Quinoa: An Old Grain Makes New Meals

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) isn’t a new food, even if its new to you. It’s a 5,000 year old food native to Bolivia and Peru. The ancient Incas called it “The Mother Grain.” Modern nutritionists consider it a supergrain and a superfood.

Technically it isn’t a grain; it’s the seed of a leafy plant distantly related to spinach. We’ll call it a grain since it looks, acts, and has a nutritional profile like other grains with a few distinct advantages over other whole grains.

What’s so great about quinoa?
Quinoa contains higher amounts of the amino acid lysine than most other grains. Depending upon the variety, it may contain between 7.5 and 22% of calories from protein. Rebecca Wood, Author of Quiona The SuperGrain: Ancient Food for Today, says that “Unlike any of the grass-family grains, quionoa’s protein possesses an exceptionally attractive amino acid balance for human nutrition. It has high levels of the amino acid lysine, in which the common grains are deficient.” The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Association considers quinoa’s protein quality on a par with milk. “While no single food can supply all of the essential life-sustaining nutrients, quinoa comes as close as any other in the vegetable or  animal kingdom. This Andean “Mother grain” has higher levels of fat, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and the B-vitamins than wheat, corn, oats, or rice.”

Quinoa is a relatively fast food. It cooks in only 15 minutes, where as whole grain brown rice requires 45 minutes of pressure cooking or 1 hour of simmering. BTW: I know some people say they pressure cook brown rice in only 10 minutes or boil it for 30 minutes, I consider that hard-boiled, uncooked rice.

Quinoa has a light and fluffy texture with a hint of crunch. It tastes great warm or cold. It makes a great alternative to bulgur wheat in pilafs and salads. Quinoa is a gluten-free grain. Ancient Harvest quinoa, the most common brand on the market in the U.S., is grown in organic fields dedicated to quiona and processed in gluten free facilities.

A Wheat-Free Twist on Tabouli
In this wheat-free twist on a Middle Eastern classic I use sun-dried tomatoes for an intense tomato flavor and pine nuts for extra crunch. I make this recipe for casual meals at home, potlucks, pack lunches, and parties. It pairs well with salmon, shrimp, chicken, soft-boiled or poached eggs (for breakfast), or with black beans (for a vegan or vegetarian meal). I always round out the meal with a crisp green salad, a parboiled vegetable medley, or sautéed leafy greens. My cooking students love it.

Photo credit: My cooking student Stacy Maxwell, Phx, AZ

For more quiona recipes see
Ancient Harvest Quinoa
Rebecca Wood's Web Site
My Amazon Store for The Splendid Grain and Quinoa

Quinoa Tabouli                         

Prep: 30 minutes         
Soaking: 2 -24 hours
Cooking: 15 minutes
Yield: about 5 cups; 8 servings

Note: Rinsing quinoa removes the bitter saponin coating that protects the seed from pests. You’ll need a fine mesh strainer to avoid washing the grains down the drain. Soaking it for several hours or overnight initiates the sprouting process, makes the grain more tender, tasty, and digestible. Read instructions carefully; be sure to soak quinoa in the measured amount of water and then to cook it in the same water.

Grain:
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups filtered water

Mix-ins:
12 medium-size sun dried tomato halves, soaked in warm water to barely cover if dry (omit soaking if using oil-packed, sun-dried tomatoes)
1 ½ to 2 cups finely minced washed, stemmed, parsley leaves (pat dry before chopping)
1/2 to 1 cup minced scallions (white part plus some of green part)
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped coarsely, optional but desirable
1 clove garlic, finely mined or pressed, optional
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
1/2 to 1 teaspoon finely ground mineral rich sea salt (Celtic, Lima, Eden, Si, or RealSalt)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (taste the lemon juice first if using bottled juice)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, flax oil or oil from the sun-dried tomato jar
1/4 cup raw or lightly toasted pine nuts

1. Place quinoa to a medium bowl. Cover with water. Pick up 1 handful of grain at a time, then rub it between your palms for 5 to 10 seconds. Repeat 3 or 4 times; pour into a fine mesh strainer. Rinse under running water for 1 to 2 minutes, until the water runs clear.
2. Combine quinoa and 2 cups of water in a 2-quart pot. Soak uncovered or topped with a bamboo sushi mat for 2 to 8 hours or up to 24 hours at room temperature.
3. Place dry-packed, sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl. Add enough hot warm water to barely cover. Soak for 30 minutes, until soft, then drain and thinly slice. If using oil-packed tomatoes, do not soak, just thinly slice with kitchen shears.
4. Combine sliced tomatoes, parsley, scallions, optional mint and garlic, pepper, sea salt, lemon juice, and oil. Set aside or cover and refrigerate.
5. Bring quinoa and its soak water to boil in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan without stirring. Cover, reduce heat to low or medium, and simmer for 15 minutes, until all of the liquid gets absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. The grain will remain moist and more clumpy than rice. Don’t worry if it looks wet.
6. When cool to the touch, toss the quinoa with the reserved tomato-parsley mixture and the nuts.  Taste and adjust the seasonings, if desired.
7.  Serve immediately or transfer to a non-metallic bowl, cover, and refrigerate. Use within 4 days. Do not reheat; simply remove from the refrigerator 20 to 40 minutes before serving.

Variations:

* Wild Rice Tabouli: Omit quinoa. Replace quiona with 3 to 4 cups of boiled wild rice in step #4.

* Brown Rice Tabouli: Omit quinoa. Replace quiona with 3 to 4 cups of boiled wild rice in step #4.

© Copyright 2004, Rachel Albert-Matesz, The Healthy Cooking Coach

Comments

[Heather]

Hi Rachel - your posts are always so informative and well-reshearched! I love quinoa and usually just eat it raw and sprouted. Hopefully we can work out a date for you to do a book signing at my store! Heather, Plate It Up!

[Tanisha]

I love to add shrimp to this salad to make it a complete meal and put it over a bed of salad greens with a drizzle of lemon on top. It's so light and refreshing on a hot AZ day !