Q for Quinoa

The quinoa is an absolute must have, and not only because of it's cute name! This delicious and healthy grain is naturally gluten free and therefore excellent for those trying to loose weight. Quinoa contains more protein than any other grains but is also rich in fibre and iron as well as naturally low in fat. I was so happy finding out about the quinoa as it is not only good for the health but is also very tasty, I thought it would only be fair if I share it with you.

You can find quinoa in all healthy food stores but also in the healthy/organic section of your local supermarket. So far I only tried the organic white grain, which is the most common type, however you can also find a red and black type of quinoa.

This nutritious grain is a great substitute to rice and can be use in most salads as well.

How to cook it?

The quinoa is really easy to cook and very fast as well. Do not forget to rinse the grain before cooking it in order to wash off remaining bitter coating. For one cup of quinoa put two cups of water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Let it cook for 10 to 15 mins, the water should be absorbed by the grain. You can now remove the remaining water and continue with your normal recipe.

You can easily find lots of recipes with quinoa on Internet but I tough I would share with you one of my personal and favourite recipe involving the organic white grain. You can decide to eat it warm or cooler more like a salad if you wish. I like to eat it warm for my diner and keep the rest in a container, placing it in the fridge so I can bring it along with me for the following day lunch. This recipe is just a perfect combination of meat, veggies and grain. It is full of protein, fibre and good vitamins. Not forgetting that this recipe is really quick and easy to do. Oh and it is so tasty!

Ingredients:

• organic white grain quinoa (same amount as in the first picture; about half a glass)
• fresh chicken breast 
• carrots
• zucchini
• corn
• salt, pepper, coconut oil (you can use any other cooking oil if you want to, but this is a much healthier alternative)

The first step as you can guess is too cut all your ingredients in small dice. Then go ahead and start boiling the quinoa in a small saucepan.

While the quinoa is getting ready in the boiling water, heat another saucepan and put a tiny bit of coconut oil. Once the oil is hot enough add your chicken and season it with some salt, pepper and mix  herbs if you want to. Then add the carrots, zucchini and corn together with the chicken and and a pinch of salt.

When you feel like it is all cook, reduce to simmer. Go ahead and check you quinoa. It should not take longer than 15mins to be cook and it should be absorbing most of the water as well. Check the picture below if you are not sure of what it should be looking like once it is cooked.

Remove the remaining water of the quinoa and you can now add the gain to the mix of veggies and chicken. And lastly give it a good stir to mix all your ingredients together.

  Bon appétit.