Quaint Quinoa

The wealth of knowledge that USU Dietetics students have is amazing. We decided it was time to have their share some of their knowledge with you!  We gave the junior dietetic students  an assignment to write a post for the blog. They had free rein in their topic…but it had to relate to Soup of course! This is a wonderful post written by USU Dietetic student Kathryn Harwood aboutthe amazing perks of quinoa!

 

Isn’t Quinoa a hipster food?

No, Quinoa is not only for hipsters! 

Quinoa is a great choice for vegetarians, vegans, or anyone who just wants to add more
tasty whole grains to their diet. 

While quinoa is considered to be a whole grain, it is actually a SEED, but is commonly prepared like whole grains such as rice or barley. It can easily be used in a salad, or serve as the base of a vegetable stir-fry. Do you want to know one of the best things about quinoa? It tastes great on it’s own as well.  Try adding a bit of olive oil, sea salt, and lemon juice – YUM!

Quinoa is faster to cook than other whole grains (usually takes about 10-15 minutes) and you can make a big batch and then use leftover cooked quinoa to make recipes even faster.

Quinoa is also a great choice for those with Celiac’s Disease, or a gluten allergy because quinoa is naturally gluten-free!

Quinoa has high protein content, where one cup of cooked quinoa contains approximately 8 grams of protein! And, it contains all 9 essential amino acids, which makes it a complete protein!

Quinoa also provides:

• Calcium   
• Iron
• Potassium
• Sodium 
•  Zinc

all of which are necessary nutrients.

Wow! Quinoa is so great! Where can I find it? Try looking in the bulk bins, ethnic foods isle, near rice and pasta at your local grocery store, the baking isle of natural food stores, or you can always buy it online! 

Quinoa Breakfast Porridge with Fruit

Ingredient	Amount (2 servings)	Procedure
Quinoa Soy or Almond Milk	1 C 2 C	Combine and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about ten minutes.
Brown Sugar Vanilla Cinnamon	1 Tbsp ¼ tsp dash	Add and heat for another 5-6 minutes, until quinoa is soft.
Fruit, diced Optional: nuts, protein, flax or coconut oil, etc	1 C or more as desired	Stir in fruit and add any extra toppings as desired.