Quinoa

I was reading through the blog Your Own Home Store and had to share this article on Quinoa.

I LOVE Quinoa it is such a wonderful food and so versatile. 

My Thoughts on Quinoa:

I LOVE it!  It is as easy to cook as rice, but contains a whole lot more nutritional punch.  I think everyone should not only add Quinoa to their food storage, but to their everyday diet!

Photo Credit: Nerissa Ring

I just started using Quinoa regularly about 2 years ago.  In fact, I hadn’t even heard of it before then (should I be embarrassed to say that?).  But it has become quite the staple in our home.  I use it at least weekly.  We love it: even my kids.  I was thrilled when Shelf Reliance announced that they had added it to their line of products.

While most often used as a grain, Quinoa actually is not part of the grain family; it is a pseudocereal and is closely related to Spinach!  Crazy, huh?!

Tips / Info:

Photo Credit: T-Dubisme

Quinoa Nutrition:

Quinoa has an extremely high protein content (50% more than brown rice), and its balanced set of essential amino acids make it a complete protein source, which is unusual among plant foods.  Soy is the only other plant based food with this quality.  As such, it is a great meat substitute for Vegans.  It also provides fiber, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron. Plus, it is gluten free and can be eaten by those with Celiac disease. Wow!  Didn’t I tell you this stuff was amazing?

Quinoa Uses:

I most often use Quinoa as a replacement for brown rice.  Brown rice doesn’t store well (5-7 year shelf life even when properly packaged), and my husband (who has spent years in Asia) doesn’t love it.  He loves his white rice, which I try desperately to avoid.  But we actually started eating Quinoa at his recommendation: a friend prepared it for him and he loved it.  So, we got rid of all our brown rice and started using Quinoa instead.

Photo Credit: Sweet On Veg

I also love it in soups and stir frys.  It can also be added to salads – as the main ingredient or with other greens.  Or grind it to a flour and use it in gluten free baking.  Or, try mixing it with somefreeze dried fruit and cinnamon and cooking it up in milk instead of water as a breakfast cereal.  And a fun, but less well known use: Use it as a binding agent in things like meatloaf (instead of the less healthy breadcrumbs).

Preparing Quinoa:

It is most often prepared just like rice: just boil it.  Rinse it well, then place 1 part Quinoain 2 parts cold water.  Bring to a boil and then simmer.  10-12 minutes will give you a nutty and crunchy feel / taste (great on salads or in yogurt).  18-20 minutes will make it soft and fluffy like rice (but it will not become sticky and icky like overcooked rice does). It expands to  about 3 times its size when cooked.  So 1 cup dry will yield about 3 cups cooked.

Shelf Life:

20 years unopened and 1 year opened.