So four of you, according to last week's survey, have used quinoa. Please share your story. I love food with a story. That's why I did a little research on quinoa this week. Quinoa has a history.
Quinoa (Keen-wah). It's a tiny edible seed. The picture on the left is a bowl of uncooked quinoa; it looks like millet. It's gluten-free. This seed comes from the goosefoot plant, a relative of spinach and Swiss chard. It can be ground into flour, so technically it's a pseudograin. Most nutritionists just group quinoa with the grains.
Quinoa is native to South America and was once called, "the gold of the Incas" and the "mother grain." The Incas claimed (probably correctly) that the sacred seed improved the stamina of their warriors. It was usually the emperor who would sow the first quinoa seed each season with a golden shovel. But the Spanish colonists never took to the seed, saying it was a pagan food. Eventually, the seed became associated with poverty and was largely ignored for 200 hundred years.
The poor Spaniards missed out. These little seeds beat most grains in terms of nutrition. The seed is a complete protein, containing all the essential amino acids our bodies need. Our body can't synthesize amino acids, we have to get them from another source. Most grains contain amino acids, but not all nine of them in measurable amounts. Quinoa has all nine amino acids, including lysine, an amino acid that helps build and repair tissue.
Quinoa packs a whopping 8g of protein and 5g of fiber (21% of daily need) in just a 1 cup cooked. Thus, it is a superior grain to rice for diabetics and vegans (White rice has 5g of protein and 1 g of fiber). Quinoa also has high quantities of magnesium, a mineral that relaxes blood vessels. One study suggests that foods like quinoa which are rich in magnesium may help migraine sufferers.
Quinoa naturally has a bitter coating called saponin. Most quinoa sold in this country has been processed to remove the saponin (perhaps this is the real reason the Spaniards didn't like quinoa?). Agronomists have tried to introduce new breeds of quinoa with lower levels of saponin to the farmers in South America's Andes. The new breeds have been partially rejected because with lower levels of saponin, the birds eat the seeds. However, all this knowledge of the nutritional benefits of quinoa are leading world health organizations to try cultivating this seed in more countries with food shortages. The stem, leaves, and roots of the plant have medicinal uses and the plant makes good fodder for livestock. Really, quinoa is an exciting plant.
Quinoa has a distinct, slightly nutty flavor. You can use it place of rice or couscous. To cook it, you can use the standard rice formula of 2 cups of water to 1 cup of quinoa. Cook for 14-18 minutes, until the germ separates from the seed. Cooked quinoa has kind of a curly cue look to it. My girls object to the stronger flavor or quinoa, as opposed to rice. A friend taught me that using vegetable or chicken broth instead of water dulls the flavor of quinoa.
We like to eat quinoa with chicken and pepper stir fry, or try this recipe from Karina's Kitchen for warm spinach salad with quinoa and grape tomatoes. Last night I used a box of quinoa noodles that were on clearance at Meijer. I sauteed carrot and zucchini sticks in butter and lemon juice, added basil and the noodles and we had a yummy side dish (and the recipe was on the box!). Be careful with quinoa noodles though, if you overcook them, they are mush. You can buy quinoa at Krogers with an organic food section or at any health food store.
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa,http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=142,http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/10352/2, http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5714/2,http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0646e/T0646E0f.htm
Quinoa (Keen-wah). It's a tiny edible seed. The picture on the left is a bowl of uncooked quinoa; it looks like millet. It's gluten-free. This seed comes from the goosefoot plant, a relative of spinach and Swiss chard. It can be ground into flour, so technically it's a pseudograin. Most nutritionists just group quinoa with the grains.
Quinoa is native to South America and was once called, "the gold of the Incas" and the "mother grain." The Incas claimed (probably correctly) that the sacred seed improved the stamina of their warriors. It was usually the emperor who would sow the first quinoa seed each season with a golden shovel. But the Spanish colonists never took to the seed, saying it was a pagan food. Eventually, the seed became associated with poverty and was largely ignored for 200 hundred years.
The poor Spaniards missed out. These little seeds beat most grains in terms of nutrition. The seed is a complete protein, containing all the essential amino acids our bodies need. Our body can't synthesize amino acids, we have to get them from another source. Most grains contain amino acids, but not all nine of them in measurable amounts. Quinoa has all nine amino acids, including lysine, an amino acid that helps build and repair tissue.
Quinoa packs a whopping 8g of protein and 5g of fiber (21% of daily need) in just a 1 cup cooked. Thus, it is a superior grain to rice for diabetics and vegans (White rice has 5g of protein and 1 g of fiber). Quinoa also has high quantities of magnesium, a mineral that relaxes blood vessels. One study suggests that foods like quinoa which are rich in magnesium may help migraine sufferers.
Quinoa naturally has a bitter coating called saponin. Most quinoa sold in this country has been processed to remove the saponin (perhaps this is the real reason the Spaniards didn't like quinoa?). Agronomists have tried to introduce new breeds of quinoa with lower levels of saponin to the farmers in South America's Andes. The new breeds have been partially rejected because with lower levels of saponin, the birds eat the seeds. However, all this knowledge of the nutritional benefits of quinoa are leading world health organizations to try cultivating this seed in more countries with food shortages. The stem, leaves, and roots of the plant have medicinal uses and the plant makes good fodder for livestock. Really, quinoa is an exciting plant.
Quinoa has a distinct, slightly nutty flavor. You can use it place of rice or couscous. To cook it, you can use the standard rice formula of 2 cups of water to 1 cup of quinoa. Cook for 14-18 minutes, until the germ separates from the seed. Cooked quinoa has kind of a curly cue look to it. My girls object to the stronger flavor or quinoa, as opposed to rice. A friend taught me that using vegetable or chicken broth instead of water dulls the flavor of quinoa.
We like to eat quinoa with chicken and pepper stir fry, or try this recipe from Karina's Kitchen for warm spinach salad with quinoa and grape tomatoes. Last night I used a box of quinoa noodles that were on clearance at Meijer. I sauteed carrot and zucchini sticks in butter and lemon juice, added basil and the noodles and we had a yummy side dish (and the recipe was on the box!). Be careful with quinoa noodles though, if you overcook them, they are mush. You can buy quinoa at Krogers with an organic food section or at any health food store.
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa,http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=142,http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/10352/2, http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5714/2,http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0646e/T0646E0f.htm
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I found your blog through Amber Beery's...and I love quinoa! I use it instead of rice and serve it with Talapia or other fish...so good for you!
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