A couple of weeks ago, I shared some information about adding quinoa to your diet and several recipes. Here are the rest of the recipes included in our top 10 favorite quinoa recipes. I hope you’ll give them a try and add this nutritional superfood to your diet!

Quinoa Almond Cranberry (Makes 4-6)

• 1 cup quinoa
• ½ cup slivered blanched almonds
• 1 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1 ½ cups boiling water
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ cup dried cranberries

Soak the quinoa 15 minutes in cold water. Stir the quinoa and pour off most of the water; drain through a fine mesh strainer. Shake dry in the strainer, then set the strainer over a bowl or pitcher.

Heat a wide bottomed pan on medium heat and add the oil. Stir and toast the sliced almonds until golden, then remove from pan.

Add the quinoa stir and toast until dry and turning color. Add boiling water, veggie cube, salt, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and dried cranberries. Bring back to a boil, cover, turn the heat to simmer, cook for 10 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and allow for sit for 5 minutes with the lid on.

Fluff gently with a fork. Serve sprinkled with the almond slivers.

Hot Quinoa Breakfast Cereal (Makes 4)

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• ½ cup apples; thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup raisins
• ½ Tbsp. cinnamon
• Milk or cream
• Honey or brown sugar

Rinse quinoa and add to water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 5 minutes. Add apples, raisins and cinnamon; simmer until water is absorbed. Serve with milk or cream and sweeten to taste with honey or brown sugar.

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers (Makes 8)

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 2 15-oz cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• ¾ cup quinoa
• 3 large carrots, grated (1 ½ cups)
• 1 ½ cups grated reduced-fat pepper jack cheese, divided
• 4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed

Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in spinach and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.

Fill each bell pepper half with heaping ¾-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 Tbsp. remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.

Mini Frittatas with Quinoa (Makes 6)

• 1 ½ cups water
• ¾ cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• ½ cup diced ham
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ tsp. ground white pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 6 muffin cups.

Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.

Combine cooked quinoa, eggs, egg whites, zucchini, Swiss cheese, ham, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and white pepper in a large bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Spoon mixture to the top of each prepared muffin cup.

Bake in preheated oven until the edges of frittatas are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool at least 5 minutes in the pan before serving. Serve hot or cold.

Quinoa and Black Beans (Makes 10)

• 1 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and sauté until lightly browned.

Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Quinoa with Sweet Potato and Mushrooms (Makes 4)

• 1/3 cup quinoa
• 1 cup water
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 small sweet onion, chopped
• 1 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup chopped, toasted pecans

Stir the quinoa in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to take on a toasty aroma, about 5 minutes. Pour in the water, and add pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and cayenne pepper; season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until the sweet potato is soft, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour a splash of water into the skillet if needed to keep the vegetables from burning. Spoon the vegetable mixture over a bed of quinoa, and sprinkle with chopped pecans to serve.

  Jill Stoppel has been involved in the fitness industry since 2009 and has been personal training full-time since 2002. She is the sole owner of Excel Wellness Studio, is certified through the American Council of Exercise and holds several certifications in group exercise, spinning and kickboxing. She also maintains memberships, affiliations and mentorships within the major health and fitness organizations in the nation to stay connected to other top professionals. She and her team offer fitness advice to Kansas Citians exclusively for Good Health KC magazine online