Quinoa
We found a new food we love and its so healthy for you. I have eaten it on a few occasions with friends, but just started cooking it recently. This post is dedicated to my friends who like to shop and eat as healthy as possible, but still like the occasional splurge of ice cream. :-) So, to you Miss Rachel I dedicate this post! :-) (and others of course, but she has been asking for recipes) For now, I am posting a recipe that Tina Mackey sent me last night on Facebook. I had asked Tina a few weeks ago how she cooks her quinoa and she said she mainly ate it for breakfast in a cereal form. I told her I had only been making it for dinner. I love sharing ideas with friends! So, she passed along the recipe below. She said it was good and it sounds Yumm-O to me. I can't wait to try it. I will post my dinner version of quinoa a little later.
What is Quinoa?
Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa),is a grain that comes from the Andes Mountains of South America. Quinoa's origins are truly ancient. It was one of the three staple foods, along with corn and potatoes, of the Inca civilization. Quinoa was known then, and still is known, with respect, as the mother grain. We call it the "Supergrain of the Future."
Quinoa contains more protein than any other grain; an average of 16.2 percent, compared with 7.5 percent for rice, 9.9 percent for millet, and 14 percent for wheat. Some varieties of quinoa are more than 20 percent protein.
Quinoa's protein is of an unusually high quality. It is a complete protein, with an essential amino acid balance close to the ideal ... similar to milk!
Quinoa's protein is high in lysine, methionine and cystine. This makes it an excellent food to combine with, and boost the protein value of, other grains (which are low in lysine), or soy (which is low in methionine and cystine).
Rich & Balanced Source of Nutrients
Besides its unique protein, quinoa also provides starch, sugars, oil (high in essential linoleic acid), fiber, minerals, and vitamins.
Easy on the Stomach
Quinoa is light, tasty, and easy to digest. It is not sticky or heavy like most other grains, and it has a delicious flavor all its own.
Quick and Simple to Prepare
A whole-grain dish of quinoa takes just 15 minutes.
Versatile
Quinoa can be substituted for almost any grain in almost any recipe. It looks and tastes great on its own, or in any dish from soup to salad.
Perfect for Summertime
Many people eat grains only during the colder months, but quinoa's lightness combined with its versatility in cold dishes like salads and desserts makes it an ideal source of good summertime nutrition.
Kids love it!
Quinoa is an excellent source of nutrition for infants and children --JONAS LOVES IT and the fiber is great for his little digestive track!
Zesty Quinoa with Broccoli & Cashews
Gluten-Free, Vegan
Serves 4
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienned or chopped
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1 cup broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces Fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup roasted cashew pieces
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, vegetable stock, wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil.
Stir in the quinoa and salt. Reduce heat, and simmer covered about 20 minutes. Add the broccoli on top and simmer an additional 5 to 6 minutes.
Remove from heat, toss gently until combined. Add ground pepper and additional salt, if desired, to taste.
Garnish with cashews and scallions before serving.
Nutrition Info
Per Serving (6.25 oz-wt.): 280 calories (120 from fat), 13g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 4g dietary fiber, 9g protein, 31g carbohydrate, 0mg cholesterol, 120mg sodium
What is Quinoa?
Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa),is a grain that comes from the Andes Mountains of South America. Quinoa's origins are truly ancient. It was one of the three staple foods, along with corn and potatoes, of the Inca civilization. Quinoa was known then, and still is known, with respect, as the mother grain. We call it the "Supergrain of the Future."
Quinoa contains more protein than any other grain; an average of 16.2 percent, compared with 7.5 percent for rice, 9.9 percent for millet, and 14 percent for wheat. Some varieties of quinoa are more than 20 percent protein.
Quinoa's protein is of an unusually high quality. It is a complete protein, with an essential amino acid balance close to the ideal ... similar to milk!
Quinoa's protein is high in lysine, methionine and cystine. This makes it an excellent food to combine with, and boost the protein value of, other grains (which are low in lysine), or soy (which is low in methionine and cystine).
Rich & Balanced Source of Nutrients
Besides its unique protein, quinoa also provides starch, sugars, oil (high in essential linoleic acid), fiber, minerals, and vitamins.
Easy on the Stomach
Quinoa is light, tasty, and easy to digest. It is not sticky or heavy like most other grains, and it has a delicious flavor all its own.
Quick and Simple to Prepare
A whole-grain dish of quinoa takes just 15 minutes.
Versatile
Quinoa can be substituted for almost any grain in almost any recipe. It looks and tastes great on its own, or in any dish from soup to salad.
Perfect for Summertime
Many people eat grains only during the colder months, but quinoa's lightness combined with its versatility in cold dishes like salads and desserts makes it an ideal source of good summertime nutrition.
Kids love it!
Quinoa is an excellent source of nutrition for infants and children --JONAS LOVES IT and the fiber is great for his little digestive track!
Zesty Quinoa with Broccoli & Cashews
Gluten-Free, Vegan
Serves 4
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienned or chopped
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1 cup broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces Fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup roasted cashew pieces
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, vegetable stock, wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil.
Stir in the quinoa and salt. Reduce heat, and simmer covered about 20 minutes. Add the broccoli on top and simmer an additional 5 to 6 minutes.
Remove from heat, toss gently until combined. Add ground pepper and additional salt, if desired, to taste.
Garnish with cashews and scallions before serving.
Nutrition Info
Per Serving (6.25 oz-wt.): 280 calories (120 from fat), 13g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 4g dietary fiber, 9g protein, 31g carbohydrate, 0mg cholesterol, 120mg sodium
posted by The Barkers at
11:14 AM
4 Comments:
Sounds yummy - where do you buy this stuff? Do you think they would sell it in the organic/healthy food section of a supermarket or do I need to go to a health food store to find it?
You are AWESOME!! I am going to print this out and put it in my recipe binder. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this write-up as well as include the recipe. I know that this must have taken some time to research this and I appreciate it greatly.
Woo-hoo! Now I just have to get over to EarthFare to pick some up. I'm not too hopeful that our Kroger's has it but I may double-check anyway.
We've been homebound with colds and home improvement projects so we haven't been to EarthFare in a month - shocking, I know:).
If you have any other recipes or healthy ideas - pass them along. April is going to write up some kefir recipes that look good. How did I ever manage to cook before I became a blogger - LOL. Seriously though, I have learned quite a bit from all of my blogging buddies and I am appreciative. Have a great day and thanks again!
This sounds yummy!! We have tried quinoa in the past, but it has been quite a while. I will be trying this recipe.
I've started using it any time a recipe calls for rice. We just love the stuff and it's a complete protein. What could be better?
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