Looking for a low allergy grain? Quinoa is gluten free and wheat free!

I am making a Quinoa salad tonight, it is quick and simple to make. People always comment on how yummy it is when I take it along to parties or BBQ’s. I often get asked for the recipe, I don’t make any one particular type of quinoa salad, it varies each time depending on what’s in my garden and fridge.

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa), is a grain that comes from the Andes Mountains of South America. It was one of the three staple foods, along with corn and potatoes, of the Inca civilization. Quinoa was known then, and still is known, with respect, as the mother grain.

You cook quinoa like rice, either absorption method or boil, I cook mine in the rice cooker, (1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water), then let it cool before adding some shallots, capsicum, mushroom plant, lime basil, parsley, chives, toasted almonds or pumpkin seeds, pre-soaked dry shitake mushrooms then dress with lemon juice, a splash of Tamari and olive oil.

I sometimes add asparagus lightly steamed, kale, tofu, chicken, sorrel, dried tomato, corn the list goes on.. you can add virtually any herb or vegetable, fish, poultry or meat. You can also add it to soups and casseroles.

If you are gluten intolerant quinoa is the grain for you, it can be substituted for almost any grain in almost any recipe. It makes sensational porridge… cook as above and add your favourite fruit, nuts or seeds a little cinnamon and or ginger for a nutritious start to the day.

For vegetarians quinoa supplies a high quality source of protein. It is a complete protein, with an essential amino acid balance close to the ideal … similar to milk! It is high in lysine, methionine and cystine.

This makes it an excellent food to combine with, and boost the protein value of, other grains (which are low in lysine), or soy (which is low in methionine and cystine). Besides its unique protein, quinoa also provides starch, sugars, oil (high in essential linoleic acid), fiber, minerals, and vitamins.

Quinoa is light, tasty, and easy to digest. It is not sticky or heavy like most other grains, and it has a delicious flavour all its own. It is an excellent source of nutrition for infants and children.

Quinoa can be purchased in packages from health food shops and some supermarkets. It is also available at some bulk food stores as well.