I must tell you that I do like to eat healthy, and I must also admit that knowing what really is healthy can at times be a challenge. I think that “they”, the nutrition powers that be, whoever they really are have changed their minds on what we should be eating or should stay away from over the years. Case in point….coconuts, eggs, margarine or butter. I’m sure there are many reasons about that and I won’t get into that debate in this article. What I want to do is share the discovery I made not that long ago with a new food in my diet. I have been introduced to a great food called Quinoa, pronounced “Keen-Wa”. This amazing food is an ancient grain that was one of staples of the Inca civilization long ago, along with their two other food staples of corn and potatoes.
Quinoa is said to contain more protein than any other grain on average. Protein is a long chain molecule made up of Amino Acids. Quinoa is 16.2 percent protein which can be as high as 20 percent depending on the variety on Quinoa. Comparatively Rice has about 7.5 percent, and 14 percent for Wheat. The protein in Quinoa is said to be a complete protein as it has all nine essential amino acids, and is especially high in the Amino Acid Lysine. Besides Amino Acids, Quinoa is also a very good source of manganese, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and phosphorus. Add to that list Vitamins, Fiber, and Oil and Quinoa sounds like a nutritional power house doesn’t it?
This amazing whole grain, besides being very nutritional, is also versatile as it can be substituted for many grains in recipes and can be served both warm or cold such as in a salad or believe it or not as a breakfast cereal.
So far, I have only ate Quinoa in salad form, but am definitely going to try some of the many recipes that I have come across.
This was the Apple Quinoa salad that I enjoyed the last time I cooked the grain. It takes half the time to cook than brown or wild rice which is great. I added apple, almond pieces and a home made curry dressing. It turned out wonderfully….MMmmm
If you have tried Quinoa in a recipe that you really enjoyed please feel free to share. If you haven’t tried this amazing grain please do consider doing so, I’m sure you’ll find it a great addition to your pantry…and as an added bonus it can be purchased in bulk to help your wallet. Enjoy!
