Cooking quinoa is easier done than said! All it takes is fire and water and about 30 minutes with very little attention. And really, “KEEN-wah” is not any harder to say than it is to cook. Check it out. Why Should I? Quinoa is a complete protein containing all eight essential amino acids. It’s light and fluffy in texture but has that whole grain ability to fill people up—and if you’ve got company coming, this recipe easily doubles to serve eight people.