Ingredients

1 cup of quinoa
2 cups of water
1 large carrot
1 sweet pepper
½ cup sweetcorn
8 small radishes
Low fat Mayonnaise or Extra Virgin Olive Oil To Dress

Method

Firstly rinse the quinoa under a tap to ensure the saponin coating is completely removed. Some times this will not be needed as it comes pre rinsed. If it foams under a tap then you need to rinse the foam off. If you do not then the salad will taste slightly bitter. Then boil it in the water for 10 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.

Allow it to cool for an hour.
Slice or grate the carrot
Rinse the sweetcorn seeds
Chop or slice the sweet pepper
Chop up the radishes

Now mix in all the ingredients with the cooled quinoa and add your preferred dressing. If you are serving your salad immediately then the dressing is optional. You will find that it keeps better in the fridge if you use a salad dressing of some kind. So you can make double and use it over 2 days.

You can serve your salad with meat slices or simply eat it on its own. As it is a complete protein it makes a completely nutritious meal on its own. I nearly always place the quinoa salad on a bed of salad leaves or raw spinach. You can also top it with a sprinkling of raw quinoa sprouts making it doubly nutritious.

This is just one example of a gluten free quinoa salad. What you can do is make it up with your own choice of gluten free salad vegetables. You can also use seeds and legumes such as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, chick peas, haricot beans and freshly shucked garden peas. I also use walnuts and almonds but for people on a gluten free diet these can sometimes be a trigger for other allergies. You will know what you can eat and sort out your salad ingredients accordingly.

Either way I hope I have shown you how easy it is to knock up a gluten free salad using quinoa in a few minutes that is good for your health

As well as being eaten by our space travellers it is now part of NASA food programme for growing crops in space. As part of this elite group of super foods quinoa is at last getting the recognition it deserves. NASA is looking into which foods we have here on earth will be the most beneficial from the point of view if how easy it is to grow. They also need all the foods in the research programme to be highly nutritious.

There is no time to waste on plants and foods that do not deliver in terms of vitamins and minerals. So I was very pleased to discover that quinoa has made into this elite group of foods. It gives a higher profile to a seed that everyone in the world should be eating as part of their daily food intake.

Why Quinoa Works In Space

There are a number of reasons that make quinoa a good food for Astronauts. The first rather mundane one is that it stores easily. You do not need a fridge. You do not even need an airtight container for durations of up to a month. It is so easy to store and take out the amount you need when you need it. Because it is a complete protein it is much better than trying to eat meat or meat substitutes in space. It contains all 9 essential amino acids making it the only seed or grain that is a complete protein.

Another reason for its suitability in space is because it is a complex carbohydrate. Without getting too technical this means that all the goodness in the vitamins and minerals are released into your body and bloodstream slowly over time. So you do not have to eat so often and you do not get as hungry.

Quinoa basically gives you the feeling of being well fed over a long period of time. The slow release carbohydrates also mean that you do not get a sugar rush which can lead to food cravings. It must be pretty bad to have a food craving in space. Where could you go to find something to solve your craving?

If quinoa is so good for the astronauts you owe it to yourself to find out more about it and learn how it can revolutionise your diet and eating habits.

Quinoa Nutrition Facts

Quinoa has long been a favourite for vegans because it has all nine essential amino acids supplements. Lysine in particular in crucial for repairing the body and bringing recovery to your body.. It also contains magnesium ,iron, copper, phosphorus and magnesium. What this all means in layman’s parlance is that it has one of the highest concentrations of these elements in the plant world.

Quinoa carbohydrates are slow releasing which means that it satisfies your hunger for longer. For diabetics this is ideal as you can maintain the correct blood sugar levels for longer with high level carbohydrates such as quinoa.

Quinoa is almost a “complete” food and was used by the Incas tribe by mothers while pregnant as well as when nursing infants. (It is thought to help improve the quality of milk mothers produce while feeding). Quinoa has plenty of Calcium, Fat, Iron and phosphorous and a high amount of vitamin B2.

