Newsletter June 2007

Although you probably have not heard of Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah), it is truly a superfood that you should include on your next grocery list. It is packed with protein, fiber, and a bunch of other good stuff, to the point where it is being considered as a possible crop in NASA’s Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights.

A spoonful of quinoa.

Quinoa is originally from the Andean region of South America, where it has been an important food for 6,000 years. It is an undemanding and altitude resistant crop, ideal for the indigenous people of the Andes. It can be easily cultivated at up to 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) above sea level.

The Incas regarded quinoa as sacred, calling it “chisaya mama” or “mother of all grains.” Even the Inca Emperor himself would traditionaly sow the first seeds using golden tools. However, during the Spanish conquest the Europeans rejected the crop as “food for indians,” and even suppressed its use due to its status within indigenous, non-Christian ceremonies. In its natural state quinoa has an outer coating of bitter-tasting saponins. Many speculate that this bitterness contributed to the Europeans rejecting the plant, while instead loading their ships with corn and potatoes to take back home.

Quinoa is the most nutritious grain in the world. It has 12% to 18% protein, almost double that of other regular cereal grains, and fewer carbohydrates. It also has a dose of healthy fats. It is considered a complete protein like meat and eggs, and thus contains all the essential amino acids humans need to build muscle. It is also a good source of dietery fiber, phosphorous, magnesium, and iron. Quinoa is also gluten free and easy to digest.

Species: Chenopodium quinoa.

Quinoa is very easy to prepare. It has a light, fluffy texture when cooked, and has a mild, slightly nutty flavor. It can be a good alternative to white rice or couscous. The first step in preparing quinoa is to remove its outer coating of bitter-tasting saponins (plant glucosides) by soaking in water for a few hours, rinsing, and resoaking it again. However, most quinoa sold commercially in North America has been already processed to remove the saponins.

It’s a shame that this nutritious food lacks the popularity that inferior foods like corn, potatoes, rice, and wheat have on our diets, especially their refined versions. Quinoa is good for your health, delicious, easy to prepare and very versatile. Next we give you the User’s Guide to Quinoa by Matt Goulding of Men’s Health.
 
The User's Guide to Quinoa

Quinoa has an addictive nutty flavor, cooks up quicker than rice, and can be used to make pilafs, risottos, salads, soups, and even desserts. The downside: Few men know where to find it, let alone how to prepare it. Typically, you can locate quinoa in the rice aisle or the health-food section of your grocery store. You can also stock up at edenfoods.com.
As for preParatyon, the simplest way is to cook quinoa like pasta: Fill a large pot or saucepan with water, and bring it to a boil. Add just about any amount of quinoa, turn the heat to low, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the water and allow the quinoa to cool.
Cook up a big batch and store it in Tupperware in your refrigerator, and you'll have a ready-to-eat side dish like rice or pasta that goes with just about any meal. (To warm, microwave it for 60 seconds.) Or you can be far more creative. For instance, quinoa can be used to...
Power up your breakfast: Combine a cup of cooked quinoa with ½ cup milk and ½ cup frozen blueberries, and microwave for 60 seconds. This makes a great alternative to oatmeal.
Redefine dessert: In a blender, puree two very ripe bananas with 2 cups whole milk. Combine the mix with 2 cups cooked quinoa, ½ cup raisins, a tablespoon of sugar, and a teaspoon of cinnamon, and simmer for 10 minutes. If you're celebrating, add a glug of dark rum at the last second. Creamy and sweet, it's a healthier version of rice pudding.
Even better, use the recipes and variations that follow and you can turn this simple grain into more than a dozen dishes.

Milled, organic quinoa.

1 cup uncooked quinoa
8 asparagus spears
2 oz crumbled goat cheese or feta
¼ cup green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
4 Tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes
½ Tbsp olive oil + a drizzle for the asparagus
1 Tbsp balsamic or red-wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Boil the quinoa according to the instructions on the previous page.
3. While the quinoa cooks, prep the asparagus. Remove the woody ends by gently bending each spear until it breaks it'll naturally snap off at the right place. Lay the spears on a cookie sheet or baking pan and drizzle with the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place in the oven and roast for 10 minutes.
4. Chop the asparagus into bite-size pieces and add to the quinoa, along with the cheese, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, oil, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Makes 4 servings; great with grilled pork tenderloin or roast chicken.
Per serving: 238 calories, 9 grams (g) protein, 34 g carbohydrates, 7 g fat (2 g saturated), 4.5 g fiber, 290 mg sodium

Try mixing the cooked quinoa with any of the following combos:
A sliced avocado, the segments of one grapefruit, a handful of chopped green onions, and the juice of half a lime. Goes great with grilled fish.
Half a cup of dried cranberries, ¼ cup chopped walnuts, 2 Tbsp crumbled blue cheese, and 1 Tbsp each balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Two cups of baby spinach or arugula, 8 oz grilled chicken, and ¼ cup roasted red peppers.

