and cover with 2 cups water
Bring to a boil on a medium-high heat ( ~5 mins ) then once it begins to boil, decrease to a simmer on a low-medium heat, pan uncovered
Keep simmering until the water has absorbed ( ~10mins ), stirring often with a fork to ensure the quinoa doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan and begin to burn
Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 5 minutes, with a lid on
Remove lid, fluff with a fork, season with salt and serve or store (refrigerated or frozen, see below)
Nutritional Information
(per serving - 1 cup cooked)
208 calories
8g protein, 36g carbs, 3g fat
#loveyourleftovers make extra, freeze (see below) and use to bulk out chilli, salads or use in place of breadcrumbs to make meatballs or burgers
Good to know:
Rinsing quinoa is important to remove saponin (quinoa's natural coating) which can give a bitter or soapy taste. Some packaged brands have already done this step, but it's not always clearly labelled
Some people prefer to soak quinoa before boiling, to improve digestibility (by removing phytic acid). To do this, rinse uncooked quinoa, cover with 2x amount of water and leave overnight (minimum 4 hours). Drain, cover with 1.5x water and follow the usual method, bearing in mind cooking time will reduce significantly with soaked quinoa
Uncooked quinoa can be cooked in a simple 1:2 ratio of quinoa:water - the larger the quantity the longer the cooking time may be
Leave quinoa to completely cool before storing refrigerated in an airtight container for 5 - 7 days
Quinoa freezers exceptionally well. Once completely cooled, use a ziplock bag, fill in single portions, squeeze out as much air as possible before closing, then freeze flattened (see pictures, below) for up to 12 months. To thaw, remove from the freezer and place in the refrigerator over night
