Quinoa is a bit boring, isn't it.... got any decent recipies for it?

Answer 1

Quinoa and Black Beans
"Very flavorful alternative to black beans and rice. Quinoa is a nutty grain from South America."
10 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Winter Fruit Salad
"This is a salad with quinoa. It is a grain that is similar to rice and couscous and is available in most health food stores."
6 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 1/3 cups quinoa, rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
2 kumquats - seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Bosc pear - peeled, cored and chopped
1 cucumber - peeled, seeded and chopped
1 cup trimmed and coarsely chopped watercress
DIRECTIONS
In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa and water and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat stirring often, until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain and cool completely.
In a small bowl, combine the kumquats, cilantro, olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Allow to steep for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, pear and cucumber. Add the dressing and toss well. Add the watercress and toss again and serve.

Answer 2

Vegetarianism doesn't mean eating vegetables. I have been one for 35 years and am not crazy about vegtables or health foods. I am also a carpenter so need some strength. I do not like being invited to dinner and the host, knowing I am a vegetarian, gives me a big plate of vegtables and salad. Same goes for resturants. Most vegetarian cookbooks tend to be gourmet, health/weight loss, yuppie female orientated or just tedious recepies, I find the magazine Vegitarian Times disgusting and totally useless. Find one that is simple. What to do? Think what makes you salivate. Pavlof! That is how you prepare a meal, think about it. The supermarkets are now feeled with meatless products. BOCA burgers are my favorite, chicken patties, saugeses etc. I do not like garden burgers or others cuz they are filled with veggies. There are frozen pizzas with all sorts of stuff except meat. Always keep extra cheese of preference at home and add it on top and if you like mushrooms, olives, pineapples etc. Health food stores carry LomaLinda canned products like Linketts. My omnivore wife think they are very comparable to real hot dogs. Some day you might try wheat gluten products usually also found at health food stores. Tofu has no flavor at all but you can add any seasonings you like like bar-b-q, chinese seasoning and on and on. Just cut it into small squares or slices and fry it up. Don't forget your vegies. A baked potatos can be made a meal by microwaving, mixing in cheeses, margarine, chives, bacon bits (usually a soy product) I like pasta maybe once a week as a casorole, mix in cheese, milk, chives BOCA bits, or bacon bits, onions, celery etc. Same with potatoe casseroles. Whatever turns you on. Think about it. Ethnic foods like Chinese, Italian, Greek, Mexican offer many choices when you go out to eat or cook up. In supermarkets they have frozen eggplant parmijawns, enchalladas, and on and on. You will have to experiment. Burger-King offers a fairly good veggie burger at a very reasonable cost. Whatever you have to have the will and perserverance. For me meat or fish cooking is almost nauseating. Good luck.