Cranberry+Quinoa+Pilaf

**CRANBERRY QUINOA PILAF:** On our first lab day we will be making a cranberry quinoa pilaf. You will need to make sure to split your jobs between your group members to make sure the recipe gets done on time 1. Write down who will complete the following jobs on your recipe.

Quinoa Jobs
Rinse quinoa- Saute quinoa- Simmer quinoa- Saute onions- Toast almonds- Chop cilantro- Toss pilaf together-

Lab Prep Questions: 1. Quinoa (keen-wah) is a grain from South America, specifically from the Andes Mountains. Although it is technically a seed, it is treated and used as a grain. It looks like a small flattened sphere. It was originally discovered by the Incas and was widely used as a staple food in that area, It comes in many different colors ranging from dark brown to white. The most common variety used is the larger white quinoa.

2. Quinoa is naturally a bitter tasting grain, so it needs to be rinsed really well before using or your food won't taste very good. The reason for this taste is a bitter coating that covers the grain. This coating helps protect the grain from birds in the wild.

3. Most quinoa recipes call for boiling water or broth to add the quinoa to. The quinoa is then simmered until it has absorbed all of the liquid, similar to cooking rice. sometimes the grain can be toasted first to give it a nuttier flavor. This is called the pilaf method (when you toast the grain before adding it to the boiling liquid) that is used with many different grains. Quinoa can also be used for breakfast, soups/stews, salads, and casseroles.

4. Quinoa is very good for you. It is considered a "super grain" because it forms a complete protein, meaning that it contains all of the essential amino acids your body needs! It is also gluten free which makes it a great alternative to pasta for those with Celiacs Disease. The leaves of the plant are also very nutritious and can be eaten like spinach, although it is not very common to find quinoa leaves in the U.S.

5. We will be using several different herbs and spices for this recipe. Use the food dictionary to look up the flavors they bring to the dish.

6. The first thing you will need to do is prepare your quinoa for cooking. Check out the picture below to see how to set up the equipment to soak your quinoa. DO NOT use a colander for this step, the quinoa is too small and will fall through the holes! ** NOTE: **If you forget this step your dish will NOT taste very good! ** Make a note of how to step up the equipment for this step on your recipe. **



7. You will also need to toast both the quinoa and your almonds for this recipe. Remember to follow these steps so you don't burn these ingredients. 8. I will be looking for proper knife skills during lab. Check out these videos/instructions on how to cut all of your veggies for the pilaf. Onion Celery (Make sure you are looking at the direction for a fine dice!) 9. The best way to tell if your quinoa is done is to look at it. You will see these little white fibers when the quinoa is done. Take a look at the picture below to see what it should look like.
 * NOTE: **Your recipe calls for 4 Tbsp of butter, but you are using it for two different steps. ** Make a note that 2 Tbsp will be used for toasting the quinoa and 1 Tbsp will be used to sau **** te your onions! **

Compost List
The following items will need to be placed in the compost when you are finished Cilantro stems Onion skin and roots Celery ends

Pan List
This is a list of cooking equipment that will be used for the different parts of the recipe Small saucepan for simmering quinoa (put on the back burner) Skillet for toasting quinoa, sauteing onions, and toasting almonds (these tasks should be done in this order!)