Quinoa Food Comfort. It grows on you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And you have to try Quinoa Muffins! Some say it is for the birds, only because it is used for bird seed, but it has protein benefits according to the info I found.
Quinoa Uses besides bird feeders

So, how do you cook it?

We used to have to wash all of our quinoa. Now Ancient Harvest produces washed quinoa, which you can also sprout.

Conventional Method:
Place 1 cup of quinoa in 2 cups of boiling water. Turn down the heat and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes.
You can tell the quinoa is thoroughly cooked when it becomes translucent and the crescent-shaped germ separates and becomes white. It looks like a little tail. After the quinoa has been cooked, remove it from the heat and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Pressure cooking:
Place 1 cup of quinoa, a dash of salt and 1 Tbsp. oil into 1½ cups of boiling water. Place lid on the pressure cooker. Bring to 8 pounds of pressure. Turn down heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally and you will have perfectly cooked quinoa.

Quinoa can be used for breakfast, served with fruit or with maple syrup. It can be used in a pilaf with sautéed onions and peppers. You can stuff baked potatoes with quinoa, corn and chopped peppers or chili’s. You can use quinoa in salads and even place a cup or 2 of cooked quinoa in your bread. You can also mix it with millet and sunflower seeds. You can stuff squash with a pilaf mixture. Most of us are limiting our intake of dairy products, but a little cheese melted over the stuffed baked potatoes or stuffed squash make it a very special treat.

1. Quinoa Muffins from Martha Stewart. (she has a video for those who need an extra hand with the process)

   Makes 12

   · 1 cup quinoa, rinsed

   · 1/4 cup vegetable oil, such as safflower, plus more for pan

   · 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan

   · 3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar

   · 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

   · 1 teaspoon salt

   · 1/2 cup raisins, I prefer chopped dates

   · 3/4 cup whole milk

   · 1 large egg

   · 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

   Directions

   1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 cup water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cover, and cook until water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, 11 to 13 minutes.

   2. Meanwhile, brush a standard 12-cup muffin pan with oil; dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, raisins, and 2 cups cooked quinoa; reserve any leftover quinoa for another use.

   3. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg, and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir just until combined; divide batter among prepared muffin cups.

   4. Bake until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool muffins in pan, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 5 days.
   

And some useful information from my tree huggin friends

Quinoa is surely a candidate for a feature cover of Time magazine. The UN already recognise it as the only vegetable source to be a complete protein. It is a seed grain, or super grain, that has the same nutritional profile as milk. It contains all the essential amino acids required for human health. No wonder NASA have it on their list as a crop of choice for self-sustaining ecosystems in long duration, manned spaceflight. Back on Earth, we’ve been eating it for an estimated 6,000 years. Well, those of us with Andean lineage have. It grows best above 11,000 ft (3,350m), in the mountains of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. The seeds are coated with a protective waxy covering, known as saponin, that in unpalatable, and deters birds and animals from munching. A natural, inbuilt, non-harmful pest control. This can be washed off for human consumption. Quinoa has a nutty sort of texture (I personally much prefer it to cous cous), and is said have a subtle 'crunch', resembling that of caviar. But far from that extravagant delicacy, this wonder grain is ...

... grown by poor peasant farmers, struggling to make ends meet. Inca Organics is company trying to change that. Founded by ex-Peace Corps workers, it aims to broaden the market for Quinoa, so that farm families might realise a gentler way of life. Already, with small markets established in the UK, US and Australia, they believe they’ve raised the household income from $250 to $500 USD per annum. (Ecuador set their poverty level at $360.) Inca Organics believe their organic Quinoa to be superior to most others, because of the fair trade manner, with which they deal with their farmers, and particularly due to the method they use for removal and disposal of the saponin.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/08/inca_organics_a.php



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