I didn't necessarily go into this expecting that I would make Peanut Butter Quinoa. I've been having quite the experimental assortment of food lately, though. I've made Curry w/ Multicolored Potatoes, Peanuts, & Sprouts, Cheesecake w/ Peanut Butter & Chocolate Ganache, and Curry w/ Bananas, Tomatoes, Tofu, & Vermicelli. Although I made the first curry recipe with the intention of using up all of my excess peanuts, it has got me kind of hooked on the nuts trend. I'm incredibly fond of peanuts. They're generally kind of thought of as a children's food, but who doesn't nostalgically think fondly back on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? Or peanut butter and banana sandwiches??
Although I'm not out bananas and peanuts, I still have a bunch of sugar-free peanut butter. I've already made curry a couple of times. So, I decided to opt for quinoa instead this time. Peanut Butter Quinoa is a great combination. Quinoa has a slightly bitter, nutty taste to it, anyway. The addition of peanut butter plays up this flavor profile and pairs incredibly well. I also added sweet potatoes, onion, serranos, garlic, ginger, tamari, and rice vinegar. The peanut butter in this case kind of takes the place of tahini. Although you can easily mix and match in your own produce here.
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Variations of Peanut Butter Quinoa
Peanut butter is essentially a substitute for tahini in the majority of my recipes. Although I'm no stranger to adding all sorts of nuts to quinoa. It has a slightly bitter, nutty flavor to begin with. So, adding peanut butter or walnuts to the dish plays up this flavor profile. It pairs incredibly well and is certainly one of the things that I recommend when making quinoa.
Add all of the ingredients into a rice cooker. I like to start with the larger vegetables and then add the smaller ingredients. Top with the spices and vinegar. And then add the quinoa and water.This cooks the larger vegetables on the bottom, while dispersing the flavor profiles in the middle. Although with some mixing, this really doesn't matter all that much. Everything will eventually cook together!
Press the cook button on the rice cooker. It should take about 45 minutes to cook.
When the quinoa is fully cooked, let sit for 10 minutes, and then fluff with a wooden spoon and serve.Do not use a fork or other metal utensil. It will scratch off the nonstick surface on the rice cooker. This will leach teflon into your food and cause future dishes to stick to the bottom.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
While quinoa is not rice, it does cook the same and oftentimes better than rice in a rice cooker. It typically takes 30-45 minutes. Alternatively you can simmer on the stove. Add all of the ingredients to a pot, bring uncovered to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes and quinoa are tender. Turn off heat, add lid, and let sit another 5-10 minutes.
You can also easily substitute other vegetables or types of quinoa. For this recipe I used whatever I had ripening in my garden with royal quinoa. Royal quinoa is primarily cultivated in Bolivia and tends to have larger grains and a fluffier texture. I tend not to notice much of a difference between typical white quinoa and royal quinoa. But it’s always fun to explore! Red quinoa has a more prominent and nuttier flavor and tri-colored is largely the in-between variety.
Any quinoa, or even other grain or legume, like lentils or rice, would substitute in this recipe without changing the ratio.
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