Full Quinoa Nutrition Facts HERE

Sprouted Quinoa Nutrition Facts

Sprouted quinoa has more fibre because the seed germ has sprouted from the seed. This germ gives a good level of fibre when cooked in the standard way. When it is sprouted the fibre is more because of the large white sprout. You can mix sprouted quinoa with chopped raw vegetables for a healthy salad full of fibre and goodness.

Adapted from The Quinoa Cookbook

Did you know the Incas valued not only gold as a metal, but also a golden grain? Actually, it’s not a true grain, but a seed classified in the pseudocereal family. Quinoa (keen wah) is the seed of the goosefoot plant and rich in nutrients. The Incas have used this food in their diet for 6,000 years.

Quinoa is grown in the high altitudes of the Andes Mountains. It is also being grown in Canada and the United States, but most quinoa is imported from Bolivia, Chile and Peru. It can only be grown at high elevations.

The Incas valued quinoa second only to the potato for nutrition. Spanish explorers and colonists destroyed the quinoa crops and forced the Incas to stop growing it. It was kept alive by isolated farmers throughout the last few centuries and grew back into popularity. In the 1980′s, 2 farmers from Colorado learned about quinoa from a Bolivian and began experimenting with it.

Quinoa is an important addition to the diet of those who have trouble digesting grains. Quinoa is gluten free and easy to digest.  It is high in protein, containing all 9 essential amino acids, classified as a complete protein. Vegans and vegetarians will enjoy adding this grain to many recipes. It is rich in manganese, magnesium, iron, tryptophan, copper and phosphorus. It has many of the B vitamins as well.

This super grain package of nutrition is a must for those that suffer from migraine headaches, cardiovascular problems and diabetes. In fact, quinoa was a staple food in the diet of Inca warriors to increase their stamina and endurance. And it tastes wonderful. It has a nutty earthy flavor that can border on bland, so it combines very well in other dishes like casseroles or as a breakfast cereal with honey and fruit.

Here’s how to prepare quinoa:
Just run cool water over the seed to rinse off the saponin coating. Saponin is a soapy bitter compound that protects the seed from birds and insects. Then cook and use as you would rice. A basic recipe is 1 part quinoa to 2 parts broth or water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

©2009 Shanna Ohmes

Want to know more about how to boost your immune system? Traditional diets and how to prepare them, healthy fats, herbal remedies and debunking health myths are some of the subjects covered in The Natural Living Site Newsletter at http://thenaturallivingsite.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shanna_Ohmes
http://EzineArticles.com/?Health-Benefits-of-Gluten-Free-Quinoa&id=2881344

Quinoa Sprouts from Red Quinoa

How to Sprout Quinoa

Take a cup of quinoa and rinse it with water for a couple of minutes.
Put the rinsed quinoa into a container and cover with water – I use a kitchen jug. Make sure there is lots of spare water above the quinoa as they must stay underwater.
After 12 hours (Or Overnight) drain the quinoa of the water and spread it out thinly on a large plate or tray. Cover with a cloth to put the quinoa in darkness.
every 6 – 8 hours you should rinse the quinoa seeds and put them back on the plate/tray.
After about 48 hours you will have a plate of sprouted quinoa.

How to Use Sprouted Quinoa

I use quinoa sprouts in 3 ways. Firstly you can mix the sprouts with other salad vegetables such as tomatoes. cucumbers and radishes for a fresh side salad. Secondly you can make them part of the ingredients for a wrap. Thirdly you can use quinoa sprouts as a base for a stir fry meal. You should only fry the sprouted quinoa for 2 minutes maximum. I very rarely bother with this as the reason I sprout the quinoa in the first place is so that I can eat the quinoa raw.

You can also use the soaked quinoa in a crunchy salad without sprouting it. After the initial 12 hour soaking it should be soft enough to mix with other nuts, seeds and chopped vegetables.  There are many quinoa recipes that make good use of quinoa sprouts

The main supermarkets and Health Food Shops did, for a while, stock red quinoa alongside standard quinoa but that has stopped now. In the UK quinoa is still hardly known at all. Some american friends have told me that in the USA it is well known and a mainstream food ingredient. We have got a good few years of catch up here to get to this point.

