My Top 10 Nutritional Boosters: Quinoa

I was thinking today that there are so many simple things that people can change about their diets to boost nutritional value vastly and don't require much menu overhaul. So, I have decided to write a blog about each of my own top 10 Nutritional Boosters that I think even my meat loving friends could appreciate. They are not really in order of favorites, because I really don't know how I can choose between so many loves of my culinary life. This first one features Quinoa.

Quinoa (pronounced "keen-wah") is one of my favorite things. It is an amazingly healthy grain that looks almost identical to millet but cooks like rice. I use quinoa a LOT. I actually just ordered about 30 pounds of it from Walton Feed so that I can stop paying through the nose for it from Whole Foods or Harris Teeter. It is certainly more expensive than rice but by far it is more chock full of nutritional goodness than rice or most other grains we Americans experience as a norm in our diet. Most people haven't heard of quinoa which is so sad so I am endeavoring to spread the word.

Quinoa is one of the few grains that contains complete protein. I realize a lot of people don't know what "complete protein" means so let me explain it as simply as I know how. A complete protein contains all of the essential amino acids human bodies need to synthesize into various structures such as enzymes, hormones, and structural tissue. Rice, for example, contains protein but not complete protein. Beans also contain protein but not complete protein. You must consume a grain (like rice) and a legume (like beans) to get all of the amino acids that your body uses. Quinoa is a rare exception and it contains a properly balanced set of amino acids our bodies need. It is also gluten-free. When it's cooked the outer shell curls up and makes it look like each grain is a tiny planet Saturn.

It also tastes good. I usually cook it in with rice so my kids don't realize they are getting a nutritional boost. Ok who am I kidding, I am really only trying to trick Novan, Beya still eats anything. Anyway, quinoa takes the same water to grain ratio as rice and if I am cooking it with brown rice I just add it in the last 15-20 minutes of cooking time. If it is white rice I cook it along with the rice the whole time since white rice only takes 15-20 minutes. I don't really have many special quinoa centered recipes because I generally just use it with or to replace rice.

Check out some quinoa...it's oh so good for you!

Comments

  1. Now that I know how to cook it... I know it is gluten free, and I think used to have some in flour form...

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  2. I confess I never get tired of seeing how adorable quinoa looks when it's cooked! Those little curlicues never fail to provide visual interest in a dish, and then the wonderful taste just closes the deal for me. I'm tempted to just say good-bye once and for all to rice, because rice has just never "done it" for me. As for quinoa recipes, I like mixing it in to stir-fry dishes, and as a suitable sub for couscous or buckwheat in tabouleh. I too am planning on an order to Walton Foods so I can afford having it more often. Thanks for turning me on to quinoa, Rachel!

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