Quinoa: A Primer

Quinoa means "mother grain."

Quinoa, also referred to as vegetable caviar or Inca rice, is a grain native to the Andes Mountains of Bolivia, Chile and Peru. Despite being a relatively new addition to the North American diet, the people of the Andes have consumed it for over 5,000 years.

Quinoa, it seems, is all the rage these days. It’s being touted as a wonder grain all over the media for its high protein and amino acid content. And if that’s not enough, when compared to wheat, barley and corn, its official rivals, quinoa is lower in sodium, and higher in calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc, and it’s gluten-free to boot!

Quinoa is used for flour, soups, breakfast cereals and alcohol. Most of the quinoa sold in the US is in grain form that needs to be cooked. Despite its prevalence in the media, however, many of us are stumped as to what to do with it. Its very exoticness (yup, that’s a word) makes it intimidating. Well, fear the grain no more, here’s a basic primer.

To Cook:

Before cooking, you’ll want to rinse it. Cover 1 cup of quinoa in a bowl and add enough water to cover it. Gently rub the grains in your hands to remove the saponin, a bitter outer coating. Drain it into a fine mesh strainer, then repeat if desired. Most quinoa is pre-rinsed, but it doesn’t hurt to do it a few more times.

To cook quinoa, bring two cups of water to a boil. Stir in the rinsed quinoa, reduce heat and simmer, covered for about 15 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed. Let it sit for at least five minutes, then fluff it with a fork.

One cup of cooked quinoa contains 155 calories, 30 g carbs, 3 g fat, 5.5 g protein and 3 g fiber. 
  

Mix it with any combination of veggies, dried fruit and vinaigrette you like to make a salad. Or, like rice, you can pile a delicious stir-fry on top and eat it that way. The possibilities are endless.

To Make Quinoa Flour:

Wash the seeds, then place them in a heated skillet, stirring constantly until they’re dry. Let them cool, then process in a blender until it reaches the desired flour-like consistency. Two-thirds a cup of seeds will yield about 1 cup of flour. Store the flour in an airtight container in the freezer for up to four months. You can use the flour to replace part of regular flour in muffins, quick-breads, pancakes, etc.