Quinoa party

So I have always wanted to incorporate quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) into my food more since it is really easy to make (if you own a sieve) and is super nutritious. Here is what the internets say:

Although not a common item in most kitchens today, quinoa is an amino acid-rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when cooked. Quinoa is available in your local health food stores throughout the year.

Most commonly considered a grain, quinoa is actually a relative of leafy green vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard. It is a recently rediscovered ancient "grain" once considered "the gold of the Incas."
Nutrients in Quinoa, uncooked 0.25 cup (42.50 grams)

Nutrient%Daily Value
manganese43%
tryptophan21.8%
magnesium20.9%
folate19.5%
phosphorus19.4%
Calories (156)8%

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=142&tname=foodspice

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So last time I made it we just had it as a side dish like rice and we weren't all that impressed. So we hadn't tried it again until recently when I had found a website with all kinds of recipes that actually looked yummy. I made muffins, cookies and quinoa and green beans.

First the bake goods:

The muffins are from Martha Stewart and are definitely a breakfast muffin--not really sweet and a bit plain. I substituted half of the white flour with whole wheat to up the nutritional value. I also added some chopped walnuts an cinnamon. You can't tell that quinoa was even involved except makes them quiet moist, if a bit dense.

Recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/332607/quinoa-muffins

The cookies were even better. Maybe because they are cookies. I added more spices like cloves and nutmeg and some coconut. I also replaced half the flour with whole wheat flour. Again the quinoa isn't really noticeable in flavor and the cookies have the same texture as oatmeal cookies. Mostly I like that I can justify that they are healthy so I might have had like 5 today.

Recipe: http://www.quinoa.com/recipes/46-desserts-chocolate-chip-quinoa-cookies

Then for dinner tonight I made orange glazed pork tenderloin with the green beans and quinoa. The pork recipe was from Jessica Seinfeld's double delicious cookbook (sooo good) and for the beans I added a cup of quinoa to green beans. I used balsamic vinegar and grated ginger for flavour. David ate them all up so that's how I knew it was a success.

I still have about 3 cups of raw quinoa and 1 raw cup makes about 4 cups of cooked so we can definitely keep going with it. Plus healthy!!


I know that these blog posts aren't the most exhilarating but they are somethings I wanted to note. Thanks for reading. Plus pictures!!

Xoxo