Quinoa Grains

The Look Of Quinoa Before Cooking

The biggest difference is obviously the colour. (See Photo) The cream coloured quinoa is an ivory colour and very uniform in size and shade. Red quinoa is not a bright red but more of an ochre shade. It probably should be called brown quinoa as the uncooked colour is more brown than red.  The colour is actually a varied range of dark reds and browns.

The Look of Quinoa After Cooking

When you cook the quinoa the redness comes out more and the water you cook it in turns a dark browny red. What is surprising is that the tails that appear during cooking are white so you end up with a very attractive mix or colours when you have finished cooking your quinoa.

The Main Difference With Red Quinoa

I have found that the red quinoa seeds stay firmer and crunchier when you cook them. If you cook it for a long time then it still will hold its shape. This is different to standard quinoa where it can become very soft and break up. this makes red quinoa more suitable for quinoa salad recipes but not as good as a thickening agent for soups and casseroles. I tend to use the normal quinoa for these quinoa recipes and red quinoa for everything else

The Quinoa I am growing in my garden is called rainbow quinoa. It is, as the name suggests,  multicoloured.  I can’t wait to harvest it and see what that comes out like in cooking.

This is to further promote the quinoa cookbook. The book of quinoa recipes has been out for over 2 years now and now has over 70 recipes in it.
Hope you like it.

Pre – Cooking Quinoa

To pre cook quinoa before putting into a recipe you must first rinse it for a minute under running water. This removes the saponin coating. You may not actually need to do this step as many suppliers are doing this pre rinsing before they pack it for sale. I tend to rinse it out of habit just to be sure. Some saponins taste stronger than others depending on the variety of quinoa. They can be quite bitter if you do not rinse it properly.

Quinoa grain

The next step is to cook the quinoa in water. 1 cup of quinoa needs about 2 cups of water. You bring it to the boil and then simmer for 10 – 15 minutes. The quinoa absorbs all the water. If you Cook it for the shorter time it will be crunchy. If you cook it for 15 minutes it will be very soft. I prefer it crunchy but you can try out cooking times to find out what you prefer. The cooked quinoa is now ready to include into your recipe. This will include stir fry quinoa dishes, quinoa pilaf, quinoa desserts and quinoa burgers. you can find the full recipes for these in the quinoa cookbook.

Quinoa Recipes that do not need pre – cooking

There are many recipes that do not require this preparation routine. You can simply add it in to the recipe and add some extra water or sauce to allow for the absorbtion in the quinoa. An example of this would be a vegatable curry where you are including quinoa in the mix. If you are preparing this type of meal you can add the quinoa when there is about 10 minutes cooking time left and it will cook very well. It will also take up the excess moisture content. Quinoa soup can have all the ingredints including the quinoa added from the outset. You want it all to blend and become very soft in a soup – especially if you are pureeing it before serving. Quinoa risotto can be cooked in a similar way to cooking a rice risotto. To my taste buds it has a much better flavour than the standard version.

Experimenting with quinoa recipes

As you become accustomed to cooking quinoa you learn to judge the amount of liquid content needed to get the desired consistency in the sauce. I have found that red quinoa doesn’t absorb quite as much liquid as standard cream quinoa. As you try out the different recipes you quickly get the idea.

What I can tell you is that quinoa contains phytates. The content in quinoa compared to other grains and seeds is not too high. The phytate content of food reduces your body’s ability to absorb all the nutrients that are contained in some foods. This means that even if you know that quinoa is a super food and contains lots of good ingredients, your body cannot take it in because the phytates inhibit this process.

The whole discussion of phytates is important because it is all very well knowing how good your food is for you. You need to know that you are preparing the food in such a way as to release the minerals and vitamins into your body.

