Quinoa back to basics: sweet & savoury

I was visiting my dad last weekend and mentioned my quinoa risotto to him. He was like: yeah, nice, but what is quinoa? I mean, what can you do with it? (aside from risotto, he he) So I've decided to take a step back and talk about the basics of quinoa for a second. Dad, I hope you're paying attention ;)

Red quinoa and some cool Freud-themed stickers I rediscovered at my dad's house :)

Quinoa is technically a seed, but it's commonly used as a grain. It comes in different colours: there is white, red and black quinoa. It's a so-called 'slow carbohydrate', and also a good source of protein and fibre, making it super good for you on all counts! The basic way to cook it is boiling 1 part quinoa in 2 parts water in a covered pot for around 10-14 minutes. I like to make a bigger batch and then keep it in the fridge to use in many different ways:

First of all, who says you can't use it in sweet dishes? Here are some ideas:
-make 'porridge' by warming some quinoa with milk or milk substitute (I'm not vegan, but I love almond milk), fruit, some cinnamon and whatever nuts/seeds/dried fruit  you like. You can also add chia seeds, hemp, or whatever other superfoods/toppings you want (OR CHOCOLATE!)
-you can also add your cooked quinoa to yogurt and make a parfait with honey and fruit
-or add it to pancake batter to make it healthier and add texture.

Red quinoa porridge with almond milk, banana, pear, peanut butter and cinnamon :)

I already gave you a savoury option here, but there are many, many more ways to use cooked quinoa:
-use it in a salad instead of couscous
-add it to soups to make them more filling
-have it with stir-fried vegetables, pasta sauce or pesto
-or just enjoy it warm with a trickle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Happy hipster eating!