How to Make Quinoa Flakes At Home

One of my most popular posts ever was this one:

Summer Breakfast: How to Make Quinoa Flakes

However, that post is really about how to cook/serve quinoa flakes. I think many people searching for that post are actually wondering, "I don't have quinoa flakes. Can I make quinoa flakes from my regular quinoa?"

And that's what today's post is about. 

The answer is yes.

And they're good.

They're not 100% the same texture as commercial quinoa flakes, but much less expensive, and you don't have to commit to buying both quinoa and flakes. It still offers a great creamy consistency.

So what to do?

Ingredients and Tools

1. Your favorite brand of quinoa. I've only tried it with white quinoa but I suspect other types might work. This one is from Costco.

2. You'll need a fine grinder of some sort: either a coffee grinder or a spice grinder. You can definitely use your regular coffee grinder - a little coffee flavor in here would be delicious. Though there will be a little quinoa dust mixed in when you go back to grinding coffee in there.

Here's our little spice grinder.

3. For cooking you'll need milk or water. I prefer a sweet non-dairy milk, because quinoa does have a bit more bitterness compared to other breakfast grains, but it's up to you. You'll also need a pan and fruit or whatever else you would like to top your quinoa.

Method

1. Grind up your quinoa in the spice grinder. A half cup serving is 40 grams, but using a bit more will help it grind evenly, and then you can store the extra. Be patient - it'll take a little time to get all the pieces ground. Just check it and give it a stir periodically.

2. Combine your desired amount of quinoa with milk: use about 1 cup milk per half cup (40 g) serving of quinoa that you're cooking.

3. Bring to a boil and then simmer 2-5 minutes, there will be a clear change in consistency - much like oat bran. When your milk is mostly absorbed you're done. 

4. Top with fruit, nuts, agave, nut butter: whatever you prefer.

Enjoy!

Thanks for reading, see you soon.

Veganomicon Pineapple Cashew Quinoa Stir-fry

After my morning breakfast of new-to-me quinoa flakes, and my statement that I actually didn't love regular quinoa texture all that much, somehow we ended up with quinoa for dinner. However, this was an awesome decision. It may have even redeemed my opinion of quinoa texture.

Veganomicon never fails us. This was awesome. 


If you haven't listened to me yet, and therefore still don't own the book, the full recipe can be found here: Veganomicon Pineapple Cashew Quinoa Stir-fry

My changes included:
1. Canned pineapple instead of fresh. This also supplied the juice necessary - it was about a cup.
2. Replaced mirin (a sweet rice wine) with another tablespoon of veggie broth.
3. Red bell pepper AND yellow bell pepper. I always add extra veggies. I just can't stop.
4. Half a serrano chile instead of the red chile - we just couldn't find red.
5. After the last 10-14 minutes of stir-frying, we cranked up the heat and gave it another few minutes to make it kind of fried and toasty.

Ingredients: Quinoa (after refrigeration in the pot), peas, peppers, veggie broth, pineapple, soy sauce, limes.

In prep bowls (clockwise from upper left): Basil and mint, scallions and garlic, toasted cashews, chile and grated ginger.

Chopping up that chile seemed easy, but after extensive exfoliation of my fingers my eyes and lips still burn if I touch them. It definitely didn't make the dish spicy, just be careful about touching it. 

I bought a new basil plant for the occasion. Johanna has plans for it. I sincerely hope it fares better than my last one.

The cashews, post-dry toasting.

Scallions and garlic. 

Plus chile and ginger.

Plus peppers and peas.

Plus everything else. 

Frying a little extra at the end. 

His and hers. Served with lime wedges. 

So. Good. 

What's your favorite pineapple dish?

Summer Breakfast: How to Make Quinoa Flakes

It's Sunday and a quiet leisurely breakfast has me feeling like it's going to be a great day.

I was recently at my local health food store and I noticed a new addition to the bulk bins:

Quinoa flakes.

These aren't a new food exactly, but they're definitely new to me. I really like quinoa for it's nutritional profile and taste, but I actually don't like the texture of regular quinoa that much - it's a vegan betrayal I know. I feel like the beady little grains get stuck in my teeth and I'd much rather eat rice or farro or oats.

Enter quinoa flakes. Basically they're steam-rolled quinoa that cooks up in just a couple minutes with a creamy texture. Most instructions have them cooking up as a breakfast cereal, so that's what I did, but I think I see them becoming very versatile in my future.

[Don't have quinoa flakes available, just regular quinoa? See this post for how to make a similar dish with your regular quinoa.]

How to cook Quinoa flakes:

1. Weigh or measure 1 cup of water, milk, or a mixture into a saucepan. I used milk - regular Silk light soymilk. 

2. Add 34 g or 1/3 cup quinoa flakes. 

      (I actually used 6 oz. or 3/4 cup milk for a 30 g portion.)

3. Bring to a boil and stir 1-2 minutes. 

4. Mix in some toppings if you want - some ideas:

Fruit like peaches, banana or berries

Raisins or other dried or freeze-dried fruit

Chopped nuts - walnuts, pecans, almonds 

Nut butters

Cinnamon, sweetener or even chocolate or cocoa powder

This bowl had half a peach and half a banana. 

5. Turn off heat and let stand a couple minutes to thicken. 

The flakes.

The texture is a bit like cream of wheat. 

Definitely a new favorite. 

Nutrition facts (per 1/3 cup or 34 g serving) - [via Livestrong] - click here.

And the best part? Sharing a bite with my favorite taste-tester:

Happy Sunday! Try to enjoy it before the week starts all over again. 

Do you like quinoa? Have you ever had quinoa flakes?

Orange "Chicken" Quinoa Medley

This has made great meals this week. It's inspired by a combination of the quinoa stir-fry boyfriend makes for me, and some flavor pairings from Vegan Planet. These amounts made about 5 me-meal-sized bowls. With the vegan chicken and the quinoa, it's high in protein, and the orange makes the flavors bright, but clean and simple.

Ingredients

Quinoa - 1 cup (170 g)

Veggie stock - 2 cups

Oil (for sauteeing)

Frozen corn - 1 lb (1 bag)

Onion - 1 medium, diced

Broccoli - 4 crowns, cut into florets

Vegan Chicken (used Trader Joe's Chickenless Strips) - 27 strips (1 package)

Soy sauce - 1 tbsp

Orange juice - of 3 oranges
Zest of one of the oranges

(next time, I would also add in some of the orange "meat" as well as the juice)

1. Place chicken and soy sauce in a bowl.

2. Squeeze oranges into bowl (aggressively - no juice left behind), let sit while continuing.

3. Place veggie stock in a pot and bring to a boil, and quinoa, cover and reduce heat. 

4. Simmer about 12 mins.

5. Meanwhile, heat oil over med/high heat in a (very) large pan, add onion, corn, and broccoli.

5. Cook about 2 minutes, then add chicken with marinade.

6. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

7. Mix in cooked quinoa and orange zest.

8. Plate, bowl, or scoop directly from the pan.

(I decided not to use the sugar, but it would have gone in the marinade)