An introduction to the superfood Quinoa
Sunday, August 31st, 2008    Subscribe To Our FeedTerrific New eBook On How To Broil Delicious Foods You mat not be familiar with Quinoa but it has been enjoyed by the peoples of South America for thousands of years. It is still grown mainly in Bolivia and Ecuador although farmers in the southern states of the USA are now growing quinoa as it becomes more and more popular. It seems to be widely available over the counter in most food shops now. If not you can always buy it online. Put your money to work for you by learning where to invest it for the best returns What is quinoa? Put your money to work for you by learning where to invest it for the best returns Although it is most definitely a seed quinoa is usually included with grains for cooking purposes. It comes from the same plant family as spinach and you can eat the leaves in the same way. You can eat the leaves as well as the seeds. Beause the quinoa leaves do not stay fresh for long you can only get them where the quinoa is grown. The quinoa seed is by far the best way to get the full goodness from quinoa. What is Quinoa Like? The Quinoa seeds are little oval seeds 2 – 3 mm in size. They are usually creamy yellow although red and black varieties are available in some countries. You can buy it in small packs and it is usually ready to cook. You can use them as a replacement for rice or cous cous. This doesn’t mean it is bland and uninteresting – far from it. It has a taste and original texture of its own. How do you cook Quinoa? To cook quinoa the easiest way you take some water and quinoa in a saucepan and bring it to the boil on the hob. Most people use twice the volume of water to the quinoa quantity. You will find that the water goes into the quinoa and it should need draining. Some quinoa still has a coating of bitter tasting saponins. In this case you need to pre-rinse the quinoa to remove this coating before cooking. Most shops now sell without the coating. You can replace your favourite rice dishes with the finished quinoa. There is no almost no limit to what you can do with it. It takes on the flavour of the foods you cook it with and adds it own little bite to the taste. Put your money to work for you by learning where to invest it for the best returns A well known feature is the little halo you get which is actually the germ that becomes more visible with cooking. You will feel a nice crunchy feel when you eat some. It has been thought of as having a nutty feel and taste. I’m not sure I agree but quinoa does taste good. You can microwave quinoa and put it in casseroles as a thickening agent. As well as the seed version there is also quinoa flour and quinoa flakes. You do have to go careful with the quinoa flour because it is not a straight substitue for wheat flour. What is special about Quinoa? Put your money to work for you by learning where to invest it for the best returns There are a number of things that make quinoa special. Firstly it is gluten free so for people who need to avoid gluten it is a great addition to their diet. Vegetarians all like it because it contains vatimins not found elsewhere and so fills in some of their protein gaps. Finally it releases its carbohydrates into the body very slowly so helps people with diabetes, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and other dietary related diseases. Put your money to work for you by learning where to invest it for the best returns
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