Adventures in Quinoa

    If you know me you know that I'm a really picky eater. Last week was my first time trying steak (it didn't taste like anything...what's the fuss y'all?) and ribs. The ribs were actually pretty good.

  On Saturday we said bye to my parents and I sat on the couch and cried for a bit because 500 miles is a lot of miles! Then I finished my pity party and we went out to pick blueberries. We were going to head to Knoxville and get some blackberries too but I talked Phillip into going to Three Rivers Market instead. They have fancy pants healthy food and I was feeling adventurous. They also sell lots of grains and spices in bulk which is great because if you don't like something you're not stuck with 5 lbs of it! We bought some turbinado sugar, tricolored quinoa, and some banana chips.

  Do you know what quinoa looks like? Bird seed. If you say it doesn't your totally fibbing.

bird seed.

BIRD SEED!!

 I actually googled it to see if it was the stuff they put in the cheap bird seed, apparently it's not but I think they're wrong.

 I didn't know what to do with this stuff, so I did what everyone looking for recipes does; check out Pinterest. I found this recipe. Mini Quinoa Pizzas, that sounds harmless right? You cook them up like potato cakes, throw on some cheese and sauce and stick them in the oven.

 Did you know you have to rinse this stuff first? I don't own a strainer that small so I had to get a little creative.

That's my snazzy flour sifter.

 This called for 1 cup of quinoa boiled in 2 cups of water until it's absorbed all of the water. I think mine sprouted, is that supposed to happen? It wasn't in the instructions but they definitely had tails when they were finished cooking. 

 After it's finished cooking you put it in the fridge to cool. 

 I decided to use my time wisely.

 

I've made this recipe for blueberry muffins before and it's pretty wonderful.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/to-die-for-blueberry-muffins/

 So I mixed up my muffins whilst waiting for the quinoa to cool. When it has cooled you mix it with your spices and eggs, then pan fry it in oil. I used canola but you could use anything. 

See the sprouts? I'm not crazy, I promise!

When they're finished top them it a spoon of tomato sauce and a little cheese. Bake until the cheese has melted.

  So the verdict is that they're not terrible. They tasted a lot like potato cakes, I can handle that. Do you have a favorite quinoa recipe? Care to share?

 Oh and my muffins, they're pretty much awesome. I made a double batch because we're taking them to work tomorrow. I've dubbed it Magical Muffin Monday, because I adore alliterations.