Q is for Quinoa

"Quinoa is gluten-free, has a low glycemic index and provides all of the eight essential amino acids, creating a complete protein." (quoted from my bag of truRoots Organic Quinoa). That is why I purchased Quinoa! I am always interested in food that will give our family good nutrition and taste good too. 

"Quinoa is an ancient traditional grain grown at 12,000 fee above sea level. It is a whole grain and has been classified by the National Academy of Sciences as one of the best sources of protein in the vegetable kingdom." (from the back of my Quinoa bag).

I did a post on Quinoa back on September 5, 2012 and you can see it here!

Today I at CedarLane Veggie & Grain Bowl that I purchased at Costco. It has 9 vegetables, quinoa, brown rice and roasted garlic hummus. One bowl has 280 calories and 7 grams of fat--not bad, right?!

Have you tried quinoa? What did you think?

I am hoping to be back on Sunday night for the Sunday Night Chit-Chat but for sure on Monday for the Letter R:) Have a great day! 

Kat

Quinoa Taco Burger

Uncooked whole grain Quinoa

Have you heard about Quinoa? I have been hearing a lot about it in the last several months and have had a bag in my pantry for at least a month but wasn't sure what to do with it. So, why did I buy it?

"Quinoa is gluten-free, has a low glycemic index and provides all of the eight essential amino acids, creating a complete protein." (quoted from my bag of truRoots Organic Quinoa). That is why I purchased Quinoa! I am always interested in food that will give our family good nutrition and taste good too. 

"Quinoa is an ancient traditional grain grown at 12,000 fee above sea level. It is a whole grain and has been classified by the National Academy of Sciences as one of the best sources of protein in the vegetable kingdom." (also from the back of my Quinoa bag).

Quinoa cooked

Quinoa cooks in just 15 minutes and can be substituted for rice in many recipes.

I LOVE tacos so decided to try my hand at making taco "burger" with my cooked Quinoa. 

Taco "Burger"

1/2 cup Quinoa, rinsed
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt

Bring Quinoa, water and salt to boil and cook for 15 minutes on low heat. Let cool for 5 minutes then fluff with a fork.

1/4 cup chopped onions
1 Tablespoon olive or coconut oil
Cooked Quinoa
2 ounces diced green chilies (mild)
1 Tablespoon chili powder 

Saute` onions in oil till soft then add remaining ingredients and cook while stirring for about 5 minutes. Tada...done!!!

Quinoa Taco "Burger"

Now you are ready to use your Quinoa Taco "Burger" just as you would use hamburger! I am sure I will make some improvements to this recipe over the next few months but it is really yummy as is. Hubby was eating it with a spoon!!!

1/4 cup of dry Quinoa has...

• 172 calories
• 3 grams fat
• 31 carbohydrates
• 3 grams fiber
• 3 grams sugars
• 6 grams protein

I hope you will give Quinoa a try soon! Don't wait like I did!

Have a great day!

Kat