I can make pasta or rice with just butter, or just tomato sauce, or just cheese, or even plain, and it'll be ok. Maybe bland, yes, but not objectionable. Quinoa itself has a specific and relatively strong nutty flavor that I don't like. On a bike tour especially, pine nuts roasted in olive oil, lemon zest, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and fresh parsley is a fair bit of work to cover up that flavor. I'd rather make that recipe with a grain that I like and get my protein elsewhere.