My experience with Quinoa

"Most commonly considered a grain, quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) 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." 

Interesting stuff, huh? I found out about Quinoa about 2 years ago. But that's all that I did - I researched it, read about it, was amazed at how healthy it was, and nothing more. Nada. Honestly, I put it in one of the folders in my brain and promptly moved on to the next thing in my food research list. 

I don't know why it took me so long to pursue it further, because the health benefits of quinoa are off the charts! It's known as a supergrain, and it is packed with some awesome nutrients. 

• It is a complete protein. Quinoa contains all 9 essential amino acids for muscle growth.
• It contains high levels of magnesium that helps relax muscles and blood vessels and has an effect on blood pressure.
• It has loads of fiber to cleanse the colon. And, it's easy to digest.
• It is high in manganese and copper  that act as antioxidants that can get rid of cancer and dangerous disease-causing materials.

In addition to all of these wonderful benefits, consumption of quinoa (in it's whole-grain substance) can help treat or prevent Artherosclerosis, Breast Cancer, Diabetes, and Insulin resistance. It is also gluten-free which is great for people with gluten sensitivity or Celiac disease. As a bonus, it looks a lot like Couscous and tastes great too!!

Several months ago, my mom, myself, and a friend went to NOLA for one thing specifically (outside of getting out of town for the day): to go to Whole Foods. Unfortunately, we don't have a Whole Foods anywhere close to us...yet!! When we were browsing through the bulk grains aisle, we came across Quinoa. I had seen pictures of it before and I think we might have had a box or two somewhere in the house. However, this time I was really interested in it! It could have been that whenever I'm anywhere healthy, I feel like I can conquer the world, or I might have felt up to the challenge of figuring out how to cook and eat this grainy stuff that resembled Couscous. 

So, we bought it, brought it home, and there it sat - for about 2 months. Procrastination is not a problem for me, so I can't explain WHY it took me so long to get up the nerve to make the stuff! I guess I just hadn't found the "perfect" recipe that just drew me in and made me salivate enough? Who knows!

One day, my mom was browsing on a website for grey salt (ya know? The healthy salt!) and found a pretty good looking recipe for a Quinoa Salad. She had me look at it and I told her that I was having a friend over that night for dinner (she happens to be a semi-health nut like me) and I thought that it would be a great time to *finally* try it out! 

Let me just start off by saying that this recipe was not the easiest in the world to follow. Honestly, it confused the dickens out of me! I think it was a bad translation of Greek to English. But I'm not using this as an excuse for the way I utterly wrecked that salad. I should've known better! I should have used my better judgement, tossed the recipe out the window, and cooked it like I normally cook Couscous, doggone it! I overcooked the grain and put way too much water in it, resulting in probably the nastiest salad I have ever seen in my life! It tasted okay...if you like eating overcooked rice with finely diced vegetables - WRONG COMBINATION and I don't recommend it. At all. 

So, I put Quinoa aside for a few months. Probably 6 or 7. Then, a few weeks ago I found some really good looking recipes for Quinoa. One was a Black Bean and Quinoa Salad and the Other was a Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Corn, and Tofu. They both looked divine and I couldn't WAIT to try them! 

The Black Bean and Quinoa Salad got rave reviews from my family! We all loved it! It tasted like Black Bean Salsa, but better! The only thing that I think I would change about it is the amount of vinaigrette that I made to put on it. I thought there was too much, but my sister and I were the only ones that felt that way. Personal preference. :) 

This past Tuesday night, I made the Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Corn, and Tofu. Now, for those of you that are Tofu rebels and wouldn't consider touching it with a 9 foot stick, don't turn your nose up just yet. Tofu has the amazing ability to take on the flavors of anything that it is cooked with because it was no real flavor of its own. It is a complete protein, making it a great option for those of us that are vegan, vegetarian, or just don't care for meat at every meal. That being said... as I was making this dish in my wonderfully amazing, glorious large sautee pan (I love that thing!!!!) I couldn't help but get excited. It just looked so good! (Scroll down to see the picture and you'll understand why!)

All of this being said, I have finally overcome my fear of overcooked mush, and can now fully enjoy the nutrient rich, flavor-filled goodness of Quinoa. :) I hope you will also!

               The lighting's kind of bad this time - but you get the general idea!

Happy eating,

~HB~