I grew up in a family where rice was a staple food. In fact, to be more specific, as I am from Jamaican heritage, “rice and peas” would be a more precise description. Don’t get me wrong, to this day I still love my “rice and peas”, but I have come to fully embrace quinoa as my new staple food in the recent years and I’ll most likely make it a staple food for my family. I’ve even tried my hands at making “quinoa and peas!”
Quinoa is a highly nutritional grain that has been growing in South America for over 5000 years, originating in the Andean region. It is actually a relative of leafy green vegetables such as spinach. It is gluten free, has a nutty flavor and is a complete protein which means it contains a full complement of amino acids (protein building blocks). As a whole grain it serves an ideal protein source for the vegetarian diet. It is also high in fibre, containing approximately 11 grams per cup. It contains healthy fats and is great source of calcium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin E and some B vitamins.
So, I was out and about in Toronto today browsing around Kensington Market. As I was looking around in the grain section of one particular store, I came across some very interesting quinoa products. I am a huge proponent of eating whole foods and I always emphasize this to my patients but if you were looking for different ways to begin incorporating quinoa into your diet, you may want to consider quinoa puffed cereals and quinoa pastas. I discovered one company today that imports organic, fair trade Quinoa from Bolivia. You’ll find many similar companies and products in health foods stores around the city. I have yet to try quinoa in a pasta form but when I do, I will post an update!
I like the way I feel after I’ve eaten quinoa. It digests quickly; it’s flavourful, versatile, and is really easy to cook (see below for one of my favorite recipes!)
Quinoa Cooking Instructions:
Ingredients:
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups cold water
• Optional: 1/2 tsp salt
Quinoa Cooking Directions:
1. Rinse quinoa is cold water. If you have time you can soak the quinoa for 15 minutes.
2. Drain quinoa well in the strainer, transfer to the cooking pot, add 1 ½ cups of water (you can use veggie stock or chicken stock to add a different flavor)
3. Bring to a boil, cover with a tight fitting lid, and turn the heat down to simmer
4. Cook for 15 minutes
5. Remove quinoa from heat and allow to sit five minutes with the lid on
6. Fluff quinoa gently with a fork and serve
7. Quinoa is delicious by itself or in the recipe below
Chicken Quinoa Salad
Ingredients:
• 2 cups quinoa, cooked in chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 chicken breasts grilled or baked, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup pecans (pine nuts or pumpkin seeds may be used instead)
• 3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 scallions (green onions), chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation:
In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, chicken, nuts, parsley and mint.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and garlic salt, then pour over quinoa. Gently toss this dressing over the quinoa. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Chill for at least 15 minutes before serving to let the flavors blend. Toss again before serving, and taste to see if more salt and pepper is needed.
For the vegetarian version, simply remove the chicken.
So, go ahead, give it a try and let me know how it goes!
