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This article is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze. All opinions and the toasted quinoa recipe are my own. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

I’ve heard of people making quinoa recipes and trying to ‘toast’ the quinoa but I haven’t had any experience with this so-called ‘toasting’.  I wanted to do something a bit different (as usual), so instead of using water, I used almond milk.

I mean, come on… why not add a little bit of protein and flavor when you can, right?

Right.

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I hope everyone knows what quinoa is.

And if you’re wondering, “What is quinoa?”

Well, then we’ll have to take a step back and talk about it.

Quinoa is a gluten-free seed (many people think it’s a grain, but it’s not) and it’s a complete protein because it provides all 9 amino acids so it’s great for vegetarians, vegans or any of you that don’t eat a lot of animal protein.

While I was toasting this quinoa recipe on the stove top, I took some time to think about how we don’t know what’s going on inside of our bodies and how we are all strangers to our own bodies.

It’s kind of crazy when you think about it, isn’t it?

It’s amazing how we should know more about our bodies and make time to eat right and figure out what is actually going on inside instead of spot treating it with drugs and band-aids.

When I grew up and had a cold – the doctor gave me me antibiotics. Yuck.

When I had acne – the dermatologist gave me chemical cremes. Yuck.

When I had IBS they gave me a drug. Yuck.

When I had any issue – the doctors pretty much shut me up by shoving me out of their office in less than 5 minutes with a prescription script and told me to read the directions from the pharmacist.

Oy.

How times have changed for me.

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After all those years of being pushed around by bully doctors and bosses at work that never let me leave for doctor’s appointments – I left both worlds.

The corporate America world.

And the Western medicine world.

Yup.

I did.

And I haven’t looked back since.

I believe in supporting our bodies instead of spot treating them. Growing up no one tells us anything about our bodies aside from a quick 30 minute class in high school. I feel like no one knows what is gong on inside of their body. We can look super healthy on the outside and be so sick inside.

Aside from that, I feel like no one has the time nor the patience to heal, they just want a quick band-aid to heal their high cholesterol, autoimmune disease, thyroid issue, stomach aches, acne, etc.

Why is that?

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Have we just become so gosh darn stressed out that we don’t have time to take care of ourselves or find the time to research what actually IS going on inside of us?

I admit. When I was in a corporate job – I didn’t have time to research and figure anything out. I had 30 minutes to get to a doctor and back in my office before my boss blew my head off. Yikes. Is that what our society is coming to?

Kinda scary, isn’t it?

Anyway, after all that ‘inner chit chat’ in my head – my quinoa was beyond done and ‘toasted’. I thought at first it was way too dry to eat but it turned out to be amazing and super flavorful.

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I served this toasted quinoa as a side dish with salad and almonds and it was purely fabulous.

I hope you enjoy it just as much!

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Enjoy.

xo

Gluten-Free Crispy Toasted Quinoa
Serves: 8
 
Prep
Cook
Total
 
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Vegetarian and Vegan
Author: Amie Valpone
Recipe type: Entree

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Rinse the quinoa in a strainer under cold water for 1 minute. Shake the strainer over the sink to remove excess water.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add quinoa and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.
  3. Add Almond Breeze Almond Milk and bring quinoa to a boil. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed and quinoa is 'toasted' golden brown and starts to dry out and release a 'nutty' scent. Remove from heat; set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
  4. Fluff with a fork; add sea salt and pepper. Gently toss with fresh sprouts and serve.
Nutrition Facts
Gluten-Free Crispy Toasted Quinoa
Amount Per Serving
Calories 144 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 143mg6%
Potassium 184mg5%
Carbohydrates 21g7%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 10IU0%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 92mg9%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze.

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57 comments

  1. 5 stars
    You have such great recipes! I am really loving this one because it sounds super fancy but it actually is simple to follow and completely do-able; I love how you make me believe I can actually cook!!

  2. Love your recipes, encouragement, and sharing your personal story to help us all! Plus your giveaways are a bonus!!!!! I would love to win that conscious box too!! Thanks

  3. This sounds amazing, can’t wait to try it! Love your Facebook posts too, thanks for the Facebook conscious box giveaway!

  4. 5 stars
    Your pictures and recipes make it look like something TANGIBLE for the novice. Love your blog, FB page and #giveaways!

  5. I will have to try this with coconut milk (nut allergy). I made another one of your quinoa recipes and it was great, so I bet this one is too! Would love to win the Conscious Box giveaway… today’s my birthday so it would be a nice birthday surprise!

  6. Hi!! This looks delicious and I can’t wait tot ry it. I am currently transitioning to healthy eating because of medical issues the Doctors haven’t been able to figure out. Hopefully healthy food and diet will become the medicine to get me back on track! The Conscious box giveaway would help me a great deal! Thank you for all you hard work to provide recipes and giveaways to get us on track to better health!

  7. 5 stars
    I am still trying to figure out uses for quinoa, so this looks pretty good. Love all the recipes.

  8. Great post Amie – it is scary how much we put into and onto our body that we don’t know the ingredients of. Love your toasty quinoa by the way – sounds like great texture!

    1. Thanks Lauren; I actually don’t eat much oil at all but for this recipe I used oil instead of butter to ‘toast’ the quinoa as many of my clients enjoy the toasted taste! Hope you enjoy it!

  9. Hey Amie, do you eat what you post!? I thought you were grain free (and yes it’s a seed but still a pseudo grain…)

    I’m surprised you’re using Blue Diamond Almond Milk. It contains carrageenan – an additive that causes inflammation and distress in tummies with IBS, Chron’s etc….scientists have been lobbying the FDA to get rid of it but of course…no luck.

    Just thought you’d might like to know that since you wrote about knowing what we put in our bodies 🙂

    1. Thank you; yes I do eat what I post. I do eat quinoa and enjoy it very much since it is a seed it doesn’t bother me. I understand there is a lot of information about carrageenan in many products we all love especially non-dairy milks but many people aren’t able to find alternatives without carrageenan in them. I consume almond milk on occasion as I do not deprive my body of anything that I want. Many of my clients use their almond milk and love it and haven’t had any stomach issues at all. As you all know we are all born with our own genetic predispositions and everything affects everyone in a different way so if there are stomach issues I make my own almond milk. Hope that helps; have a great day!

      1. FYI, I live in Charlotte and both Trader Joes and Whole Foods label Almond Milk do not have carrageenan.

      2. Nice, thanks! Linda…that is awesome that yours have no carrageenan! Jealous! It’s so overwhelming at times all the information out there kind of scarese and makes me second guess everything I guess often…