Quinoa is everywhere. Some would say it is, in effect, one of the “hot” foods you should be eating this year. (See more trendy foods to watch for here.) But quinoa isn’t exactly new. It was, in fact, a staple in the ancient Incas’ diet. So why has this very old grain been given a new second life in 2011? Why quinoa and why now?
From a purely visual standpoint, cooked quinoa is more interesting than other whole grains, especially the black and red varieties. It’s beautiful to look at and delicious to eat, with its mild and nutty flavor. Plus, most of us don’t get the recommended amount of whole grains each day (about three 1-ounce servings for women and three and a half to four 1-ounce servings for men). So if you’re trying to eat more whole grains, start with quinoa—it’s one of the quickest and easiest grains to cook up. It’s also gluten-free, so is a “safe” and totally delicious whole-grain option for people trying to avoid gluten in their diet.
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Blue corn isn’t that different from other corns nutritionally. It’s still lysine-deficient. Interesting fact: Pueblo Indians regarded it as the best of their many colored corns because rodents would try to break into a sealed blue corn granary in preference to all of the others.
This is a South American food–hence, there is no need to change the pronunciation. It’s pronounced /ki-NO-uh/
The price is up 300% in five years. I can rarely afford it now. Makes a nice substitute for couscous when making a Moroccan tagine.
quinoa was on rotation as a protein source among many others when i was vegetarian for 8 years.
it’s great and very easy to prepare as a side or to incorporate into other dishes.
use it in addition to rather than replacing other pulses/vegetable protein sources and sea protein (sun chlorella and spirulina).
It’s not a grain, it’s the seed of a chenopod like amaranth or goosefoot. Grains come from grasses.
As a vegan, quinoa is a staple
Trader Joe’s sells it for $4 / lb in the Cleveland area. That’s the best I can find.
This sort of ignorance is perpetuated by a society dead set on knowing everything, but not willing to take the time to understand anything. Simplifying and unifying everything simply leads to overly ambiguous terms.
Such as all Omega-3′s are not the same, not all proteins are the same or serve the same purpose.
http://www.abc.net.au/dimensions/dimensions_health/Transcripts/s792620.htm
Quinoa, cinnamon, raisins, and apples in the morning. You’ll need a dab of margarine in there, but not much. You’ll start off the day right.
I’ve actually been losing weight pretty easily over the past couple months, and a crock pot full of quinoa + chicken + vegetable has been a big part of it. I can eat pretty much as much of that as I want to, and it assuages hunger very handily. (Obviously you don’t want to be ridiculous about portion size, but if you’ve got to overeat something, quinoa + chicken + vegetable is about as constructive as you can hope for.)
I read that it’s related to spinach, if I’m not mistaken.
I had a brand that I had to rinse. But there’s another one that I didn’t have to. Not surprisingly, I can’t remember the names of either.
No. That’s not why people eat it. People eat it because they haven’t heard of it. It’s "exotic" and it’s chic to eat "exotic" foods. Yet another facet of the hipster mentality.
Acai berry anyone? A berry that tasted awful, but was pitched to people as a good source of anti-oxidants despite having less antioxidants than a grape. "Eat grapes" wouldn’t work, and we couldn’t charge people an insane amount of money for it. Acai it is.
Organic for now. Once those GMO crops take up more and more land watch out for contamination.
…I have to try this stuff…easing into vegetarianism and am concerned about getting enough protein. This sounds like a good balance…
Quinoa is not a grain.
I like Quinoa, and the article has some good ideas – but quinoa is NOT a grain – it’s actually a seed. Yes, people eat it like a grain, but that’s no reason for factual error.
Keep in mind that MOST crops are NOT GMO. Soybean, corn, canola and cottonseed- and now sugar beets and alfalfa. GMO and not labeling GMO products are serious food issues, but don’t be so alarmist! Monsanto is interested in large commodity crops; if they find an industrial or big ag use for Quinoa, THEN you should worry.
