Quinoa is one of the top Superfoods

Quinoa is not a new fad but has been around for over 3000 years. It is still grown mainly in Bolivia and Ecuador although farmers in the southern states of the USA are now growing quinoa as it becomes more and more popular. In the UK it is now available in some of the major supermarkets as well as the larger health food stores.

 

What is quinoa?

 

Quinoa is often called a grain and is usually catalogued in the grain section of shops. Spinach and chard are in the same plant group. You can eat the leaves as well as the seeds. You cannot buy these quinoa leaves in the shops as it doesn't keep well. The quinoa seed is by far the best way to get the full goodness from quinoa.

 

What is Quinoa Like?

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Quinoa seeds are quite small and have a hard shell to them. There are different varieties but the most common one is the creamy white type. Red and black quinoa is much rarer. They come in dry packs of 500g or 1kg ready for you to cook. Instead of using cous cous in a salad recipe you can use quinoa instead. This doesn't mean it is bland and uninteresting - far from it. It has a taste and original texture of its own.

 

How do you cook Quinoa?

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The most basic method of cooking quinoa is to boil it in water and simmer for 10 -12 minutes. The proportions for cooking are 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water. You will find that the water goes into the quinoa and it should need draining. Sometimes the slightly bitter saponin coating has not been removed. You will need to get rid of this coating by running the quinoa under a tap for a minute or two. Nearly all the quinoa you cn buy now has been rinsed before packing but its better to be sure.

 

You can replace your favourite rice dishes with the finished quinoa. There is no almost no limit to what you can do with it. You will find that it blends well with most foods as it absorbs the flavour of the accompanying ingredients.

 

If you look closely you can see a "tail" that is just the quinoa germ. You will feel a nice crunchy feel when you eat some. Some people describe this as being nutty. I’m not sure I agree but quinoa does taste good.

 

You can microwave quinoa and put it in casseroles as a thickening agent. To expand the usefulness of this superfood companies are now producing quinoa flour and flakes. You cannot use exactly in the same way as normal flour but it is useful in the kitchen.

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What is special about Quinoa?

 

Quinoa has a number of unique qualities. Firstly it is gluten free so for people who need to avoid gluten it is a great addition to their diet. It also has all the essential proteins so is good for supply vegetarians with minerals and vitamins you can’t get easily from other foods. Because it realeases the carbs slowly over time it is know to benefit a number of food related health problems.

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