Tuesday eats: more quinoa recipes (cos I know u love them)

Oh. Yeah. I’m quinoa obsessed. For now. So are many of you, it would seem, because EVERYWHERE I go people tell me they discovered the stuff on my blog and …blah, blah, blah.

So, here we go again. I came across this recipe for quinoa crumble on the New York Times website. Fills the gap in my baking repertoire.
It can be made into a berry-rose crumble. Or a plum and fig crumble. Or the one below.

* The crumble part – you can store it in the fridge for months.

* Or you can sprinkle it over porridge.

* And just a reminder: always rinse the grain SUPER well before cooking.

Quinoa-Oat Crumble Topping

This topping can be used to make any number of delicious, gluten-free crumbles.

1 1/4 cups gluten-free rolled oats

1/2 cup quinoa flour (grind quinoa in a spice mill to make the flour)

1/3 cup unrefined turbinado sugar

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt (to taste)

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment. Place the oats, quinoa flour, sugar, salt and nutmeg in a food processor fitted with the steel blade, and pulse several times to combine. Add the butter, and pulse until the butter is evenly distributed throughout the grain mix. The mixture should have a crumbly consistency.

2. Spread the topping over the parchment-covered baking sheet in an even layer. Place in the oven, and bake 10 minutes. Rotate the pan front to back, stir the mixture and bake another 5 to 10 minutes until nicely browned. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool.

Yield: Makes a little over 2 cups, enough for one crumble serving eight made in a 2- to 2 1/2-quart baking dish.

Peach and blueberry quinoa crumble

2 1/2 pounds peaches or nectarines, sliced (about 2 quarts sliced fruit)

1 cup blueberries

2 tablespoons mild honey or dark agave nectar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 batch quinoa-oat crumble topping

1. In a large bowl, mix together the peaches or nectarines, blueberries, honey or agave nectar, cinnamon, vanilla and almond extract. Cover and let sit for one to two hours, in or out of the refrigerator.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2-quart baking dish. Scrape the fruit and all of the juice in the bowl into the baking dish. Set the baking dish on a baking sheet to facilitate handling, and place in the oven. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the liquid syrupy. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool if desired.

3. About 30 minutes before serving, spread the crumble topping over the plum mixture in an even layer. Bake 20 minutes or until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is nicely browned. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: Serves eight.

Nutritional information per serving: 271 calories; 11 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 23 milligrams cholesterol; 42 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 102 milligrams sodium; 4 grams protein

Plus, two other ways to cook with quinoa:

Quinoa and Squash Gratin

Breakfast Quinoa With Fruit and Almonds: Quinoa cooks so quickly that you can make it for breakfast without getting up especially early.