50 Ways to Eat Quinoa

By Lauren Scott, Arizona Farm Bureau Intern

I walked into my kitchen the other day to find a giant bag of something called ‘quinoa’ taking up the counter space I was going to use to make my lunch. My mom had just been to the grocery store the day before, where I assumed she picked the product up, so I decided to track her down and find out what this funny-named stuff was.

Turns out quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is an ‘ancient grain’ that comes from the Andean region of Bolivia and Peru; more specifically the area around Lake Titicaca. It is dated by historians that the quinoa plant was domesticated by humans in South America somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 BCE, where it was a staple in the diet of the Incan civilization. The plant is grown in cool mountain regions, hence why it is mainly grown, to this day, in those certain regions of Bolivia and Peru, although you can now find it cultivated in places such as Columbia, the Colorado Rockies and Canada. Quinoa has many healthy aspects to it, as it contains fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium and B-vitamins, among other things. It also has no cholesterol, and a healthy amount of fatty acids. With all its healthy attributes, this multi-faceted grain is quickly becoming famous on the cooking scene; so here for your browsing leisure are 50 ways to eat quinoa!

1. Chocolate Quinoa Muffins
2. Cheesy Quinoa Cakes with a Roasted Garlic and Lemon Aioli
3. Ecuadorean Quinoa and Vegetable Soup
4. Quinoa Chili
5. Quinoa Pilaf in Lettuce Cups
6. Spinach Quinoa Scramble
7. Curried Quinoa
8. Quinoa, Roasted Eggplant and Apple Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette
9. Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf
10. Southwestern Quinoa Chowder
11. Grilled Scallops with Orange-Scented Quinoa
12. Quinoa Super Tacos
13. Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa
14. Greek Quinoa Salad
15. Southwestern Quinoa Burrito
16. Quinoa Fried ‘Rice’
17. Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quinoa Bowls
18. 5 Ingredient Quinoa Mac and Cheese
19. Quinoa Banana Bread
20. Quinoa Pudding
21. Chicken and Quinoa Soup
22. Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad
23. Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bites
24. Asian Chicken and Quinoa Salad
25. Cinnamon Apple Breakfast Quinoa
26. Zesty Sriracha Shrimp and Quinoa
27. Honey-Lime-Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
28. Black Bean and Quinoa Enchilada Bake
29. Vanilla Almond Overnight Quinoa
30. The Ultimate Quinoa Pizza Crust
31. Garlic Mushroom Quinoa
32. Quinoa Crab Cakes
33. Quinoa Tabouli
34. Cilantro Lime Quinoa
35. Quinoa Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing
36. Quinoa Coconut Chocolate Chunk Cookies
37. Mango and Overnight Quinoa Flakes Parfait
38. Healthy Red Velvet Quinoa Brownies
39. Pineapple-Cashew-Quinoa Stir-fry
40. Maple-Walnut Hot Cereal with Quinoa
41. Quinoa Tortillas
42. Quinoa Burger Topped with Sweet Potato Fried, Caramelized Onions and Gruyere
43. Quinoa Pizza Bites
44. Greek Quinoa Dinner Omelet with Feta and Tzatziki
45. Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Peppers  
46. Carrot Top and Quinoa Soup
47. Quinoa-Peanut Butter Cookies
48. Millet and Quinoa Mediterranean Salad
49. Quinoa Couscous
50. Quinoa Salad with Black Berries and Lamb

After looking at these tasty recipes, I’ve decided I’m going to go sneak some quinoa out of that big bag on my counter and try my hand at cooking with this ancient grain, and you should too! If you have any questions or just want to know more about quinoa, click on over to fillyourplate.org for information!