QUINOA

I was thinking today whilst travelling about the winter crops I am going to be putting in at the new house, and of course I couldn't go past the quinoa.

Quinoa is being considered by NASA as a crop for Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) because of its high protein value and unique amino acid composition. The CELSS concept will utilize plants to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and generate food, oxygen, and water for the crew of long-term human space missions.

Quinoa has been produced in South America since 3000 B.C., and although the Spanish conquistadors all but eliminated the existence of quinoa in an attempt to destroy the South American natives and their culture. Despite this quinoa is still an important seed crop for human consumption in the Andean region of South America.

Quinoa is able to grow in the severe cold and high altitude of the "altiplano" region of the Andes. Although quinoa is considered a grain, it's technically the seed of a plant related to the beet, chard and spinach plants, and has been classified as a pseudo-cereal. Quinoa can be substituted for almost any grain in any dish from soup to salad.

Quinoa is truly a "super grain" because of the wonderful nutrition it offers. For minerals it contains more iron than other grains, has high levels of potassium, riboflavin, magnesium, zinc, copper and folacin. It is a great source of protein. Unlike other grains it contains plenty of the amino acid lysine, as well as the other essential amino acids, so it provides complete protein. It is a great kid food, not only because of these nutritional benefits, but because of its light, nutty flavour.

This super food does have a downside though, saponin. Quinoa has a natural coating of saponin to ward off birds and other pests. Saponin is a bitter, soapy substance that needs to be removed BY WASHING THE GRAIN WELL, before using.

Whole quinoa can be treated and used much like rice. It has a nutty and slightly grassy flavour.

Quinoa flour can be used to replace up to all of the wheat flour in most recipes and can be combined with other gluten-free products to create an all-purpose flour substitute. The higher fat content of quinoa lends itself to a moister baked good. This higher fat content also means that quinoa flour should be treated like a nut flour/meal and kept in the freezer to keep it from spoiling.

Simple quinoa salad. You cook a cup of quinoa for fifteen minutes, and let it cool in the refrigerator. Dice 3 plum tomatoes, half a can of black olives, a few sprigs of parsley and then mix with the juice from half of a lemon and a dash of kosher salt. Toss in the quinoa and serve.

Sautee some veggies -- onions, mushrooms, and usually some yellow or green squash, but you could add whatever you want -- with salt and pepper, and garlic if I'm feeling ambitious. when the veggies are soft, toss them with cooked quinoa, add in a few dashes of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and tabasco. Takes all of 15 minutes and it's good warm or cold.

Baked red peppers stuffed with quinoa filling. Make a marinade. You can do a Mediterranean one - with finely chopped garlic, balsamic vinegar, oregano, basil, a few chilli flakes etc - or a more "eastern" one, which i personally love: garlic, ginger, sesame oil, tamari (soy sauce), olive or other oil, sambal or some other hot sauce, etc.. Play with the proportions, adding things until it tastes good - the good thing about a marinade is that you can always make it good, you just may end up with way more than you anticipated. Grate firm tofu into the marinade and let it soak. If there's way too much marinade, reserve some of it. Next, rinse the quinoa, and then put it on the stove with water; 1.5 cups of water to 1 cup of quinoa, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, and then simmer until the water is absorbed. If the quinoa is too crunchy, add a little more water until it reaches the consistency you like. I like still with a tiny bit of crunch; the quinoa equivalent of al dente. Some people like it very soft. Meanwhile, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil, on low-medium heat until the onions are getting a little soft. Add mushrooms and cook until they're soft. Then add the tofu and, if you want, some beans. White kidney beans or flageolet are good for this, but you could also use regular kidney beans or whatever suits your fancy. Next add the quinoa to the mix and sauté for another couple minutes. Taste. If it's not flavourful enough, add salt, pepper, the marinade you reserved, and maybe some balsamic vinegar. Adjust it to your preferred spiciness level. Make pepper boats. There are two ways of doing this = One, remove the top, pumpkin-style. Remove seeds and reserve the top; you'll put it back on as a lid. Two, Cut in half vertically without removing the top. Remove seeds and lie flat. Either mix cheese in with the filling - old cheddar is good for this - or sprinkle on top after filling the pepper boats, in which case parmesan, Romano, or feta are all good. In either case, put in lots of filling. Cook at 350 until the peppers are soft. The only danger is that the filling might get a bit dry before the peppers are soft. If you have that problem, you could cook the pepper boats in the oven for ten minutes, then remove and fill them, then put them back in the oven.

Other ways to serve quinoa are in a pudding such as rice pudding, or as a hot cereal in the morning cooked in fruit juice and topped with nuts. Add it to soups or stews at the end of the cooking time, or make a cold grain salad out of cooked quinoa by adding raw or cooked veggies and herbs and tossing with a light dressing.

Cook up a big batch and store it in Tupperware in your refrigerator, and you'll have a ready-to-eat side dish--like rice or pasta--that goes with just about any meal. (To warm, microwave it for 60 seconds.)

Health Benefits of Quinoa

Nutrients Quinoa is an excellent source of magnesium and manganese. It’s a very good source of protein, vitamin B2, vita­min E, and dietary fibre. It’s a good source of the minerals iron, phosphorus, copper, and zinc.

Gluten Free Quinoa is gluten free, and is a safe alternative for wheat/gluten intolerant individuals, and celiac disease sufferers.

Weight Loss Quinoa has been found to be more satiating than wheat or rice, and may be exploited for its potential impact on eating behaviour.

Malnutrition A study by the Department of Applied Nutrition and Food Chemistry in Sweden has demonstrated the effectiveness of quinoa as an infant food for undernourished children.

Protein Quinoa not only has high protein content, but the protein is of an exceptionally high quality. It contains all the essential amino acids, making quinoa an excellent protein source for vegetarians.

WARNING: Quinoa contains oxalate, and should be avoided by individuals with a history of kidney stones.

Take care of you and yours :)