Ok, I will be the first one to admit it. When my wife first introduced the idea of quinoa, I was not overly ecstatic. I remember saying, “what the heck is kwinoah?” (it was quite some time before I understand that I sounded like an idiot and was pronouncing it incorrectly). Admittedly, naturally, I am not the biggest lover of carbohydrates and if it weren’t for the way that hard core ketosis makes me feel in the absence of all carbs, I could easily follow the initial phase of the Atkins diet and eat nothing but protein and cheese every day.
Though this may be somewhat stereotypical, I think it is safe to say that generally speaking, men primarily love what one of our vegetarian friends calls “dead flesh” (protein from meat) and women primarily love comfort foods high in carbohydrates. C’mon ladies! Admit it! You know you love nothing better than to curl up with a book and devour a box of Cheez-its and you could survive 3 lifetimes on pasta.
So, because I am an adventurer and thankfully, my wife just happens to be a gourmet cook, my first introduction to quinoa was awesome! Having said that, through some of our recipe experiments, we have created some quinoa recipes that were downright AWFUL!
So, if you are looking to introduce your boyfriend or husband to quinoa and want their total buy-in, here’s what you may not know and here’s how you can be cooking quinoa your husband will love:
First, let’s dispense with some myths and misconceptions.
Quinoa is NOT a grain. It is a seed.
Quinoa does NOT mess up your blood sugar or insulin levels like white carbs do which is one of the reasons that as a man, I love it. No carb highs and lows. No heart racing.
Now that that is out of the way, let me just say that quinoa has to be one of the most versatile foods imaginable. It can be used in place of pasta in both hot and cold dishes like pasta quinoa salad, macaroni quinoa and cheese, spaghetti quinoa and meatballs, etc.
One of my personal favorites is quinoa with roasted red peppers, feta cheese, goat cheese and turkey sausage. The key to cooking quinoa your husband will love is to initially integrate it into dishes you know he already loves. I would also advise following Wendy’s cooking instructions so the texture comes out perfect. Then, once you have a quinoa convert for a husband, you can get adventurous and expand your quinoa recipe repertoire.
Quinoa is so good that we have nicknamed it “manna from Heaven”. When you combine the taste, texture, versatility and health benefits, it is very difficult to beat. It is great as a side dish in place of rice or pasta and can also be a main ingredient. It can also be used to replace things in other recipes like oatmeal or breadcrumbs. Wendy makes some mean meatballs using quinoa instead of breadcrumbs.
So, to begin cooking quinoa your husband will love, take the soft sell approach and incorporate it into dishes he already loves, then expand from there. One caveat though, you may find yourself in the precarious predicament of having a husband who loves quinoa as much as I do and wants you to cook it all the time. 
