OT--Quinoa

jeanne, I sometimes buy Vogels 7 seed bread here in Aus that has quinoa seed in it. I also get 9 grain from a local bakery that I think has it too. I've never bought it to cook with, you've piqued my interest now, might have to go look for some.

chris

:-)

hi chris, we eat vogels here too...must check the grains in it here, should be the same. heres a few places i found online. just the addys.

Mrs Flannerys, seem to be in most of the big citys Malverns

another one was Amaranth flour for baking. tho you can get the quinoa as a flour too. i'm more interested in the grain version for tabouleh, cous cous and rice alternative etc. let me know what you find there and the cost, eh. cheers from across the ditch, jeanne

"chris" wrote...

I was doing some cardiac rehab classes at the local hospital and every two weeks the dietitian would do a class with the group. One of the dishes she made was quinoa. If I recall correctly, she served it like a rice dish. She cooked it in low salt, fat free chicken broth. It's not terribly easy to find. I found the bin at our local co-op grocery store...but it was empty. Maybe it's that popular. Thanks for the reminder, I'll have to look for it again.

There are many recipes online, just do a search for quinoa recipes. I have been meaning to try it because I am a vegetarian and my doctor wants me to get more protein into my diet. Looks like a trip to the market today. I am going to make one of my rice recipes with quinoa and see how that works.

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By an amazing coincidence, I just tried it on Sunday, in a sort of pilaf, with carrots and garlic, to go with grilled vegetables. DH and I both liked it, so I'll be able to use up the rest of the bag. One advantage is that it cooks in about 15 minutes, a lot less time than brown rice needs. The only caveat is that it needs *very* thorough rinsing if it isn't to taste like soap. I covered it with water in a bowl and sloshed it around, then drained in a fine sieve, and repeated a few times. The cookbook says packaged quinoa is generally pre-washed, but I bought it at the bulk food store, so gave it the full treatment. Lee (my server is memlane, not memroad)

Quinoa is a fabulous grain, especially for those of us allergic to gluten.

Be sure to rinse it well before cooking -- it can have a bitter taste if you don't. Otherwise, it's a nice, light, fluffy grain. It shines in salads (our local market does a yummy one with quinoa, red bell peppers, green onions, cashews, and Italian dressing), and is good under sauces, too. Try it just about anywhere you'd use rice for a nice change.

Boca Jan, do you read the Fat Free Vegan blog? Every recipe of hers that I've tried is delicious. We made the vegan lasagna last night -- that's one DH asks for over and over, and we aren't vegans. :)

Her quinoa recipes are here:

I've made the International Quinoa salad and the Farmer's Market Quinoa -- both are winners.

Hon when you are a vegetarian the doctor _always_ wants you to get more protien in your diet. Or whatever they have read about re vegetarian diets in the latest medical journal. Had one telling me I was going to starve to death because he didn't know the difference between an ovo-lacto-vegetarian diet and a macrobiotic diet. Had another one that was quite convinced I was going to suddenly become anemic because I wasn't eating meat. Never mind that more vegetarians have a problem because they get too much iron than ever become anemic through nutritional inadequacy.

By all means get some quinoa, it is good stuff. Just remember that there is plenty of protien to be had by combining grains and legumes.

NightMist vegetarian for 26 years and not dead yet

It is easy stuff to cook. This is a really wonderful recipe. Lots of work but it even impressed dd.

Heath food type stores should have it. Taria

I ran out and got my Quinoa - now I think I'll go to the Fat Free Vegan Blog and try it out.

Give us a report after you have it!

I am making a pot of soup and am putting about 1/2 c. of it in to try it out.

Howdy!

I buy it regularly from the local grocery stores, Tom Thumb (aka Safeway) & Albertsons; also at H.E.B. Central Market & Whole Foods (more expensive but always prominently available in bulk or pre=packaged). Good substitute for pasta & potatoes.

...I sub sliced jalapeños for the green pepper & chili powder. Quilting & cooking just go together. ;-)

R/Sandy

I think the problem is that it takes more know how and effort to properly eat as a vegetarian. Most folks just don't eat well weather they eat meat or not. Taria

NightMist wrote:

Pronounced exactly as it's spelt round here - "kwin oh ah".

You can make porridge with it. For a change you can make more porridge with it. Hey it's party time! How about quinoa porridge?

It tastes of nothing, it's expensive and it goes stale fast.

Hype.

So are rice, maize, tef, sorghum and millet, all of which are easier to find in most places outside South America.

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OK - not difficult to find at all. It was in my local grocery store and not very expensive - under $2.00 for 14 oz bag. I put 1/2 c. in the vegetable soup that I made and it was lovely. Thickened the soup a bit. My DH and I couldn't stop raving about it.

I checked in several on-line places about the grain and found that it is indeed a complete protein because of the 8 amino acids it contains. I cooked up some this morning and stirred some into some "health" cookies I made. (No sugar, high protein, no fat.)

I am doing this because my doctor wants me to get more protein my my diet.

Every single living organism contains those amino acids, in varying proportions. "Diet for a Small Planet" explains it very well - you don't look for a *single* food to supply all your amino acids, you combine several (typically in a mixture of grains, nuts and pulses).

Depending heavily on a single food is a good way to get ill - anything from malnutrition to induced food allergy.

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I agree wholeheartedly. One must eat from many food groups to get balanced nutrition, however it is hard for a diabetic vegetarian who needs to lose weight to find protein without beaucoup calories. I am trying out many different things, however beans is something I prefer to stay away from because of the calories (carbs especially) that are in them.