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Food and Drink

Quinoa to the rescue

Queen of the quickies, sovereign of the super foods - that's my friend, quinoa, in a nutshell.

Quick and easy to prep, super versatile, and nutritious like you wouldn't believe, quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is one of those foods that, once discovered, you wonder how on earth you got along without it - especially in these back-to-school, back-to-work times when everybody's stressed out, pressed for time, alternately grumpy or depressed because the lazy, hazy, crazy, idealized days of summer are drawing to an end, and wondering what the heck we're going to have for dinner or lunch is about the last thing anyone wants to think about.

At the same time we're all longing for something to eat that's tasty and makes us feel good and, dare I say it, comforted, as if to compensate for the end of summer fun and the slow but irrevocable drift back to grey-tinged work-a-day reality.

So grab a bag of quinoa, and let's get rolling.

Quinoa, also called "Peruvian wheat" in the Andes, where it originated, is still a staple food there. A member of the goosefoot family - here in Canada, we know our local goosefoots (goosefeet?) as lamb's-quarters or pigweed - quinoa is technically an edible seed.

Something of a sacred food to the Inca - even bordering on that to its fans here in North America, who've been "discovering" it everywhere from the bulk bins of the smallest organic stores to the shelves of Costco - quinoa was cultivated in the high valleys of Chile and Peru for thousands of years. There, writes Thelma Barer-Stein in her wonderful book You Eat What You Are , aboriginal peoples still survive on the staples of potatoes, quinoa flour and dried llama meat, as did their ancestors.

While dried llama meat hasn't caught on here yet - and why not with all those llamas now being raised in the Fraser Valley for their lovely fur and faces and mild dispositions? - it's possible that quinoa didn't catch on right away with the gun-toting, sword-swinging Spanish conquistadores because of its coating of saponins, which taste bitter and create a soapy foam in water.

Saponins bode well for the crop in the field. Their bitter taste naturally drives away pests. But for humans they mean an extra step before cooking, namely repeatedly rinsing the quinoa until the soapy (and bitter-tasting) bubbles disappear.

Most quinoa you buy today has been processed to remove the saponins, or at least most of them. Still, some recipes call for you to rinse the quinoa first before cooking it, and I have to agree. It helps get rid of any residual bitterness, however slight, whether the recipe directs you to rinse it or not.

Besides the fact it can be enjoyed by people who suffer with celiac disease, a key to quinoa's recent meteoric rise in popularity has been its supposed high protein content. While scientific food guru Harold McGee puts it at 13 per cent, other sources cite a range of 12 to18 per cent protein.

This isn't so high when you compare the protein content of other grains, like amaranth at 18 per cent and even wheat at 14 per cent. But what sets quinoa apart is that, like oatmeal, it contains a good balance of the amino acids that make it a more complete protein - rare in the plant world.

My gal-pal Marilyn Rice, sister-in-law of Weasel Worker, Rob Patterson, especially likes quinoa for its ability to prevent spikes in your glycemic index and keep your blood sugar levels nice and steady, something we can all appreciate as stress levels rise.

Quinoa has a delicious, nutty taste on its own and a pretty little curlicue in each grain. It's great as a side dish to a main course, or even good for breakfast or a quick lunch with a sprinkle of cheese or salsa. And it's fabulous in the two recipes below, Marilyn's favourite from Laura Kalina's and Cheryl Christian's Low Glycemic Meals in Minutes , out of Kamloops, and my fave from the two gals who run the amazing Rebar restaurant in Bastion Square in Victoria - Audrey Alsterberg and Wanda Urbanowicz.

Whip up a batch of either salad and you'll be solidly set up for getting back to the grind.

 

Quinoa & black bean salad

(From Low Glycemic Meals in Minutes )

 

1 cup quinoa

1 ¼ cup water

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped (2 cups)

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp. paprika

1 ½ tsp. ground cumin

1 ½ tsp. ground coriander

2 red bell peppers, diced

¼ tsp. hot pepper flakes

1 tbsp. cilantro, chopped

1 can (341ml) corn, drained

1 can (398ml) black beans, drained

1 large tomato, diced

½ cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 small can black olives (optional)

½ cup pine nuts, toasted (optional)

¼ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed (juice of 1 lemon)

Salt & pepper to taste

Combine quinoa and water in a saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let sit 10-15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. (If you prefer a firmer texture, use 1 cup of water.) Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a frying pan. Sauté onion, garlic, paprika, cumin and coriander until the onion is translucent. Stir in the red bell peppers, hot pepper flakes and cilantro. Sauté another 5 minutes. Add cooked quinoa to sautéed vegetables. Stir in the corn, black beans, tomato, feta, olives, pine nuts, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. (We prefer eating it when it's still warm). Makes 8 to 10 servings.

 

Quinoa corn salad

(From Rebar Modern Food Cookbook )

 

1 cup quinoa

1½ cup water

½ tsp salt

2½ cup corn, fresh or frozen

1 small red onion, minced

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded & minced

½ red pepper, finely diced

3 tbsp. lemon juice

3 tbsp. lime juice

¼ cup chopped cilantro

3 scallions, minced

2 tbsp. finely minced chives

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. Tabasco sauce to taste

Place quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and rinse thoroughly with cold running water. Bring water to boil in a small pot, add quinoa and salt and bring to a boil again. Cover and reduce heat to low for 15 min. Turn off the heat and keep the pot covered for another 5 min. Strain off any excess liquid and spread the quinoa to cool on a tray. Steam or lightly sauté the corn until just tender and cool to room temperature. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and gently toss. Season with additional salt, pepper or hot sauce to taste. Serve with fresh lime wedges.

 

Glenda Bartosh is an award-winning freelance writer who eats quinoa salad morning, noon and night.