23.6.11

QUINOA

QUINOA!
A decade ago my mother was feeding us Quinoa pronounced (Keen-wah). We would make fun of this new interesting grain and how it connected more to Kung Fu in our schema than anything else. However, we ate the fluffy nutty stuff with Braggs and liked it. Now that it is commonly found and known, I'm going to post some of my favorite quinoa recipes. It isn't rocket science to figure out that you can use it anytime you would use couscous or rice, but never the less, we are going to celebrate it here for awhile.

A Few Quinoa facts:
*Technically, quinoa is not a grain, but a fruit of a broadleaf plat. It is in the same family as spinach and beets and is classified as a "pseudocereal."

*The protein in quinoa is the source of its power. It contains all of the essential amino acids necessary to support human growth and development (according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

*Quinoa is gluten free, is hypoallergenic and contains substantial amounts of the amino acid histidine, which is essential for infants and young children.

*It is rich in vitamins E, B2, and B6, folic acid, biotin, calcium, potassium, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese and chloride.

Cheers to Quinoa!

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