Meet My Friend, Mr. Quinoa

I'm assuming that most people may not know what Quinoa is. Since its my new favorite food and will be seen on my menus frequently I thought I'd fill you in!

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), isn't a grain. It's actually a seed of a plant that is closely related to spinach, beets and tumbleweed. It's been produced in South America since about 3000 B.C. It tastes and cooks like a grain making it an excellent replacement for those harder to digest, or for folks needing a gluten free diet! It's also more filling and satisfying than rice, so maybe it aids in weight loss if you sub it in?

It's being hailed as a super-food! First of all, it's a complete protein. Quinoa contains all 9 essential amino acids that are required for the building blocks of muscles. Next, it's high in magnesium, which helps relax muscles, and blood vessels, affecting blood pressure. Prone to migraines? Eat more quinoa! The high levels of magnesium and riboflavin reduce the severity and frequency of migraines. It's an excellent source of fiber and is high in manganese and copper which are minerals that act as anti-oxidants. Quinoa is also high in calcium, vitamin B and folate.

I'm really loving my new friend and his other friend Sir Bulgur. I'll give you a little intro to bulgur too. Bulgur is what's left over after wheat kernels have been steamed, dried, and crushed. A cup of bulgur has fewer calories, less fat and more than twice the fiber of brown rice. One cup of this good stuff contains 25.6g of dietary fiber, 17.21g protein, 1.86g of fat (0.2 saturated), 69g carbohydrates (only 0.8g sugar), 574mg potassium, and 3.44mg iron. Bulgur has one of the highest mineral contents of any food. It is rich in iron, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, selenium, and magnesium. Betaine is another nutrient present in bulgur wheat. This nutrient has been shown to prevent inflammation of joints and arteries by as much as 20%. It also happens to be one of the richest food sources of folate, which reduces mental impairment.

So there you have it! I've substituted my bulgur and quinoa mixture for rice. I hope you'll all be brave and give it a try! It's really fantastic.

disclaimer: some of this information came from Wikipdeia, which Sydney will warn you probably isn't accurate because anyone can just go and post whatever they want...even if its not true! She's a little dramatic though.