Are you gluten-free and missing some grains in your diet?
Are you looking for a tasty dinner that can be prepared and frozen for a quick dinner another night?
Do you want to know more about what quinoa is? Why is it so popular? How can you cook it?
Then this is the blog post for you. I will answer your questions about what quinoa is, why it is popular in the gluten-free world, and how to cook it into a tasty dinner.

Before we get to the recipe let’s talk about all things quinoa.
Some quinoa facts:
For starters, how to pronounce it… KEEN-wah. I know I certainly was not pronouncing it correctly when I first found out about quinoa. In my mind, it would be pronounced QWIN-o-ah. But I was wrong. I only found out I was wrong whilst listening to health podcasts when I finally heard the word pronounced, previously I had only read it and I had the pronunciation very wrong!
Quinoa is a grain crop grown for the seeds. Technically it is a pseudo-grain. Basically, this means it is a seed that is prepared and eaten like a grain. What is the difference between a grain and a seed? A grain is the small edible fruit of the plant, usually hard on the outside, harvested from grassy crops. Grains grow in clusters at the tops of mature plants, such as wheat, oats, and rice. … A seed is defined as an embryonic plant covered in a ‘seed‘ coat.
Quinoa was an important crop for the Inca Empire. They referred to it as the “mother of all grains” and believed it to be sacred. It has been eaten for thousands of years in South America and only recently became a trend food, even reaching superfood status. There are three main types: white, red and black.
There are many health benefits to quinoa some of these include:
- High plant compounds – Quercetin and Kaemferol, in particular, have high benefits for being anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-cancer and anti-depressant.
- High protein (with full essential amino acid profile), therefore a great plant source of protein for vegetarians and vegans.
- Naturally gluten-free. Many people are avoiding gluten products for health reasons. But switching to gluten-free does not always equate to healthier choices. A lot of gluten-free products are still junk food. Just junk food without gluten!
- Low glycemic index. This makes it a food that is less likely to spike blood sugar levels and is a good choice for diabetics.
- High in minerals like magnesium and iron.
If you want to try and add more quinoa to your diet you can try making it as a porridge, sprinkle on salads with other seeds, make quinoa instead of rice, or you could cook this Goats Cheese and Turkey Quinoa Bake.
Enjoy…
Goats Cheese & Turkey Bake
Ingredients
- 2 cups quinoa
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups broth
- 2 cups water
- 1½ tsp salt
- 500 g ground turkey or chicken
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 2 onions chopped
- 140 g tomato paste
- 500 ml passata
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 2 tsp dried garlic powder
- 6-8 tbsp sriracha
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup goats cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Rinse and wash the quinoa under running water.
- In a saucepan over medium heat add the quinoa and olive oil and toss until it dries out.
- Add broth and water to quinoa and bring to the boil, then simmer on low for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes staying covered. Then fluff it up with a fork and set it aside.
- In a skillet pan-fry onion, celery and parsley until soft and fragrant, then add turkey until cooked. Then add tomato paste and passata. Then set aside.
- In a large dry skillet toss quinoa with cayenne, sweet paprika, garlic for 2 minutes and add salt as needed. Add turkey mix and combine.
- Grease casserole or baking dish, add the cooked quinoa and turkey, top with cheeses, cover in foil and bake 20 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake a further 10 minutes until cheese browns.