Quinoa-2 Ways for 2 Bento Box
How do you pronounce “quinoa”? “kee-NO-wah” or “KEEN-wah”? Well, I wasn’t sure so it’s added to both boxes. The ”kee-NO-wah” to the large bento box and “KEEN-wah” to the snack box. 
The large bento box has fried chicken drumettes, roasted trio of peppers-zucchini-mushrooms, Turkish Apricot Garbanzo Bean Salad, and the quinoa. This quinoa recipe starts off with cooked quinoa. Mix an egg with mirin, salt and pepper like you were about to cook scrambled. Add that mixture to the quinoa and heat in a pan until the egg cooks and coats all the granules.
I added another phase to the same quinoa/egg mixture for the large bento box. Tuna. Mix in canned tuna, a splash of shoyu and blend it all together until it looks like a lumpy mystery food. At this stage, form patties and fry in hot skillet with oil until browned on each side. I used olive oil, but the next time I may try sesame oil. Insalata caprese makes it’s second autumn appearance, (without the teeth this time). Rosemary skewered, roasted baby potatoes with butter is the other treat and edamame fills out the rest of the box.
There’s a rather large bag of quinoa left in my pantry. What else can I do with it? If you have an favorite dish or recommendation, please share. However you pronounce it, “kee-NO-wah” or “KEEN-wah”, I would love to give your recipe a try
pretty boxes as usual! haha, i spy some caprese skewers… that’s the hapa bento we all know and love!
as far as quinoa recipes, i like to mix dried cranberries and pine nuts into mine, and some chopped up herbs (parsley or a little bit of cilantro), and salt and olive oil. have you tried quinoa in a dish with a sweeter element? it works!
Scrambled egg quinoa and tuna quinoa patties I will have to try! Never would have thought of it…thanks for sharing!
The only thing I have done with quinoa so far is saute with the standard veggies (mushroom,zucchini,peppers,onions) and top with celery and almonds for crunch.
quinoa is very versitile, you can even put it in soup (i put mine in escarole soup sometimes)! i like to cook mine and mix it with miso and green onions and green peas. it’s also good when you cook it with broth instead of water. it’s also good with roasted garlic.
Nicely done on rosemary skewered, love it!
It is pronounced Keen Wah.
I love to make it like a sweet almost rice pudding like dish- almost like cream of wheat. I cook it with plain water like usual. When it’s cooked and all the water absorbed, I add milk, a bit of butter and cinnamon and some brown sugar. It’s like an oat meal I guess. Sometimes I add in raisins and cook till they get plump. Chopped nuts on top are great too. Bananas are delicious in it as well. Your bento looks fab!
I have only recently discovered the art of bento-making and I really enjoy your site. It seems like you don’t like to sacrifice how the bento tastes for the way it looks, and as a foodie I appreciate that.
Whenever I hear somebody pronounce Quinoa like “KEEN-wah,” it makes me think of the actor Joaquin (Wah-KEEN) Phoenix. I’m just waiting for some celebrity to name their child Quinoa.
I like it with green peas, walnuts, rosemary and a bit of sesame oil and soy sauce. Thanks for reminding me that I have some in the cupboard too!
I frequently stalk your site, I love your bento’s!!
My favorite recipe for quinoa fits in with your love of caprese salad. I add fresh mozzarella (typically ths small balls), chopped basil and parsley, and grape tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. Steamed green beans and tuna often make their way in for a complete meal at our house!
All these recipes makes me want to cook up some quinoa for dinner tonight! I knew an organic farmer who grew quinoa in Chile. He pronounced it Keen-wah, but I still find myself calling it kee-NO-ah.
Yummy bentos! I love chickpeas, your salad looks delicious. I haven’t tried quinoa, now I’m curious!
Wowee! Love all the new recipes for quinoa! Thank you.
I have a bag of quinoa in the cupboard and I’m going to try some of the recipes posted here. It’s totally new to me so I’ll give it a go!
Quinoa is really nice in a stir-fry instead of rice. In ‘Veganomicon’, a very popular vegan cookbook that I’m sure some reading this will recognise, there’s a recipe for pineapple, cashew, and quinoa stir-fry that uses tinned pineapple. I use this as inspiration and usually throw together a fairly free-form version of the dish. The grain is cooked in the pineapple juice and water. I stir-fry scallions, garlic, ginger, bell pepper pieces, peas/snow pea pieces, and cashews with sesame oil, tamari, and vinegar, sometimes with something spicy like red pepper flakes. Add the pineapple chunks to heat through. When that’s finished I toss with the quinoa and sometime garnish with some toasted sesame seeds or raw scallions. It’s a good, filling meal that is good as a left-over.
First of all, what great suggestions for quinoa recipes (I say keen-wah, BTW ^_^); I can’t wait to try them! I love to make tabouli by using quinoa instead of the wheat. Just cook the quinoa. While it’s still warm mix in seeded & diced tomatoes; diced onions (the sweeter the better); LOTS of freshly squeezed lemon juice; and plenty of fresh chopped parsley & mint (or cilantro, if you don’t have a source for fresh mint). Drizzle it with just a little good olive oil. It’s stays good for a couple of days and then the tomatoes get a little mealy from being “cooked” by the lemon juice.
And on those, “Gosh, I’m hungry but I’m to tired to fuss” nights, I’ll brown pine nuts in a little butter or olive oil, throw in any and all desired leftovers(cooked chicken, ground beef [or pork]), mushrooms, etc.) and pour my favourite spaghetti sauce over all).
Along the same lines: cube up a couple of chicken thighs or one breast, brown them with sliced onions mushrooms & onions. Pour spaghetti sauce and a quarter of a cup of uncooked quinoa into the pan and turn down to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed until the quinoa is cooked – about 8 minutes. You now have Chicken Cacciatore.
I am so glad that I found your site! I saw the link when you did a guest post on JustBento and have been checking in from time to time since. ^_^
My basic recipe for quinoa is prepared pilaf-style in chicken broth with chives and shallot. It’s flavorful without having too much stuff in it.
Hello El, Thanks for the quick recipe. Sometimes these
non-fussy recipes are the best!