But I don't know too many ways to make it. So I need your tips for making the perfect basic, plain quinoa, and also any great recipes you've found or invented.

Thanks in advance.

I just bought quinoa two days ago and have been trying to decide what to do with it. I found some recipes at Bob's Red Mill.

Melly

I put mine in a rice cooker, toss in some broth/powder/bouillion, some dried shiitake mushrooms, and a handful of frozen peas.

Think of it as 'pilaf'. I don't think it holds well together so things like dumplings wouldn't work. The grains are so small it would get lost in soup. A friend makes it with brown rice for a macrobiotic staple. You could make tabboulies (sp?) out of it, and I'd love to make stuffing out of it for cutlets...hmmm....I have turkey cutlets in my fridge...

I had fun looking at all those recipes. I made one last night that included quinoa, yams, butternut squash, onion, butterbeans, and dried cranberries. MMMM!!! It is from recipeland.com. Here it is:

Autumn Quinoa & Butter Beans
1/2 c Quinoa
2 tb Margarine
3/4 c Finely chopped onion
1 tb Minced fresh ginger
3/4 c Orange juice
2/3 c Water
2 tb Honey
1/2 ts Salt
1/4 ts Ground coriander
1/4 ts Ground cardamom
1/8 ts Ground nutmeg
1 c Diced sweet potato -(1/2" pieces)
1 c Diced butternut squash -(1/2" pieces)
1 1/2 c Cooked/canned butter beans -(drained and rinsed) 1/4 c Chopped cranberries

Thoroughly rinse the quinoa by placing it in a large bowl and filling the bowl with cold water. Drain the quinoa and repeat the rinsing and draining 4 more times; set aside. [At this point I modified the recipe by dry-toasting the quinoa in a skillet over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes.]

Melt the margarine in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and ginger, and cook, stirring, until the onion is softened. Stir in the orange juice, water, honey, salt, coriander, cardamom, and nutmeg; bring to a boil. Stir in the sweet potato and squash; bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, 7 minutes. Stir in the butter beans and quinoa, and return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Stir in the cranberries; simmer, covered, 5 minutes longer.

Calories: 345 Total Fat: 6.7 g Protein: 10.8 g Saturated Fat: 1.3 g Carbohydrates: 56.0 g Cholesterol: 0 Fiber: 8.8 g Sodium: 392 mg

Breakfast Quinoa
(Makes 3-3/4 c.)

2 c. fresh orange juice
1 t. ghee or unrefined sesame oil (I use butter.)
1 t. honey
1/8 t. sea salt
1 c. quinoa or 1-1/3 c. domestic quinoa, well washed
2 T. pecans, roasted and chopped very fine

Combine the orange juice, ghee, honey, and salt in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Watch closely to keep the orange juice from boiling over. Add the quinoa, cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until all of the juice has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Add the pecans and fluff with a fork.

1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed well in a fine sieve
2 T olive
1 garlic clove, finely copped
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and finely diced (watch your hands!!) or use the ones in a jar though I don't think taste is as good)
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and fresh pepper
1/2 pound boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 cubes
1 bunch scallions, including an inch of the greens, thinly sliced into rounds
3 cups finely sliced spinach leaves
1/4 pound feta cheese, finely diced
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 hard-cooked egg, chopped

Put quinoa and 2 quarts of water in pot, bring to boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. While it is cooking, dice the vegetables and cheese. Drain, saving the liquid. Measure the liquid and add water to make 6 cups if needed.
Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and chile. Cook for about 30 seconds, giving it a quick stir. Add the cumin, salt and potatoes and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Don't let garlic brown. Add the quinoa water and half the scallions and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the quinoa, spinach and remaining scallions and simmer for 3 more minutes. turn off heat and stir in feta and cilantro. season soup with pepper and garnish with chopped egg.

That isi it! As someone mentioned, the quinoa does fall apart and is not regular pasta in that way. I couldn't even tell you what quinoa tastes like! BUT this soup tastes so refreshingly good. And it tastes just as good, if not better, the next day.

Sopa de Quinoa con Chancho/Quinoa Soup with Pork
8-10 servings

2 T olive oil
1 t ground annatto or sweet paprika
1/2 cup chopped scallions (white part and 1 inch of green)
1 cup finely chopped leek (white part and 1 inch of green)
1 medium tomato ripe but firm, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, mashed into paste with 1 t salt
1/2 t freshly ground pepper
1/2 ground cumin
3/4 lb. lean pork from the leg or shoulder trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2 in cubes
6 cups hot water
1 lb. boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
3/4 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts or natural peanut butter pureed with 1 cup milk
1 cup frozen peas
8 large basil leaves, chopped
Pinch of cayenne
Minced fresh parsley leaves for garnish

1. Heat the oil in a heavy 4 quart saucepan over low heat. Stir in the annatto, then add the scallions, leeks, toamto, garlic paste, and cumin and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium, add the pork cubes and cook for a couple of minutes, tossing so they are well coated with the vegetable mixture. Add the water and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes.
2. Add the potatoes, quinoa, and peanut puree. Partially cover and continue to cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the peas, basil, and acayenne and cook for a couple of minutes to heat the peas through. Taste for salt and black pepper.
3. Serve hot, granished with the parsley.

It worked for awhile.

Tried millet?it is worse:(.

Gellchom's basic quinoa

1 c quinoa
2 c vegetable stock
a little minced garlic
pinch thyme
salt & pepper
a little minced parsley

Heat dry pot on medium low heat and add quinoa. Stir to toast for about 5 minutes. Then add everything else, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. Let it sit, covered, a little.

I think you could add all kinds of other goodies to this -- lemon, toasted pine nuts, mushrooms? -- in our never-ending battle to satisfy the urge for starch without resorting too often to white rice, white potatoes, white pasta....