Popped Quinoa

Which I will forever refer to as “Fairy Popcorn.” Make it and you’ll find out why!

1/2 cup quinoa (this will make quite a bit. Great for salad crunch, snack mixes, mixing in with veggies, etc)

Heat a medium-sized frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat
Once the pan is hot, pour in sufficient quinoa to cover the bottom of the pan in a single layer. It may be a ¼ cup but depending on your pan it could be more or less.

Start stirring the quinoa with a spoon, or do as I did and just swirl the little grains in the pan constantly. It doesn’t take long
Soon you’ll start to hear little pops. Once they get going it’s almost like static on a radio.
Keep swirling the grains and watch the color. They will start to turn caramel brown as they pop. Continue swirling and watch the overall color. They can quickly burn if you don’t stop in time. If that happens, you’ll end up with a kitchen that smells like burned popcorn. But if you have a nice even golden brown in your pan, you’re right on target.

Let them cool, and enjoy in salads, mixes, as an extra crisp touch to steamed vegetables. Be creative!