I know that I've mentioned quinoa before, but every time I bring it up to someone locally, no one seems to know what it is! So I thought I would talk about it here. It's pronounced KEEN-wah. I'll be having it for dinner tonight with some Haddock!
Quinoa is a grain that can be used as a substitute for rice or other startches. However, due to a high protein count, it is also often used as a meat substitute and quinoa burgers are pretty common. It's taste is a little more hearty and "nuttier" then something like rice.
It is easily cooked - using either water or broth you boil it up. Most people thoroughly rinse or soak the quinoa, because it can have a bitter outer coating that needs to be removed and the rinsing or soaking does that. 1 cup cooked has 222 calories - about the same as brown rice. But it has a much higher protein count and keeps you full for a long time. It also has about twice the fiber of other grain sources.
I find it extremely yummy and it's extremely versatile, so give it a try!
I enjoy quinoa as well. I only tried it for the first time about six months ago. I personally prefer to have a brown rice/quinoa mix as I have some food texture sensory issues and the quinoa alone bothers me. I didn't know that about the protein content!
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