Monday 4 March 2013 - Superfood Spotlight: Quinoa

For the month of March each Monday in my longer post I'm going to focus on a superfood - what it does for you and what we can do with it as well as information on where to get it and what it will cost. Today's spotlight is on Quiona.

The first time I cooked Quinoa (pronounced sort of like kin-wah, just to confuse the hell out of you) I had myself what appeared to be a pot full of slightly crunchy sludge. I could have taken a photo and made a de-motivational poster with the headline "quinoa" and underneath that "you're doing it wrong." I was scared off by this negative first experience and obviously more keen to blame the food itself than my cooking skills so I left it for awhile before deciding if it was worth persisting with incorporating the food into my diet.

The more I researched it's health properties the more obvious it became that it definitely was worth it; and after eating a crumbed mushroom salad at a local bistro that included a perfectly cooked version of the pseudo-grain I was ready to do what it took to become an expert at using this superfood as an everyday ingredient.

So what is it? A species of goosefoot grown in South America. It is technically a seed although it's treated and prepared in the same way as a grain and usually referred to as one (thus my use of the description 'pseduo-grain' in the previous paragraph). There are a range of seed colours that are cultivated - from white through to red or black. Once harvested the product can be purchased in the form of seeds (pre-rinsed and ready to cook) or after being processed into puffs or flakes.

Why does it deserve to wear a cape? Quiona is the only grain style of food that is in itself a complete source of protein - meaning it contains all 9 of the essential amino acids. (This makes Quiona the perfect answer to the ignorant meat-eaters question of "but where do you get your protein?" that is often put to vegetarians.) In addition to this Quiona is a good source of dietary fibre, high in unsaturated fats (that's the good kind!), rich in minerals and has low levels of slow releasing carbohydrates - that keep us feeling fuller for longer. Definitely cape-worthy.

What can we do with it? Much like the list of health benefits the number of possibilities when it comes to preparing quiona goes on and on. Simple ways to include it in your daily diet include using quiona flakes a part of a morning bowl of cereal or in lieu of porridge, replacing sides of rice or cous cous with the cooked seeds (using an absorption method much like rice cooking), tossing it together with a stir fry, soup or curry and incorporating it into your baking. There are probably about a million recipes available online as well as entire cookbooks devoted to the subject of "cooking with quiona." But as a sample recipe I thought I'd share one that my husband and I prepared for dinner last week.

Moroccan Chicken with Quiona
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime or lemon
2 tbsp of olive oil
4 tsp of Moroccan spice mix
300g quiona
handful of mixed olives
some fresh seasonal steamed vegetables (we used asparagus, rocket and mushroom)

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. Cut three deep slashes in each chicken piece and place in a baking dish. Mix the lemon zest, juice, oil and spices together then pour over the chicken. Cover with foil and bake for approximately 20minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook the quiona according to the packet instructions (usually 1 cup of quiona simmered with 2 cups of hot water for 15 minutes or until absorbed and the quiona appears light and fluffy). Stir the olives and vegetables through the quiona.
3.Serve the dish up with the quiona as a base to the chicken, and drizzle the juices from the oven pan overtop.

Where do I get it and how much will it cost me? The other good news about quiona is that you don't have to go to some fancy health food store to purchase it. I have found it available at each major supermarket in their health food sections. A 500gram bag of white quiona sells at Woolworths for $7.50, the comparable product at Coles is $7.80.

No it's not as cheap as your $2.50 bag of white rice. But to achieve the nutritional equivalent of a serve of protein rich quiona you'd need to team that white rice with an expensive cut of lean meat and some mineral supplements which will end up costing you a whole lot more.