9 Mouthwatering Quinoa Recipes for Diabetes Control
Are you looking for diabetes foods to eat that still taste good? Maybe you have heard that quinoa is good but wondering how to make quinoa taste good. What spices go well with it and how to make it flavorful with simple everyday ingredients? If so, you're in the right place. Get all my tips on best practices to put in quinoa, what goes well with it, and ways to use it in your everyday cooking.
What does quinoa taste like?
Let's talk about this. If you have never tasted quinoa, I'll describe it. I think the taste of quinoa is somewhere between oatmeal and brown rice with a mild, earthy, and nutty flavor that pairs with just about anything. When I'm creating recipes with quinoa, you should also think that it's like a blank canvas or a messenger to carry over flavors that you want to have in your dish. It also has a very nice crunch to it as it is a seed, not a grain. When cooked properly, it provides a bit of crunch a bit of creamy, and a bit of nutty taste all at the same time. Delicious, huh?
Need a hand with cooking the perfect quinoa?
Here are four different methods that you can use to cook the most delicious and fluffy quinoa. I'll say Instant Pot would be great, in the microwave, you can do it, you can also use a rice cooker, and you can do it on the stovetop. I'll give you also a pro tip - you can cook quinoa in bulk and freeze it so that you can use it in any of your favorite quinoa recipes quickly and efficiently.
Now, how to season the quinoa to make it taste better?
The big question, right? Well, we have covered how it tastes. Let's talk about a few ways to make it really flavorful. Number one, rinsing under cold water to remove its bitter taste is going to be good. Toasting quinoa with spices to bring out its flavors and rinsing quinoa before cooking is important. If you have cooked quinoa before, you probably heard a lot of chefs suggesting giving quinoa a good quick rinse before cooking. That's because quinoa has a bitter-tasting natural coating called saponin. Essentially, it's a self-defense mechanism for the plant to protect itself from fungi, birds, insects, and other foraging animals in its natural habitat. While virtually all quinoa that is sold in the markets today pretty much already has removed the saponin with various techniques, some people might still taste the bitterness that may have remained. That is why I recommend placing quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and just giving it a quick good rinse under cold water until the water runs clear.
Also, you need to toast quinoa with a little bit of oil. It might be a few minutes of extra work, but toasting quinoa unlocks its nutty flavor and even produces fluffier cooked quinoa. For additional flavor, toast quinoa with a bit of olive oil coconut oil avocado oil, or even butter would work over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until it is lightly browned.
You can also cook it in vegetable, beef, or chicken broth. Cooking quinoa in vegetable beef or chicken stock is probably the easiest way to flavor it. You can simply swap the water with your choice of stock and use the same amount to cook your quinoa. Alternatively, if you prefer, you can also use half water, half stock. Season the liquid well if you are using water. While there is nothing wrong with cooking quinoa in water, which you shouldn't be cooking right as a diabetic, it needs to be well seasoned. For example, add a half teaspoon of salt for every cup of raw quinoa. Add some seasoning to the pot during the cooking process. You can easily up the flavor of quinoa by using some of the basic pantry items that you have. Some of the best seasonings for quinoa are, I would say, cumin, dried bay leaf, turmeric, salt, black pepper, and so forth. You can flavor it with fresh garlic if you like garlic, and herbs such as parsley, dill, and cilantro. You can add the seasonings of your choice into the pot at the same time as the liquid and cook it. Alternatively, you can also add them in after your quinoa is cooked.
Here are 9 examples of well-seasoned quinoa recipes for you:
1. Lemon herb quinoa - made by cooking quinoa with onion and garlic and then mixing it with lemon juice or lemon zest and fresh parsley.
2. Quinoa lentil recipe - cooking quinoa and green lentils together is a great way to flavor the otherwise tasteless quinoa in this simple salad recipe.
3. Mexican quinoa - flavored with ground coriander, ground cumin, some vegetables (e.g., black beans, jalapeno, corn), and some garnishes like cilantro and avocado, all inspired by Mexican cuisine.
4. Quinoa table salad - made with fresh herbs like Italian parsley, mint, and dill along with a simple lemon juice and garlic vinaigrette to flavor it.
5. Mediterranean quinoa salad - add a few cups of cooked quinoa into salads made with classic Mediterranean ingredients like chickpeas, bell peppers, kalamata olives, and feta cheese.
6. Quinoa porridge - cooked with coconut milk and topped off with seasonal fruit, a super simple breakfast alternative.
7. Butternut squash and quinoa salad - roasted sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts with cooked quinoa, a quick wholesome, and healthy lunch or a side dish for your dinner.
8. Quinoa chili and quinoa and vegetables - adding uncooked quinoa into soups and stews, is another great way to incorporate it into your meals.
9. Quinoa sweet potato bowl - perfectly flavored with roasted sweet potatoes, and black beans, and drizzled with yogurt tahini dressing.
Consider serving quinoa with meat dishes such as ground turkey meatloaf or chicken dishes such as Mediterranean lemon chicken or pot roast.
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Now go make some quinoa and share them on your Healthy Nation Facebook group. If you're not part of it, please be part of this group. Take photos of your wonderful dishes and share them with us. And clap and share this article as well. Thank you for reading!
