All about quinoa and quinoa recipes

What is quinoa?

Although recently introduced to the western diet it is not a new crop. It was grown by the Incas in the South American Andes many thousands of years ago!

Due to its high nutritional value they called it the Mother Grain and it was a staple part of their diet. Quinoa was ideally suited to the Andean region as it didn't mind the high altitude or poor soil.

You don't have to live in South America to enjoy it nowadays, you can buy quinoa online in various forms.

Quinoa nutrition

Compared to other cereals such as rice and wheat, quinoa has less fat and much more protein.

In fact is is considered a "complete protein" as it contains all 8 essential amino acids necessary for our bodies growth and repair, including lysine.

Most grains do not contain any lysine, a protein normally only found in meat, fish and eggs, making quinoa an ideal food for gluten free vegans and vegetarians..

So what is so wonderful about lysine?

• Lysine helps the body to produce carnitine, a substance that lowers the bad cholesterol (or LDL) in your blood. This means that eating quinoa is beneficial to those suffering from high blood pressure, anyone with cardivascular (heart) problems and postmenopausal women.

• Lysine also helps in the production of collagen, the protein needed for strong bones and cartilage. This is especially important to celiac sufferers, as eating gluten laden foods before they were diagnosed may lead to problems with osteoporosis, or brittle bones, in later life.

• Quinoa also has high levels of calcium, again beneficial to our bones, nails and teeth.

• When you are first diagnosed with celiac it is common to feel depressed and low levels of lysine can make this problem even worse. Eating quinoa can assist in building up these levels, which in turn may help alleviate asthma and chronic viral infections.

• A condition that often goes hand in hand with celiac is diabetes. To control the blood sugar levels it is important to eat foods with a low glycemic index. Quinoa has a GI value of 35 making it an ideal substitute for other grains in this situation.

• In addition quinoa is a high-fibre source of phosphorus, iron, magnesium, vitamin E and several B vitamins. Truly a superfood!

Debbie Johnson uses quinoa in her wonderful e-book of healthy, low GI, gluten free recipes. You can Click Here! for more details.

Cooking quinoa

It is important to rinse and soak the seeds to remove this before using it, something that is normally done before the seed is boxed up ready for sale.

However, it doesn't hurt to make sure all the saponin is removed, by tipping your quinoa into a sieve and holding it under running water for a few minutes.

To serve four people you will need 1 cup/6oz/150gm of washed quinoa and two cups of water. Put the ingredients into a large saucepan (quinoa will swell to four times its volume when cooked) and season to taste with salt. Bring the pan to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.

It is simple to tell when the seeds are cooked as they will turn translucent with a white edge and centre to each seed, as seen in the photo above.

Uses for quinoa

Ground into a flour it can be used in gluten free baking. Normally it would be mixed with other flours such as sorghum, potato starch and tapioca starch to achieve a smooth, moist combination. I use quinoa flour in my favourite gluten free bread recipe.

Quinoa recipes

Quinoa with sweetcorn, onions and sultanas

These quantities are enough to serve one person for a quick supper dish.

• 1/2 cup/3oz/75g quinoa
• 1 cup water
• salt and pepper to season
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 2oz/50g tinned sweetcorn
• 1oz/25g sultanas
• 2oz/50g grated cheddar cheese
• splash tamari soy sauce

When the quinoa is cooked and has absorbed all the water, shake in a splash of tamari soy sauce to taste. Then stir in the fried onion, sweetcorn, and sultanas. Heat through then add the grated cheese and stir until the cheese melts.

Serve and enjoy.

This filling dish has a lovely cheesy, nutty flavour.

I will add more quinoa recipes over the next few days, watch this space!