The Queenly Quinoa

Homemade quinoa and roasted veg

I don't know why I haven't mentioned quinoa considering how much of the stuff I hog! I discovered it a few years ago and man, oh man! Tis an ancient South American grain and so far, I have seen the red and white-ish varieties. And, not only does it taste nutty and yummy, it is also packed with nutrition and protein. And sooooooo easy to cook! Firstly though, make sure you WASH the damn thing- not easy as the grains are small but hey, use a sieve. And the actual cooking is easy peasy.

How to cook yer basic quinoa:
The ratio is 1 cup of uncooked quinoa to 2 cups of water/broth/miso. Bring quinoa and liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Homemade quinoa stir-fried with seitan

Once you have mastered this, quinoa will be the queen of your kitchen. You can add the cooked grain to a salad, use it instead of rice/couscus/pasta/potatoes ( obviously it won't substitute a creamy, buttery mash), heck, even use it to thicken soups, as they do in S America. Yummilicious! 

This grain is also a sporty person's dream - it is one of the few grains which contains all nine of the essential amino acids ( Of the 22 we need, 9 are not manufactured by our body and ergo called EAA). Most grains are low in lysine, therefore they are considered incomplete proteins. But, quinoa actually contains lysine, as well as all eight of the other amino acids, making it a complete protein, similar to animal proteins. How cool is that?

So folks, be brave and add this delicious grain to your table.