Hmm. I wonder how well quinoa will cook in tomatoes and broth?

[Liberal Veteran]

And some onions, diced pork, garlic, and black beans?

Guess I'll have to find out.

[MiddleFingerMom]

1. I've never had quinoa -- but that sounds like it would be fantastic with couscous. n/t

[astral]

2. Quinoa's easy to overcook.

I would cook the quinoa by itself and the other stuff in another pot and then mix the two in your bowl.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

3. That was my first thought

I made something similar the other day with rice. I had some leftover pink beans that I had cooked (from dry beans) the day before. I cooked the rice in the rice cooker with chicken broth for the liquid. I diced a couple of roma tomatoes, and mixed them and the beans into the hot cooked rice and each element retained its flavor and firmness, but blended well together. All in one pot would have been mush.

[jobycom]

4. Leave out the pork, and that's almost exactly what I cooked the other night.

Actually I cooked a can of black beans and a can of Rotel with garlic and some random spices (cumin and pepper mostly), then mixed them with already cooked quinoa. Surprisingly, my kids ate it so fast I couldn't get leftovers.

Quinoa can get mushy if you overcook it, but it simmers up beautifully (better than steamed, I think), so as long as you don't cook it longer than about fifteen minutes, and then let it sit for another five, it should be good. I cook quinoa by simmering it in three cups water (instead of the two it takes to steam it) for about twelve minutes, then draining it and covering it with a cloth for another five. It comes out lighter and fluffier than when I try to steam it. Though admittedly I can't steam rice worth a darned, either. :)