Quinoa...A grain-like superfood, that actually tastes good! Anyone eating it?

A doctor had recommended to my wife, a grain like product called Quinoa.
Pronounced KEEN-WA, or KIn-OH-A. It has an interesting history.
It was a super-food for the Incas. But it was one item the Spaniards purposefully overlooked because of the Inca's religious attachment to the food. We've just started using in place of rice and couscous. I cook it in a rice cooker, and it works great! I love the taste, and I'm no health food nut. Lots of protein, and B vitamins, among other things. Anyone else here eating it? It can be expensive, but if you go to a place that sells bulk foods you can get the price down from 6.99 per pound to about 3.50.

The nutrient list below is from the wiki page
en.wikipedia.org...



Quinoa, uncooked Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 1,539 kJ (368 kcal)
Carbohydrates 64 g
- Starch 52 g
- Dietary fibre 7 g
Fat 6 g
- polyunsaturated 3.3 g
Protein 14 g
Water 13 g
Thiamine (Vit. B1) 0.36 mg (28%)
Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.32 mg (21%)
Vitamin B6 0.5 mg (38%)
Folate (Vit. B9) 184 μg (46%)
Vitamin E 2.4 mg (16%)
Iron 4.6 mg (37%)
Magnesium 197 mg (53%)
Phosphorus 457 mg (65%)
Zinc 3.1 mg (31%)


As you can see it has some great nutritional value. Lots of protein. But, I'm pretty new at using it.
We put it in a meatloaf, and it worked great as a healthy filler.
There are some recipe sites out there. But I'm curious if any of you have some experience cooking with it.

I have eaten it a couple times and have a bag of it. A lot better than rice, but if you don't cook the skin off the seeds, it tastes bad. Good stuff though.

yes, I eat it sometimes. It's quite good, just remember to clean it before you cook it because it has a natural coating that is bitter.I don't eat grains very often, but when I do, this is one of the best!

Its good but not very filling. You will be hungry all day. I tried to use it to replace empty carbs in my diet but I was hungrier after every bowl.

Thats the whole grain. Making the flour into something else is the real frontier cause their are less people out there trying to make stuff from the flour.

reply to post by Stringycheeseman



I know you have to rinse them a couple of times, they are covered with a natural soap (saponin) that makes them taste like...soap. Keeps the birds and other critters from eating the seeds.
You can get it pre-rinsed too. a little more expensive.
It also stores very well, so if you're looking for an emergency food supply it would be a nice item to have, considering the protein especially.

reply to post by spacedoubt


Tumbleweeds!? As Wiki says, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds.

I’ll be trying quinoa out as I am a gastronomical adventurer. But tumbleweeds? I had no clue that they were edible or nutritional? Whodathunk?

Can ya cook ‘em up like grits or cream of wheat? I LUVS me some grits for breakfast!

reply to post by siren8


I noticed that too. I like it enough to eat large quantities. But the fact the I could eat large quantities, supports just what you said. So, I'm looking for recipes. To keep it in my diet, because it really is a healthy food.
Not really a grain, so it's gluten free too.

reply to post by TDawgRex


A little more coarse than grits..a little nuttier taste. But not so overpowering that you couldn't flavor them with just about anything...Haven't tried them with anything sweet yet.

reply to post by spacedoubt


If you eat soap, you will usually end up cleaning your bowels.

Does this work the same?

I eat quinoa almost every day. I hardly eat any meat at all, so it becomes a good alternative source of protein. It's also gluten free for all you celiacs out there!

reply to post by spacedoubt


Looks to have a bit more nutritional value as well. Grits is pretty much a filler food. But still like ‘em!

reply to post by TDawgRex


not sure!
I might make you hurl..so you'd have a clean esophagus. LOL

Originally posted by OrganicAnagram33
I eat quinoa almost every day. I hardly eat any meat at all, so it becomes a good alternative source of protein. It's also gluten free for all you celiacs out there!

Do you eat it plain? Or mixed in with other stuff?
I've been mostly simplistic....Meat loaf, spaghetti sauce. Or plain, with Green beans or Sweet corn tossed in.
There are a couple varieties, I've tried the white, and the Inca Red...The Red seems to have a tougher seed coat.

reply to post by spacedoubt


Yes. I cook it like rice in a rice cooker. It's very yummy and can be used in sweet and savory dishes. I add cinnamon and nutmeg for a sweet version (use coconut milk for some of the water), and garlic, onion, herbs de province, or cayenne for savory.

