commentary: quinoa

I was just minding my own business, cooking couscous and brown rice for dinner, when I became virtually bombarded with quinoa recipes. Pinterest recipes for quinoa, bloggers blogging about quinoa, even a Chopped episode featuring quinoa.

So, quinoa is 'in' right now, I get it. But, it is also 'in' for good reason. Quinoa is like the mother of all grains. The master grain. King grain. So, here is a bit of information (there is a lot of it out there) I have compiled on the topic for your consideration.

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa is not actually a grain (kindly disregard the King grain statement above), but rather a seed of a green leafy plant cultivated in South America. The quinoa plant is related to beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds. Quinoa is common and can be found in most grocery stores and certainly in the bulk sections of health food stores.

Nutritional Content*

• Protein. The main reason quinoa tends to be a better choice than other grains is because its protein content is higher (Table 1). Quinoa is also a complete protein, which means that it contains a nutritionally-sufficient amount of all nine essential amino acids. 

• Minerals. Quinoa contains calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and zinc. The amount of these minerals contained in quinoa tends to be greater than found in other cultivated grains. Specifically, a 1/4 cup dry serving of quinoa contains about 15% iron in a highly soluble form, which is important for maintaining healthy muscles, among other benefits.
• Vitamins. This seed also contains notable amounts of alpha-carotene, niacin, thiamin, folic acid, and Vitamin C. One study found that compared with many other cereals, quinoa also contains considerably more riboflavin, Vitamin E, and carotene (see reference 27). Vitamin E is especially important as it has antioxidant properties.

*As with chia seeds, the nutritional information I located is highly variable, so Table 2 presents my best summary and includes ranges of important nutritional components based on my internet 'research'.

How to Eat Quinoa

Quinoa is simple to cook and has a light, fluffy texture and a mild, nutty flavor. If your quinoa hasn't been pre-rinsed, the first step is to throughly rinse the grain. A great tutorial on cooking quinoa can be found here. Then simply cook quinoa as instructed with water or vegetable/chicken broth (a 1:1.5 cup ratio of quinoa to liquid is recommended). Bring to a boil and simmer for about 12-15 minutes. Fluff, add flavorings, and enjoy!

What you can add to quinoa is endless:

• Add seasonings or cooked vegetables for a dinner side dish.
• Add nuts, eggs, or other protein source for a healthy one dish meal.
• Add nuts, dried fruit, berries, or honey and enjoy quinoa for breakfast.

And finally, here are some quinoa recipes that have caught my eye to give you some quinoa-spiration:

• Quinoa Fried Rice
• Quinoa with Dried Cherries and Pistachios
• Balsamic Quinoa with Eggplant and Portobellos
• Mushroom and Walnut Quinoa with Fried Egg
• Quinoa with Mushrooms, Kale, and Sweet Potatoes
• Broccoli-Quinoa Casserole
• Quinoa, Rice, and Bean Stuffed Peppers
• Bean and Quinoa Enchiladas

Now - be brave, buy a box, throw in some tasty toppings, and go get your quinoa on.

(image 1, 2, 3, 4)