Let’s talk about Quinoa.

What is it? Why does everybody love it so much? Is it different from rice? Is it considered carbs? How to cook it? And where do I find recipes!

So first of all, this is how it looks:

And this how it looks after been cooked:

There’s evidence that the natives in South America have been eating those seeds for the last 3000 years!!! And researchers suggest that Quinoa Quinoa was here 5000 BC…  Pretty amazing if you ask me….

It looks like a grain but it is actually a family member of spinach and swiss chard.

Many researchers refer to Quinoa as a "pseudocereal." This term is typically used to describe foods that are not grasses but can still be easily ground into flour.

Here in North America we have 3 kind of Quinoa (brown, black and red) but in Bolivia they have more than 250 kinds of quinoa!

There’s so much to talk about the history of Quinoa but you don’t really care about it… If you are, you can check this website http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=142&tname=foodspice

It’s popular for 2 reasons: it is gluten free and it is high in protein.

If you think that  oats and wild rice are high in protein, just know that Quinoa is higher…just to let you know… Quinoa Quinoa is carbs! A very good carbs that you should have… Full of fibres and protein and low on sugar.

The easy way to cook it?

Boil water, add Quinoa and put it on low heat till all water is gone. Water to Quinoa ratio is 1:1.

Recipes? They’re endless but I’ll give you some…

Cook and add it to salads.

Ideas for salad can be:

·         Quinoa, chicken breast, steamed broccoli, grape tomato, olive oil and lemon.

·         Quinoa, chicken breast, arugula, tomato, basil and balsamic.

·         Quinoa, peas, green onion, mayo and lemon.

·         Quinoa, cucumber, parsley, tomato, olive oil and lemon.

·         Or….add a few tbsp. to your salad.

The stuff you can do with that it endless so if you’re looking for more ideas (stuffed peppers with quinoa, Quinoa balls, breakfast ideas) check the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/eatcakenotgetfat?ref=hl.

See you!

Research and writing by Dana Gat ©2014