Quinoa is an annual plant used to grow Quinoa seeds. Quinoa is rich in proteins, minerals such as iron, magnesium and copper. Quinoa also contains eccential ammonic acids, is rich in vitamin B2, vitamin E and is well suited as a rice substitute, bread substitute or potato substitute.
If you regularly eat quinoa instead of bread, rice, or potatoes, you will notice that you lose weight fairly quickly. There are three types of Quinoa seeds, the white, the black and the red variety. Quinoa is pronounced Kien-wah. Quinoa is gluten free because it contains no grain and is therefore well suited for people with a gluten allergy.
White Quinoa
You will find white quinoa in every supermarket. Often they are on the shelf of the organic products and it is packed in a transparent bag. Some big brands also sell Quinoa and you’ll find it in the rice and couscous department.
Red Quinoa
Red Quinoa has a nutty flavor and is more crispy than white Quinoa. Red Quinoa only grows in high altitudes where it must be harvested by hand.
Black Quinoa
Black Quinoa has a nutty flavor and is even more crispy than the other two varieties. Black Quinoa also only grows in high mountains where it has to be harvested by hand. This makes Black Quinoa the most exclusive of the three types.
Cooking quinoa
Boiled Quinoa is the basis for many different recipes. When you want to prepare a cup (quantity) of Quinoa, fill the cup with Quinoa. Rinse this well under the tap using a sieve. Then put it in the pan where you are going to cook the Quinoa. Fill the cup 2x with water, and add this to the Quinoa. (So it is 1 unit of Quinoa and 2 units of water for cooking Quinoa). Keep in mind that the Quinoa expands greatly during cooking and therefore don’t make too much at the same time. Add a vegetable stock cube for flavor and you can add fresh herbs such as parsley, basil and fresh mint. (Do not add herbs until the Quinoa has cooled). Cook the Quinoa for about 10 minutes and stir it frequently. You can turn off the heat when almost all the water has evaporated and the Quinoa is simmering. After that, the Quinoa needs about 10 minutes to soak. For the salads, it is best to wait until the Quinoa has cooled completely before preparing the dish.
Quinoa for breakfast
You can use quinoa as a breakfast cereal.
Quinoa with apple and pear
- Pre-cooked Quinoa
- 1 peeled apple in pieces
- 1 peeled pear in pieces
- a handful of raisins
- a few walnuts.
Quinoa with banana and walnuts
- Pre-cooked Quinoa
- 1 banana sliced
- 50 grams of walnuts
- coconut grater
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
Quinoa with kiwi
- Pre-cooked Quinoa
- 2 kiwis in small cubes
Quinoa for lunch
Quinoa is also an excellent food for lunch. You can prepare it the night before and take it with you to work. Just make sure you keep the salad cool.
Quinoa with feta and Cherry tomatoes
- Pre-cooked quinoa
- 1/4 cucumber
- 10 Cherry tomatoes
- a large spoonful of sun-dried tomato
- A few cubes of feta cheese. (as required)
Quinoa with chorizo
- Pre-cooked Quinoa
- Slices of chorizo sausage (amount to taste)
- 1/4 cucumber
- 1 tomato sliced
Quinoa with radish and paprika
- Pre-cooked Quinoa
- chopped bell pepper (you can use green, orange or red pepper)
- 1 bunch of radishes sliced
- feta cheese in cubes (quantity of your choice)
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Quinoa for dinner
You can eat quinoa instead of potatoes. When you normally eat potatoes, vegetables and meat, you can now eat Quinoa vegetables and meat. Use pre-cooked Quinoa for this. You can eat the Quinoa cold with it.
Quinoa with spinach, walnuts and zucchini
- Pre-cooked Quinoa
- 1 zucchini in pieces
- 1 avocado in pieces
- 200 grams of chopped spinach
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Juice from half a lemon
- parsley
- feta cheese in small pieces
- half an onion in pieces
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Fry the walnuts in a hot pan for a minute. Then heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion until it becomes translucent. After this you can fry the garlic and zucchini for 5 minutes. Put all ingredients in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and parsley. Finally, crumble the feta cheese over this and you have a delicious meal.