A collection of recipes shared among friends...

6.07.2010

Meet Quinoa, (keen-wah) my new friend!!

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Meet QUINOA!~! It seems like the latest and greatest thing people are talking about these days. I thought I'd share what I've learned. The picture above is quinoa cooked (top right) and uncooked (bottom left). It is an AWESOME source of protein.

Quinoa: 16.2 %
Rice: 7.5 %
Millet: 9.9 % 
Barley: 8.2 %
Wheat: 14 %


Mr. Wikipedia put it this way, "this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source among plant foods. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest."

Our celiac friends are going to love us for this!!!

One quote I found says,
"While no single food can supply all of the essential life-sustaining nutrients, it (quinoa) comes as close as any other in the vegetable or animal kingdoms."


Sounds thrilling, doesn't it? Why aren't we eating this every day? Well, some people are! My mother in law has been known to throw it in a lot of different recipes. Chili, for example was delicious with it in! At sunday dinner this week, she even used quinoa in frog eye salad instead of the cini de pepi it normally calls for.  

Below I've got pictures of a quinoa salad, and a berry quinao. Wouldn't that be delicious for breakfast?  I'm posting on Thursday, so get ready for a yummy quinoa recipe! I hope you enjoy getting to know my delicious new friend.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've actually been wanting to find a yummy quinoa recipe! Do you know any yummy side dish recipes for it?

Amanda said...

Sounds amazing. Where do you find it in the grocery store? I want to try it! Can't wait for your recipe!