Popped Quinoa

Soaked 1/2 cup dry quinoa for a few minutes, and rinsed off the bitter outer stuff by letting the water run very slowly overflowing the bowl. Dried in the oven in a single layer (well, as single-layer as soaked quinoa can be) for about an hour at 150F, stirring it up every 10 minutes or so. They did tend to stick a bit to the foil lined tray I was using, but a going over with the wooden spoon freed them easily. When they all toss freely and unclumped they're probably dry enough.

Then, in a nonstick pot over medium to medium high heat, add the quinoa.

From this point on, you need to stir a bit like stir-fry, keep it moving and evenly toasted. It will finish drying out and then start to brown a little, when it starts popping. Lid not needed, they don't pop out of the pot. It's a lot like toasting sesame seed - watch it constantly or it will burn. Some of the seeds won't pop.

The flavor is nutty and mild, and crunchy. It's a good flavor and texture, I just don't know what to do with this yet. I've heard of people using this for various toppings or as a cereal, but since this was just an experiment, I added my favorite seasoning salt and just snack on it dry with a spoon. Interesting! Which means I probably won't do it again, but glad I did.

Apologies for the phone cam pic, the batteries in the good cam were gone.