Quinoa, the protein-bomb

Do you know and actually use quinoa? For me as a nutritional nerd it is one of the staple foods and I have known it for ages, but maybe I’m indeed an exotic or nerd.

Anyway, it is worthwhile to tell you more about it and if you don’t know it yet, you should definitely try!!

Quinoa is definitely one of my favorite foods, as it is easy to cook, very tasty and super versatile. And on top of it, it is also an ideal source of protein! So if you’re vegetarian or vegan, Quinoa is your best friend.

But first from the beginning. What is quinoa?

You might think that it is a grain, but it belongs to the family of beetroot, chard and spinach and is referred to as „pseudo grain“. It is grown mainly in South America and was already a staple food of the Incas.

Here in Germany it has become very common and you get it e.g. at dm, Alnatura, any health food store or sometimes also in normal supermarkets.

It is basically cooked like rice and can be used the same way. So next time you could give it a try and replace the rice with quinoa :-) I would describe the taste as nutty and crunchy, but best you try it yourself.

But now let’s talk about the highlights that make quinoa soo precious to us:

The protein in it is very high quality because it contains ALL the essential amino acids. In particular, it contains a lot of tryptophan, which boosts serotonin production in the brain and lifts our mood!
It also contains large amounts of vitamins and minerals; e.g. more calcium, more than twice as much iron and riboflavin (vitamin B2), 70% more magnesium and 50% more Vitamin E than wheat. It is also super rich in copper and manganese.
The oil contained therein consists about 70% of the valuable unsaturated fatty acids, which lower the cholesterol and are good for the heart and circulatory system.
It is rich in fiber, which means it saturates well and long and aids digestion (especially in contrast to white, husked rice)
It is gluten-free. (At this point a small Yeah! for all allergy sufferers)

The preparation:

Since it contains many bitter substances, you should wash quinoa with hot water. I always rinse it with hot tap water first, and then fill it into a pot with fresh water to boil it.

I will post quite a lot of quinoa recipes in the future in any case, so stay curious to see what the little seeds are capable of.