Everybody Is Talking About Quinoa!

More and more often I find that clients, friends, and even random acquaintances at social networking events ask me about quinoa (pronounced KEEN-WAH). Maybe you have read about it in a health magazine, or heard on television that Celebrity X eats it to stay trim. Not to mention you can now buy it in pasta form and even in cookies and chips! What is quinoa? What is so great about it? Does it taste good? How do I eat it? I thought I would take a moment to discuss the values of this teeny tiny super grain and how you can incorporate it into your daily eating routine.

Quinoa pasta...interesting, right?

A little bit of history about quinoa-it has been a staple food for thousands of years (about 6000,to be exact) in the Andes region of South America. It was one of just a few crops the Incans cultivated at such a high altitude. They considered quinoa to be a sacred food and often referred to it as the mother grain. According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, it's a great source of B vitamins containing thiamin and B6. It contains high levels of potassium and riboflavin. It's also good source of zinc, copper, manganese, magnesium, folic acid and vitamin E. This little grain is also gluten free, kosher, usually organic, easy to digest and easy to prepare. Sounds like the perfect food, right? It is pretty close.

If you wanted to slow cook rice or oats, usually you are looking at 45 minutes to one hour preparation time. The great thing about quinoa is that it takes less time to cook than other whole grains, just 10 to 15 minutes. It is best to cook one cup of quinoa in two cups of water or vegetable or chicken broth, whichever you prefer. According to caloriecount.com, 1/4^th cup of cooked quinoa contains roughly 160 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein. So, in my opinion, 6 grams of protein is not enough protein for a complete meal. You would either need to eat more than one serving of quinoa, or, my suggestion, combine your serving of quinoa with a protein of high biological value, such as chicken or fish.

Personally, I am not a fan of plain cooked quinoa, so I thought I would also share with you a few of my personal favorite recipes, complete with pictures.

HEARTY QUINOA PILAF

This dish uses all Trader Joe's grocery store ingredients. One cup of organic quinoa, boiled with two cups of water or vegetable stock. Then in a stir fry pan, sauté Trader Joe's mirepoix mix, which is chopped onions, carrots and celery and 2 chopped garlic cloves with 2 tablespoons of grape seed oil. Add dried oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Then combine with the cooked quinoa and add 1/4th cup slivered almonds for extra crunch. If it is not salty enough, I recommend buying Braggs liquid amino acids, which is often used as a soy sauce substitute, found at Whole Foods or Sprouts grocery stores. You can add a teaspoon or two to make the dish a little more flavorful. This dish takes about 15 minutes and is delicious! Combine it with your favorite chicken or fish for added protein. Can serve 3-4 people or one person 3-4 times.

GARLIC CHICKEN QUINOA STIR FRY

This dish also uses all Trader Joe's grocery store ingredients. This dish has been cut in half because I just made it for myself, but you can make it for more people, just double or triple the recipe. Cook the quinoa as directed on the box, which is usually one cup of quinoa cooked in two cups of water, chicken or vegetable stock for 10-15 minutes. In a stir fry pan, I used two chopped organic kosher chicken breasts. Saute the chopped chicken breasts in 3 tablespoons of olive oil for 5 minutes, then add two chopped red bell peppers, 1/2 a chopped onion and 4 chopped garlic cloves. If the chicken soaked up all the olive oil, add another teaspoon at this point and let the entire dish sauté for 2-3 more minutes. Add 10 leaves of shredded fresh basil to the quinoa and add the quinoa mix to the stir fry. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Again, if the dish is lacking flavor, feel free to add Braggs liquid amino acid, or more seasonings. Try not to add too much salt or too many seasonings, because then you are taking away from the natural flavors of the dish!