I like quinoa, but it’s on the expensive side (over $5/lb even in bulk). I find that steel-cut oats offer similar nutrition and cooking time as quinoa and can be using in similar ways. Bulgur wheat is another versatile whole grain that cooks in less than 20 minutes. Both of these can be had for $1.50/lb, and they are cultivated in great quantities in the United States, while quinoa is grown almost exclusively in Peru and Bolivia.
And what does this have to do with Quinoa?
It’s a whole grain & is high in protein as well as other nutrients.
love quinoa so much. i use it instead of rice. makes a great stuffed pepper and using it as a salad is awesome too. yummy.
Most importantly, as stated below, Quinoa is a seed, not a grain. Grains are not good for humans. Wheat, for example, raises insulin higher than most any other food. Phytates and other compounds hinder absorbtion of minerals. Go off grains completely and watch the pounds fly off. It really does work.
I grind it up and make breakfast muffins.
Approx 2 cups of ground Quinoa
1 tbl of ground pecan or almond meal
2 tbl of chia seeds
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of baking soda
1/4 tsp of salt
Handfull of chopped walnuts
2 tbl of macadamia (or your favorite) oil or real butter
Honey for sweetness, to taste
Liquid to make it all mix well, but leave it kind of thick. I use almond milk.
Place in muffin pan and cook for 14 or 15 minutes at 390 degrees.
You can mix it up and add blueberries or whatever.
Very healthful and quite good with morning coffee. Yum!
Don’t quite get the quandry headline.
Thanks for the recipes. My quinoa has been flavored by simply butter and a spoonful of maple syrup. I’ll be throwing all kinds of stuff in it now.
Try toasting it first in a dry skillet. Wash it first in a strainer. The more you toast it, the greater the nutty flavor but not sure what that does to its nutritional value. It’s a great foil for dishes that marry well with a nutty flavor. Try it under everything, or as a side dish.
Right…it is a seed.
I remember when I worked at Bread
As someone who needs to eat gluten free, quinoa has been in my diet for decades. I find it has a bitter taste unless I soak and "scrub" it. I pick up handfuls and rub my hands together, letting the seeds abrade each other to remove the bitter coating. When time is short, I will use chicken broth instead of water when cooking, as the flavor helps.
Quinoa is very high in protein and cooks faster than brown rice. Wonderful stuff!
In Goldbecks whole foods cookbook, there is a recipe for cormeal / rice muffins.
I eliminated the rice and used quinoa instead. They were really good.
Goldbecks book is an oldie, but a goodie.
Used copes are available on Amazon.
Been eating quinoa and loving it for years, all varieties and colors.
I will try the mint/feta and the almond/wilted spinach soon. We mostly do it with diced onion, celery, green pepper, laced with garlic and ginger, and served with roasted zucchini and shaved grana padano.
Or onion, celery, carrots sauteed with garlic in a small amount of butter or ghee, then mix in peas as a wonderful complement to halibut. Sooooo good.
Are Whole Grains Making Us Fat?
http://www.thesweetbeet.com/whole-grains/
Here’s what we’re told… if a food is made with whole grains, it’s a “health food”, because whole grains are high in fiber which slows digestion and when digestion is slowed there is less of a spike in blood sugar and whole grain foods are high in vitamins.
The truth is, it’s (mostly) not true.
Myth #1: Whole grains are high in fiber.
Grains are predominantly carbohydrates (with a little bit of protein and fat). Carbohydrates are either starch, sugar, fiber or all three.
Myth #2: Whole grains don’t produce a spike in blood sugar
There is little difference in blood sugar response to a piece of white bread and a piece of whole wheat bread.
Myth #3: Whole grains have more nutrients
It is true that there is significant loss in nutrients when whole grains lose their bran (the outer layer) and germ. The loss is in protein, oils, the B vitamins, Vitamin E, magnesium, potassium and other minerals. So “more nutrients” is only partially a myth. It’s a myth when the food is not 100% whole grains (the case for most “whole grain” foods). In this situation, most of the vitamins and minerals are added.