Ancient Grains~ Quinoa

Quinoa

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a small, nutty flavored grain.  This grain is an Inca super food; they called it “mother of all grains.”  Quinoa comes from the Chenopodium plant (goosefoot).  There are about 120 know species of the plant, but only 3 are commonly grown today for food consumption.  We know them as white, red and black Quinoa.  While Quinoa is used a grain in cooking, it actually is classified as a fruit.  Its leaves are edible and can be used in salads.  It is considered super food due it its high nutritional characteristics, such as, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron.  It also is high in amino acids; in fact it contains a nearly perfect balance of the eight essential amino acids we need.  Quinoa contains about 12-18% protein.  A mere ½ cup of this super food provides a child’s full daily protein needs.  When cooking Quinoa, it does need to be rinsed prior to cooking to remove its bitter coating. 

Recipes

Basic flour ratio

3 parts Quinoa flour

3 parts Sorghum flour

2 parts potato starch

1 part Tapioca flour

Looking for more recipes, check out this site:

http://www.quinoarecipescenter.com/quinoa-nutrition-facts