Quinoa salad with tomato, cucumber and baby arugula The basic method for making "fluffy" quinoa is to first boil the grains for about 15 minutes in lots of salted water. Drain - make sure your strainer has small holes or line it with cheese cloth, otherwise you will lose a lot of your quinoa down the drain. Then steam the quinoa for another 15 minutes or so until it is light and fluffy. I usually strain mine into a cheesecloth-lined steamer basket and then get on with the steaming.
Since this cooking method is a bit of a hassle (boil then steam) , I am happy to say that you can make a big batch and freeze it for later use. Just toss it with a little olive or neutral oil before freezing, and then thaw in the microwave. Oh, keep in mind that one cup of uncooked quinoa will puff up to about 4 cups once it is cooked.
When you cook the quinoa this way it comes out almost like couscous or bulgur - light and fluffy, with an appealing nutty, yet not overpowering flavor. It is absolutely perfect as a substitute for couscous/bulgur/rice in any kind of pilaf, tabbouleh or other grain salad.
In the summer, my preferred variation is with diced tomato, cucumber and whatever other veggies I have on hand, tossed with a few "glugs" of olive oil, salt and pepper, and served room temperature. The above quinoa salad is the one that I made for our 4th of July family bbq. I really should have my sister-in-law do all of my photography, don't you think? Here are some of her other photos of that fabulous feast.
Center l to r: whole grilled snapper, jerk style ribs, sausages with lentils Background: grilled asparagus, veggie lo mein
Greenbean salad
Grilled steak 
