The super food!

I’ve decided that I need to alternate super heavy posts (like PKD with lighter fare). Hence the super food, quinoa, grown in the Andes.

As a vegetarian, I was delighted to stumble across this high-protein, high-fibre food. The fact that it is also considered acceptable to eat at Passover because it’s technically a seed and NOT a grain,  (don’t ask) is another blessing.

It’s also a blessing for those with wheat and gluten allergies. Quinoa contains none of these.

Like many vegetarian products (tofu anyone?), on its own, quinoa is rather bland. It doesn’t have much of a taste. But it’s wonderful because you can add anything too it. My favourite recipe is a quinoa citrus salad with lots of lemon and lime juice, chili peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and cranberries. Delicious.

Plus, not only will people think you are hip and trendy eating this super food, it does in fact have fantastic health benefits.

Did you know that 1 cup of quinoa  (according to Mother Nature Network) has the following benefits:

• 220 calories (70 percent carbs, 15 percent fat, 15 percent protein)
• 40 grams of carbohydrates (13 percent daily value)
• 8 grams of protein (16 percent of daily value)
• 3.5 grams of fat (5 percent daily value with no saturated fat)
• A glycemic load (blood sugar spike) of only 18 out of 250
• 5 grams of fiber (20 percent of daily value)
• 20 percent of daily value of folate (various forms of Vitamin B)
• 30 percent of magnesium daily value (beneficial for people with migraine headaches); 28 percent daily value of phosphorous; iron (15 percent); copper (18 percent); and manganese (almost 60 percent)
• all 8 amino acids

quinoa

Google quinoa recipes and you’ll find a myriad of them. Easy to prepare, quick to cook, great to experiment with, good and good for you. What more could you want?