For the Italian Quinoa

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp chicken bullion
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Preheat your thermos. Bring the water to a boil. Once the water boils, use the water in the thermos to rinse the quinoa. Once the quinoa is rinsed dump it into the thermos, add all of the seasonings and then the boiling water. Give the thermos a shake, lay it on its side and let the quinoa cook for 35-40 mins.

For the sausage

• 1 Tblsp olive oil
• 1/2 of an onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
• 3/4 lb of Italian sausage
• 1 (14 oz) can diced Italian tomatoes
• salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add onion and pepper and saute until tender. Add sausage and cook until no longer pink. Drain any excess oil. Add tomatoes and heat through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve sausage mixture over quinoa. Serve with a nice green salad and some bread on the side for a complete dinner. Enjoy!

of Sciences as one of the best sources of protein – it’s one of the few plant proteins that contains all eight essential amino acids. Quinoa is also gluten free and has a low glycemic index.

I like quinoa because you can fix it for breakfast (hot quinoa with raisins, cinnamon, and milk), lunch (a plate of quinoa with black beans, salsa and cheese) or dinner (okay, haven’t eaten it much for dinner yet). I prepare a big batch in my larger thermos, eat some immediately, and put the rest in the fridge for later.

Our instructions will make more sense after you quickly read through our thermos cooking basics.

Basic Recipe

Ratio: 1 part quinoa to 2 parts liquid
Salt: To taste – try 1/3 teaspoon per cup of quinoa to start
Cooking Time: 45 minutes (approx.)

Directions

1. Boil enough water to fill up your thermos. I like to use an electric kettle, but use the stove or whatever else you have.
2. While it’s heating, get your ingredients ready.
3. Fill up your thermos with boiling water, close the lid, and set aside.
4. Measure out your water (or broth), keeping a 1:2 ratio. For example, if you want 3 cups of cooked quinoa, measure 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of liquid.
5. Boil your measured water (or broth).
6. Place the quinoa in a strainer. Most quinoa has had the saponin coating removed, but a last rinse doesn’t hurt.
7. When your measured liquid is about ready to boil, pour the water from the thermos over the quinoa in the strainer.
8. Dump the quinoa and salt into the thermos. I use a canning funnel to try to make this easier.
9. Pour the boiling water into the thermos, close it up, give in a few shakes, and lay it down on the counter.

Timing (45 minutes) is approximate. It partly depends on how you like your quinoa cooked. Just give the thermos a shake every once in a while. It will slosh around at first, then it will slowly thicken until it barely moves at all. When this happens, it’s done.

You can always open the top and check inside once or twice until you get a feel for it. Remember that you can’t overcook it, so you don’t have worry about watching the thermos or emptying it when it’s done. Just leave it on the counter and eat it when you’re ready. You can even put it out the night before – convenient, isn’t it?

Learn about the nutritional value of quinoa.

I’ve Cooked Quinoa. Now What Do I Do with It?

The nice thing about quinoa is that it doesn’t have much of it’s own flavor so it will take on the flavor of what you cook it with. Here are a few more ideas of what to do with your cooked quinoa.

Breakfast:

• Hot quinoa with cinnamon, raisins and some milk
• Top hot quinoa with rolled oats, blueberries, pumpkins seeds and sliced almonds then add a little milk and honey.

Lunch/Salads

• A bed of quinoa topped with black beans, salsa and cheese served warm
• Replace couscous with quinoa in salads.
• Use quinoa instead of bulgar wheat in tabouli to make a wheat-free version of the Middle Eastern dish.
• Combine cooked, chilled quinoa, pinto beans, pumpkin seeds, scallions and coriander. Season to taste for a south-of-the-border salad.

Dinner:

• Use chicken stock when cooking the quinoa and then serve as a side dish instead of rice.
• Add to your favorite vegetable soup.