LOVE it!

reply to post by Amaterasu


Coconut milk, then cinnamon or.nutmeg...sounds tasty, I'll try that with my next batch.

reply to post by Amaterasu


Great! Now I'm droolin like Pavlov's Dog, Thanks. Can you post a couple of recipes? I'm now dying to check this out.

reply to post by spacedoubt


I use it in many recipes, but I most commonly just mix it with mushrooms and onions (an any other fresh vegetables I want like spinach, watercress, peppers ect.) fried up in virgin coconut oil. (Occasionally I add soy sauce, but I try not to use soy too much). I often use quinoa as a rice/noodle substitute for curries. It's good in soups too! Eat it warm or cold, quinoa is wonderful. I should be a quinoa cultivator/pusher haha.

I have tried the red variety and I find it harder to chew/digest. I much prefer the white.

PS: Coconut oil deserves a thread of its own haha

Originally posted by OrganicAnagram33
reply to post by spacedoubt

 

I use it in many recipes, but I most commonly just mix it with mushrooms and onions (an any other fresh vegetables I want like spinach, watercress, peppers ect.) fried up in virgin coconut oil. (Occasionally I add soy sauce, but I try not to use soy too much). I often use quinoa as a rice/noodle substitute for curries. It's good in soups too! Eat it warm or cold, quinoa is wonderful. I should be a quinoa cultivator/pusher haha.

I have tried the red variety and I find it harder to chew/digest. I much prefer the white.

PS: Coconut oil deserves a thread of its own haha

edit on 15-5-2011 by OrganicAnagram33 because: Addition

I've been telling folks about it at work. Even gave some out for people to try. I know just what you mean!
Seems to be a hardy plant, considering some of the places it was grown by the Incas. I wonder how much each plant would yield? A month ago, I'd never heard of it...Now it's one of my favorite foods...funny.

Originally posted by TDawgRex
reply to post by Amaterasu

 

Great! Now I'm droolin like Pavlov's Dog, Thanks. Can you post a couple of recipes? I'm now dying to check this out.

Well... I sort of create My recipes on the fly.

Sweet:

Cook w/coconut milk, and cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, vanilla, almond, orange flavoring. Add stevia, agave, or honey to taste. Add more milk, butter, maple syrup... Whatever You like.

Savory:

Add fresh or powdered: Garlic, onion, sage, thyme, rosemary, pepper, cayenne, etc. to broth and cook the quinoa.

Here's a recipe I made up from scratch a little while ago, it was intended as a large portion for one person, so just double the amounts for two:

Coconut Curry with Quinoa

2 tbls coconut oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 medium cloves garlic shredded
2 tsp finely chopped parsley
1 lobe of ginger shredded (ginger powder as substitute for fresh)
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp paprika
1 tbls lemon juice (or lime)
1/3 block of coconut cream [not sure of measurement] (add water until proper consistency)
dash of fresh ground pepper
quinoa

Turn stove-top on low-medium heat and melt the coconut oil. Add the onion and garlic and let fry lightly for a few minutes. Add the parsley and wait another minute before you shred the ginger into the pan and add the rest of the spices and lemon juice. Add the coconut cream and then water to reach the desired consistency. Spread on the quinoa, mix and enjoy!

Note: Curry often has many more spices, but the ones listed were the only ones I had at the time. Here's a list of the most common ingredients in curry:

Spices in Curry Powder: Times Used, Out of Eight Brands

Coriander Seeds, 8
Cumin Seeds, 8
Fenugreek Seeds, 8
Turmeric, 8
Cloves, 5
Garlic , 5
Curry Leaves, 4
Fennel Seeds, 4
Ginger, 4
Chillies, 3
Mustard, 3
Red Pepper, 3
Salt, 3
Cassia, 2
Black Pepper, 2
Poppy Seeds, 2
Anise, 1
Bengal Gram, 1
Cardamom, 1
Cassia buds, 1
Celery Seed, 1
Cinnamon, 1
Dill Seed, 1
Mace, 1
Nagkeser, 1
Nutmeg, 1
Onion, 1
Trifala, 1
White Pepper, 1

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