"QUINOA" is a super food

"QUINOA" is a super food

Quinoa is a gluten free,high in protein & one of the few plant foods that contain sufficient amount of all nine essential amino acids. It is also high in fiber, magnesium, B vitamins, iron, potassium,calcium,phosphorus, vitamin E & various beneficial antioxidants.

Quinoa is an annual seed producing flowering plant grown as a grain crop. it is a pseudocereal, not a grass, unlike wheat & rice,it is botanically related to spinach.

Quinoa is higher in nutrients than most grains, cooked quinoa consists of water (71.6%), carbohydrates (21.3%), protein (4.4%) & fat (1.92%). One cup of cooked quinoa (185 gms) contains 222 calories.

protein: 4.4 g

calories: 120

carbs: 21.3 g

fiber: 2.8 g

It seems these days,quinoa (pronounced KEEN-WAH) is still all anyone talks about. everywhere we turn there are quinoa salads,quinoa fried rice, and now even quinoa protein shakes, forged in south  America thousands of years ago and called  "the mother grain" by the inca, quinoa today is still considered a wonderful "superfood"- especially once the united nations declared 2013 the "International Year of Quinoa."

What is Quinoa Exactly?

Technically, the quinoa we all know and love is actually a seed from the Chenopodium quinoa  plant.

 So no, it is not a grain. Whole grains (or cereal grains), like oats and barley, are defined as seeds extracted from grasses- not plants.

But the way we eat quinoa does resemble a whole grain . because of this, the nutrition world considers it a whole grain . Or if you want to get real technical with it , quinoa is actually quantified as a"pseudo-cereal" - a term used to describe foods that are prepared and eaten as a whole grain , but are botanical outliers from grasses.

But the preferred colloquial term (though it may be slightly untrue)is whole grain.

Different types of quinoa

Surprisingly, there are over 120 different varieties of quinoa as defined by the whole grains council.Though the grain itself can manifest in a wide variety of colors (including purple), the most common quinoa colors found across american grocers are white (also considered ivory or yellow quinoa), red, and black.

interestingly enough , all three of these quinoa types cook and taste differently , While white quinoa has a fluffy post-cook texture, Red quinoa also has a heartier taste and chewier texture than the muted , bitter taste of white quinoa, while black quinoa tastes somewhat crunchy and slightly sweeter then either red or white.

Benefits of quinoa

• Quinoa is one of the most protein rich-foods we can eat
• quinoa a contains almost twice as much fiber as most other grains
• it contains iron- Iron helps keep our red blood cells healthy and is the basis of hemoglobin formation
• quinoa contains lysine- lysine mainly essential for tissue growth and repair.
• Quinoa is rich in magnesium- magnesium helps to relax blood vessels and thereby to alleviate migraines; diabetes promoting healthy blood sugar control.
• Quinoa is high in Riboflavin(B2)-B2 improves energy metabolism within brain and muscle cells.
• Quinoa has a high content of manganese-Manganese is an antioxidant , which helps to prevent damage of mitochondria during energy production as well as to protect red blood cells and other cells from injury by free radicals.

How to cook Quinoa

Rines the quinoa under cold running water to remove its bitter flavour

Tip into a pan and add double the amount of salted water

Place over a medium heat and bring to the boil

Reduce to a simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender and the liquid is absorbed

Fluff it up with a fork, then pimp it

Got leftovers? Cold, leftover quinoa is a brilliant filter in nut roasts or veggies burgers, too. Or, use it as a base for roasted veggies, or simply grilled fish or chicken thighs Yum!