Quinoa is a low glycemic grain (or technically a seed) that doesn't spike up your blood sugar level like white rice or potatoes do. It is also protein-dense, so eat away.......white, red, even rainbow. It is also a perfect last minute thing you can whip up because brown rice just takes too darn long to cook.
Rinse 1 cup of quinoa in a mesh strainer under tap water, it washes away the saponins that make quinoa otherwise bitter.
Here is where I disagree with most folks out there. I like my quinoa kind of crisp and bouncy. My quinoa:water ratio is 1:1 1/4, radically less then the 1:2 ratio most recipes call for. I never know why. Maybe after the quinoa has been washed, it already retains some of the water.
So I repeat, add 1 1/4 cup of water to 1 cup of rinsed quinoa, a sprinkle of salt, bring it to boil, cover, turn the heat down to low, simmer for about 15 minutes. When cooked, let it sit in the pan for another 10 minutes or so. Fluff and serve.
