Quinoa

Not many people have heard of quinoa, or even tried it.  I didn’t try it until about 6 months ago.  I kept reading in health and fitness magazines about the health benefits of it, so I finally decided to try it.  I sometimes don’t have luck finding it in the grocery store.  I have purchased it in the bulk bins at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Super Target.  If you have found it at Jewel or Dominick’s in the Chicago-land area, let me know!Basically quinoa has been around for about 5,000 years, cultivated in Peru, Chile and Bolivia.  In the 1980’s two Americans began cultivating quinoa in Colorado.  Check out their story at www.quinoa.net.  To prepare it, it’s much like rice:  1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups water or chicken or vegetable broth.  There is one step that must be done before you cook it, which is rinse off the grain with water.  There is something called “saponin” that coats the seeds which is kind of bitter, so rinsing it off takes that away.  You can use a fine mesh strainer.  I don’t own one, so I took a coffee filter and put that in my strainer and strained it that way.  I read a lot of information on Whole Foods website about the nutritional profile of quinoa.  And I learned some interesting facts.  Quinoa is a complete protein, meaning that it contains all nine of the essential amino acids.  It also contains an amino acid called lysine which is essential for tissue growth and repair.  It also has a good amount of magnesium, which is helpful for people who suffer from migraines because it relaxes blood vessels, which helps prevent migraines.  Quinoa also lowers the risk of type II diabetes.  And lastly, it tastes great!  I love the texture of it.  The best thing about it is that you can mix it with fruit and milk for a breakfast, or make side dishes with nuts, onions, to make it more savory.  I have an easy recipe that I found from men’s health magazine:
Southwestern Quinoa and Chickpea Salad
·         1 cup quinoa
·         1 ¾ cup water
·         1/8 tsp salt
·         1 cup canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed and drained
·         1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
·         1 clove garlic
·         3 tablespoons lime juice
·         2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
·         4 tsp. olive oil
·         ½ tsp. ground cumin  PREPARATIONPlace the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear.  Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.  Add the quinoa and salt and return to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until tender and the liquid is absorbed.  Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, tomato, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, oil and cumin.  Add the quinoa and toss to coat well.Makes 4 servingsNutritional Information:
Calories:  283 caloriesCarbs:  46 gSodium:  200 mgFat: 8 gProtein: 9 gFiber: 6 g 
Here is another recipe for a breakfast found on www.quinoa.net Hot Breakfast Cereal Bring 2 cups water to a boil, add 1 cup quinoa, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup thinly sliced apples, 1/3 cup raisins, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and simmer until water is absorbed (about 15 minutes) Serve with milk or cream and sweeten to taste with honey or brown sugar.Serves 4.