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An introduction to the superfood Quinoa
Quinoa has been enjoyed in its home country of South America for over 3000 years. Recently countries outside South America have also started selling quinoa to an ever growing market. It seems to be widely available over the counter in most food shops now. If not you can always buy it online.
What is quinoa?
Although it is most definitely a seed quinoa is usually included with grains for cooking purposes. Spinach and chard are in the same plant group. The leaves can be cooke or eaten raw. Beause the quinoa leaves do not stay fresh for long you can only get them where the quinoa is grown. The quinoa seed is by far the best way to get the full goodness from quinoa.
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What is Quinoa Like?
The Quinoa seeds are little oval seeds 2 – 3 mm in size. The standard quinoa seed is a pale cream colour .You can occasionally get hold of red and black quinoa seeds aswell. They come in dry packs of 500g or 1kg ready for you to cook. Instead of using cous cous in a salad recipe you can use quinoa instead. You will find that it adds its own character to any recipe you use it with.
How do you cook Quinoa?
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The simplest way of preparing quinoa is to cook it on the hob in boiling water. Most people use twice the volume of water to the quinoa quantity. All the water will be absorbed by the Quinoa. Occasionally you will come across quinoa that still has a bitter saponin coating. If you find this is the case you must pre-rinse it before you go and cook it. Nearly all the quinoa you cn buy now has been rinsed before packing but its better to be sure.
Once you have cooked the quinoa you can add it as a base for meat dishes instead of rice. You can also include it salads and soups. You will find that it blends well with most foods as it absorbs the flavour of the accompanying ingredients.
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When the quinoa is cooked you get a little “tail” that is the germ of the seed. It has a crunchy feel to the mouth. This is why I think people say it tastes a bit nutty. I’m not sure I agree but quinoa does taste good.
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You can microwave quinoa and put it in casseroles as a thickening agent. You can also find quinoa flour and quinoa flakes that you can bake with. You do have to go careful with the quinoa flour because it is not a straight substitue for wheat flour.
What is special about Quinoa?
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Quinoa has a number of unique qualities. Firstly it is gluten free so for people who need to avoid gluten it is a great addition to their diet. Vegans and vegetarians eat it to give them the amino acids that quinoa contains. Finally it releases its carbohydrates into the body very slowly so helps people with diabetes, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and other dietary related diseases.
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Kelly Clarkson & Jason Aldean – Don’t You Wanna Stay CMA(Country Music Awards 44th November 10 2010)