½ cup uncooked quinoa
1 tsp olive oil
½ yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
6 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
½ tsp cumin
Handful chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
2 red bell peppers

1. Cook the quinoa according to the instructions on the previous page.
   
2. While the quinoa simmers, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat, and add the onion, garlic, and tomato. Cook the mixture until the tomato is soft and the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the shrimp, black beans, and cumin, and cook for another 3 minutes, until the shrimp is just pink and firm. Add the cooked quinoa and cilantro, stir to blend, and turn off the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the seeds. Stuff each with half of the mixture, place them in a baking pan, and cook in the oven for 15 minutes.
Makes 2 servings
Per serving: 375 calories, 28 g protein, 52 g carbohydrates, 7 g fat (1 g saturated), 10 g fiber, 291 mg sodium

Change It Up
Replace the shrimp, cumin, and cilantro with two links of chicken sausage and a 6 oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts.
Replace the shrimp with 8 oz lean ground beef or ground turkey.
Go Greek: Trade the shrimp, cilantro, cumin, and black beans for lean ground beef, a cup of frozen spinach, and ½ cup of crumbled feta cheese.

...as a Risotto
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked quinoa
3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
¼ cup fresh or frozen peas
2 oz prosciutto, cut in thin strips
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for grating

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan or saucepan over medium heat, and add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent and the garlic is lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the quinoa and cook for another 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of the chicken stock, using a wooden spoon to occasionally stir the grains. When the liquid is mostly absorbed (about 10 minutes), add the remaining chicken stock. Continue cooking and stirring until the quinoa is tender (but not mushy) and most of the liquid has evaporated; the risotto should be moist, not soupy. At the last minute, add the peas and prosciutto. Stir until warmed through.
3. Remove from the heat, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Before serving, grate a bit of Parmesan over each portion.
   Makes 4 servings as a side dish, or 2 as a main course
   Per serving: 252 calories, 15 g protein, 34 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat (1 g saturated), 3 g fiber, 372 mg sodium

Change It Up
Replace the peas and prosciutto with a cup of shredded rotisserie chicken (or leftover grilled chicken), a cup of cherry tomatoes, and a handful of chopped fresh basil.
Add ½ pound sliced mushrooms to the pan with the onion and garlic. Before adding the stock, add ½ cup of red wine to the pan. Peas and prosciutto are optional.
Replace the peas and prosciutto with ½ cup canned pumpkin puree. Stir in a handful of chopped fresh sage a few seconds before you remove the pan from the heat. Goes great with pork tenderloin.

From the Field to Flour
When you eat quinoa, you can see that you're truly eating a "whole" grain. (Quinoa is really a seed, but it acts more like a grain.) But did you ever wonder how far removed a piece of bread is from a kernel of wheat? Here's an insider's look, courtesy of Kendall McFall, a flour-milling instructor at Kansas State University.
Step 1. A combine harvests the wheat and removes the whole-grain kernels from the stalks. The kernels are then transported to the mill.
Step 2. At the mill, corrugated rollers break open the kernel and scrape the carb-loaded endosperm away from the bran the high-fiber outer husk and the vitamin-rich germ.
Step 3. After the rollers pulverize all parts of the grain kernel, they're fed through sifters, which separate the larger bran and germ particles from the endosperm.
Step 4. The bran and germ are routed into different machines for further processing while rollers smooth the remaining endosperm fragments into a fine powder, or flour.

For Refined Flour
Step 5A. The endosperm flour is enriched as mandated by federal law with thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, folic acid, and iron. The flour may also be bleached at this point.

For Whole-Wheat Flour
Step 5B. The powdered endosperm, bran, and germ particles are combined in the same proportion as was present in the whole kernel to create whole-wheat flour. It is not enriched.

Source: Wikipedia.org, MSN Health & Fitness

PAST NEWSLETTERS:

• Newsletter December 2007
• Newsletter November 2007
• Newsletter October 2007
• Newsletter September 2007
• Newsletter August 2007
• Newsletter July 2007
• Newsletter June 2007
• Newsletter May 2007
• Newsletter April 2007
• Newsletter March 2007
• Newsletter February 2007
• Newslette January 2007