Quinoa is a magical little grain that's high in protein & gluten-free. In fact, it's actually a seed. I want to show you a wonderful way to give it some natural flavor. That said, you definitely don't toast quinoa in the toaster! Hehehe. Keep reading to learn how to toast quinoa.

1. Locate your quinoa. Found it? Got it? Good. Moving on.
2. Preheat your pan. No need for oil.
3. Gently rinse your quinoa. There's often dirt & other bits o' nature in there.
4. Add your desired amount of quinoa to the pan.
5. Stir lightly until toasty.

Ok, so yes those are the basics.

quinoa






You really need to keep your eye on the pan, constantly moving the quinoa around. If you don't it'll burn. You'll know your quinoa is just about ready when you start to hear some slight crackling. This means they're getting nice & toasty. You'll see the edges start to brown. You'll smell a lovely waft of aromatic flavor -- kind of nutty.

quinoa
before, nice & white

quinoa
before, nice & white


Slight crackling. Brown edges. Fragrant smell. These are signs you know it's cooking & that it's just about ready. You may toast the quinoa for however long you prefer. Simply monitor the brownness. Let that be your guide because you don't want it to be over toasted or burned.

quinoa
after, so toasty.

quinoa
after. mmm.


After your quinoa is toasted, cook as directed. This usually means boiling it for about 20 minutes. Add water to your pan & just let it simmer over low heat until ready. The usual ratio is 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water. Substitute couscous with quinoa in this cumin chickpea dish. Do you have much cooking with quinoa experience? Was learning how to toast quinoa useful? Have you ever tried toasting your quinoa prior to eating it? :]

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