Superfood Spotlight - Quinoa
It has only held it's place in the last decade that quinoa continues to be widely available in the western world. In fact, some supermarkets still usually do not carry this tiny seed. Because most folks did not become adults eating quinoa, everybody is confused about how to cook quinoa. This is especially true for red quinoa, because it is not as accessible as white quinoa. Here are some tips to cooking quinoa!
Where can you buy quinoa? You can buy quinoa online as a Whole Grain, an all natural and organic cultivar mostly from Peru and Bolivia; it will always be sold in 12 oz. packages or boxes. It is cooked in mere 10 - 15 minutes, wheat free and gluten free, this will make quinoa the right food for individuals that follow a wheat free and gluten free diet. It is certified organic which means it was planted and cultivated on an unfertilized and healthy soil.
The grain-like seeds contain twice the protein of normal cereal grains but have less carbohydrates, healthier fats, fiber, phosphorous, calcium and iron. Now that's great news right? This is definitely essential for weight watchers on the market. It is unfortunate though the goodness of quinoa isn't known from the entire population. It is actually one of the most nutritious grain you could ever have.
Quinoa flakes originated in a native food crop of high nutrients cultivated inside the Andes region in South America and serve as food to the Incas and other ancient cultures. It served being a good substitute for scarce animal proteins and it is still one of several principal protein sources within the region. The pearl like grain seed of quinoa are moistened with 15% to 16% moisture, and they are later put through pressure between two rollers causing them to form spherical wafers; therefore very fine flakes are produced that maintain your majority of the proteins inside, as well as the cooking time is shorter. The quinoa flakes are employed in a variety of dishes, like soups, breakfast cereals, juices among others.
There is more than one way in order to cook with quinoa, but hot liquid cooking is among the most widely used technique. When cooked in water, quinoa seeds swell to 3 or 4 times the uncooked seed size. Cooked seeds become tender and show an al dente texture. Some want to toast the seeds before water cooking to further improve a pleasantly nutty, roasted flavor.