Move over, brown rice. There’s a hip kid on the block. Everybody is talking about the ancient South American grain, quinoa (pronounced ‘keen-wah’).
I discovered this delicious alternative to pasta and rice a couple of years ago, and I just can’t get enough of it.
Not only is it a great base for all kinds of yummy side dishes, but it’s higher in protein than any grain, by far.
In fact, quinoa by the numbers looks impressive. One cup of cooked quinoa is low in fat, has a whopping 40 grams of complex carbohydrates (aka “good carbs”), 8 grams of muscle-building protein and only 222 calories.
Vegans and non-meat eaters are faced with the challenge of getting enough protein. The truth is there are lots of grains, seeds and nuts that fill the protein void.
But even meat lovers will go for quinoa. Use it for anything you would put rice in. Here’s a link to the following recipes: Quinoa With Roasted Tomatoes, Kale and Tofu; Quinoa Upma; Mexican Quinoa With Pumpkin seeds and Cilantro; Outrageously Quick and Easy Pizza Crust.