Quinoa

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wa) is relatively a new grain here in America. It's roots come from South America, where it has been the staple for over 6,000 years. It's seeds are cultivated and if the outer husk is not washed away, extremely toxic (read: POISONOUS). Probably the reason why it's still in it's infancy here. Quinoa is a better grain than white rice, couscous, even better than brown rice. It doesn't raise your blood sugar like the aforementioned grains, which makes me especially happy! I bought my bag of Quinoa at Costco- $9. It said "pre-washed" but I still rinsed it before cooking. I think this bag will last me 6 months! The first night I made it, I burnt the first batch. (which didn't surprise Ivan, since I burn rice every time I make it....) The second batch was much better. :) We had it Asian style with steamed broccoli and grilled chicken on top with an orange sauce drizzled over it all. (oh yum!) I served it to Sawyer, who LOVES rice and couscous and he didn't eat it. The second time I made it, I made a double batch. We each took a 1/2 cup and paired it with buffalo steaks and roasted green peppers. I added some feta sprinkled on all it- just as good as the first time, if not better! Problem was, I had a LOT left over..... a LOT. So the first thing I did is put about 2 cups of it in a bowl and added grilled chicken sausage (also from Costco), feta, black olives, and lightly cooked broccoli. I put some Italian Dressing on it right before eating it the next day at work. I will mention here that it served 3 of us. :) A week later I took the rest of the quinoa out of the fridge. I first added a small jar of artichokes (drained), feta, and some kalamata olives. Then I put the quinoa in. Apparently somewhere between the fridge and the bowl it multiplied. I ended up adding another jar of artichokes, more feta, and the rest of the kalamata olives. Then I made up a dressing of Italian dressing, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and some garlic. It served 5 of us heaping portions at work. Quinoa is a wonderful grain- use it in place of rice in your Asian dishes or instead of your couscous in your Mediterranean dishes. :)