To overcome this problem with quinoa you can do one of 2 things. Firstly you can simply cook it in the normal way. Secondly you can sprout quinoa. This breaks down the phytates in the quinoa. Many people make a habit of soaking all types of grains and seeds overnight before cooking them. I do not believe this is needed for quinoa. Having said that if you want to eat quinoa raw you will find it is soft enough to eat after 12 hours soaking without any further need for preparation.

Next post will be something simple – a good solid quinoa recipe I promise:)

Gluten Free Food – Cooking Tips For Coeliac Disease
By Chris Robertson

If one or more of your family members suffers from coeliac disease, then you probably realize the many pitfalls associated with finding and cooking gluten free foods. Coeliac disease is caused by an intolerance of gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. When someone with coeliac disease consumes gluten, the proteins become toxic to their body and cause damage to the intestine. This damage can lead to other conditions such as iron deficiency anemia, unintentional weight loss, decreased bone density, a deficiency in vitamin B12 and folate, and decreased absorption of essential nutrients in the body.

The key to good health with coeliac disease is to consume gluten free food or wheat free food. There are 25 grains that contain gluten: bran, bulgur, barley, faro, graham flour, kamut, orzo, triticale, spelt, wheat germ, wheat bran, semolina, rye, seitan, farina, couscous, barley malt/extract, udon, durum, einkorn, emmer, matzo flour/meal, panko, wheat, and wheat starch. Following a coeliac food diet means you must avoid these grains and the foods that are prepared with them.

So, What Can a Person with Coeliac Disease Eat?

Before you can plan healthy wheat free meals, you should become familiar with gluten free foods. Here’s a list of grains and starches that are gluten free: potato flour, quinoa, sago, rice, rice bran, soy, tapioca, teff, sorghum, Montina (TM), millet, potato starch, flax, buckwheat, arrowroot, amaranth, corn, and flour made from nuts, beans, and seeds. Distilled vinegar is gluten free as well, but malt vinegar contains gluten. You can base many delicious home-cooked meals on these foods or foods prepared with these as an ingredient to provide a healthy diet for yourself or a family member with coeliac disease.

Nutritional labels can help you recognize foods with gluten. As of January 1, 2006, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Act called for all food labels to identify clearly any of the eight most prevalent allergens found in that particular food. These are peanuts, soybeans, milk, fish, eggs, tree nuts, shellfish, and wheat. Though this list does not include foods made with rye, barley, or oats, you can still read the labeled ingredients to make sure no other grains containing gluten are present.

Gluten Free Foods at Home

Before rushing to the grocery to buy all sorts of gluten free foods, check the labels of foods and brands you already have at home. You might find that many of these are already gluten free or wheat free so you won’t have to buy alternatives. Make a list of gluten free foods your family already enjoys, and then make a list of foods you’ll need to substitute. This will save time and money as you shop for groceries in the future.

With some of your favorite recipes, you might find that substituting only one or two ingredients will transform that dish into a coeliac food! For example, if you bake a lot, you can easily buy gluten free flour online or at a health food store to substitute your usual flour. Or, you can substitute your cereals with gluten free cereals. A variety of coeliac foods (or celiac foods) are available online such as gluten free gravy, biscuits, cakes, cookies, cake mixes, bread, pasta, wafers, and pastries. Pre-packaged gluten free food snacks will come in handy when you or your family member has the munchies!

To make hearty meals that are gluten free, plan your meals around naturally gluten free foods. Then add items that will complement those foods. Some great wheat free foods to try include baked potatoes, vegetables, lean meats such as tuna, ham or chicken, stir-fry, turkey or beef chili, kabobs, rice, corn tortillas, yogurt smoothies, eggs, bacon (or turkey bacon), rice cakes, baked apples, popcorn, string cheese, pudding, and ice cream.

Planning is the key to success when it comes to preparing gluten free foods. Make a list of foods you or your family member can eat. Search for coeliac food recipes online and create a recipe box filled with these special meals. Shop for gluten free foods and ingredients online to save time and money. You’ll find that “gluten free” cooking doesn’t mean you or your loved one can’t enjoy many tasty, healthy meals!

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web.

Learn more about Cooking Gluten Free Food.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Robertson