Quinoa - Superfood!

I've had quinoa pasta before, but never the seed itself. I cooked it tonight for the first time. It is now my new favorite food :D

Quinoa (keen-wa) is a superfood - in that it is nutrient dense, a great source of protein, and highly versatile. I bought a bag in my grocery of Alter Eco organic quinoa that is from Bolivia and is a free trade import. I like to do my part for global trade.

Quinoa is actually the seed of the plant, and yes, it is tiny and hard. It looks a bit like barley or tiny pasta. You have to rinse the seed to get its outer coating off - which if left on - leaves a bitter taste (or so I'm told). Rinsing the seeds is challenging because they are tiny and will slip through a mesh strainer. Cheesecloth would probably be best. I used a convoluted method of a pot and a 2 cup glass measure and drained the water off the pot into the measure to capture any errant seeds. When the water comes off clear, it's good to go. Catching the drained water allows you to easily see if it is clear. It is messy to handle - it does not float and sticks to anything you put in the pot - a spoon, your fingers, and does not release - almost like it is statically charged. Kind a creepy.

You cook 1 cup quinoa with 1 1/2 cups of water, by bringing to a boil, then simmering for 15 minutes, in a tight-lidded pot. Let stand without the heat for another 5 minutes, and fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork. The finished product is a bit like rice, has a slightly nutty taste, and is quite yummy! I steamed some mushrooms, carrot sticks, and baby asparagus in the micro-wave using some tamari sauce. Drain the excess water that comes off the mushrooms after cooking, and fold into the quinoa. Delicious.

I found a number of internet sites dedicated to quinoa recipes and there are a million things you can do with this food - pilaf, patties, salad, stuffed peppers, pudding, and on and on. It fixes fast, it is tasty, you can make enough for leftover to have in a completely different dish the next day, and it has protein - did I mention that?

Thanks to my friend, Beverly, for suggesting I try this. She's cooks it frequently and gave me the nudge to try it :)

Onward!
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