Pronounced 'keen-wa.
My culinary training taught me that quinoa is an ancient grain and the only grain that is a complete protein, all by itself. That means it has all the amino acids required to make up protein chain. Just like meat or eggs or fish. How cool is that? Protein, just like animal products have, without the inflammatory acid of animal products and with all the fiber that animal products lack. AND it's gluten free.
I LOVE QUINOA!!!!
So, what the heck do you do with it? Everything!
Well, no, you still need to eat a variety everyday, so as not to develop an intolerance from eating the same thing too often.
What I meant was, quinoa lends itself to a really broad range of uses, kind of like Bubba Gump's shrimp!
One of the best things about it is that even though you can buy it processed into flour or rolled flakes, the overall goal is to eat as little processed food as you have to – quinoa is so small that it doesn't need to be ground into flour. It can be used in baking, patties, loaves, cookies, bars, salads, mashes, or just plain by itself, WHOLE. Did I mention I love quinoa!?
And it comes in three colors – red, white and black – so you can either match it to what you're putting it in (in case you need to sneak it past someone 
or you can use a contrasting color to enhance the "curb appeal" of your dish!
Here's a little demo I made, to show how easy it is to cook this stuff:
Today I had it as a hot breakfast cereal, with some cinnamon and coconut sap crystals. You might like it as a side dish with dinner. Have you tried the Broccoli Quinoa Mash in my book (p.83)?
Post your comments and share your favorite way to enjoy QUINOA!
Free Kitchen Tips
