I buy it at my local grocery store. You can buy it in a box or bag, but our store has it in the bulk bins where you can buy rice and other grains.
It tastes pretty bland, as rice does, but it has a tiny bit of a nutty flavor. It has a husk that pops as you cook it and it adds a very, very slight crunch to it, sort of like wild rice.
You cook it 2 (cups water) to 1 (cup Quinoa), like rice. Bring it to a boil, let it simmer for 11-15 minutes (until it turns translucent and the husks "curl" off). Strain any residual water off. It should be light and fluffy unless you overcook it.
I cook it stand alone as a rice substitute, but I also add things to it as well. One dish I make at home, I add chopped spinach, diced tomatoes, diced green onions and Feta cheese and a little EVOO. Really, you can do anything with it that you can do with rice.
As with anything, there is one downside to it. You have to rinse it off. The husks have saponins on it that will give it a soapy/bitter taste if you don't rinse it. So, your water supply can take a little bit of a hit. It's easy enough to rinse it off if cooking at home with a fine strainer, but in the field it is easier to soak it for a little while. You'll see the film on top and can pour it off. Most brands of Quinoa have this rinsed off prior to consumer shipping, but some are better than others at how well they get it rinsed. I don't know what brand it is, but the bulk I buy at my store takes very, very minimal rinsing. I've seen obvious suds while rinsing with some brands, but I don't hardly see any with the bulk I've been getting.
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