Great Grains! Try some quinoa!

Looking for a quick, easy, nutrient dense side dish for dinner tonight?

Look no further! Try some quinoa!

Quinoa, a seed of a green leafy plant that is still cultivated in South America, has a mild taste and a texture that somewhat resembles cous cous. We use it as a quick, easy to make, side dish at my house. Its ready to eat in 15 minutes and in addition to being delicious it's also a complete proten (all 9 amino acids), high in fiber, naturally low in fat!

You can usually find quinoa in the health food section of most large grocery stores. Also, if you have a health food store near you that sells bulk foods, you can save money by buying quinoa in bulk and seasoning it yourself.

Basic Quinoa Recipe - Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups cold water
• Optional: 1/2 tsp salt

Quinoa Cooking Directions:

Optional: Soak the quinoa for 5 min in the cooking pot. Soaking helps quinoa to cook evenly, and loosens up any residue of saponin (usually removed in processing), which can give a bitter taste

Most quinoa sold in the US these days has been cleaned, and steamed to remove the saponin, so don't worry about that too much

To Rinse: Stir the quinoa with your hand, and carefully pour off the rinsing water, using a fine mesh strainer at the last

Drain quinoa well in the strainer, transfer to the cooking pot, add 1 1/2 cups water & 1/2 tsp salt if desired

Bring to a boil, cover with a tight fitting lid, and turn the heat down to simmer

Cook for 15 minutes

Remove quinoa from heat and allow to sit five minutes with the lid on

Fluff quinoa gently with a fork and serve

*Optional: When I make quinoa as a savory side dish, I add garlic salt, parsley, tiny dash of sea salt, and small amount of butter (just season to taste depending on your preferences on garlic and salt). If you're curious, we used 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, 1 teaspoon parsley, a dash of sea salt, and half a tablespoon of butter.

Nutrition Info: 1 cup cooked quinoa has 155 calories, 30 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat, 3 g dietary fiber and 5.5 g protein

So, give it a try, see what you think. Let me know!