Quinoa

When I was growing up, my father used to boast that he grew enough potatoes in our vegetable garden to last until Easter. Rice was sometimes found in chicken soup or stuffed green peppers (yuck!) or we had oatmeal on cold winter mornings (and there many of those in the suburbs of Buffalo) but that was pretty much the extent of grains for our family.

Several years ago, I was introduced to quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) and it is now one of my favorite grains. Some research reveals that quinoa originated in the Andean region of South America, where it has been an important food for 6,000 years. It is a species of goosefoot, a grain-like crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal as it is not a grass, but closely related to species such as beets, spinach and tumbleweeds!

The Incas held quinoa to be sacred and it is believed the Inca emperor would traditionally sow the first seeds of the season using golden instruments. During the European conquests, the Spanish colonists scorned quinoa as "food for the Indians," and suppressed its cultivation due to its status as an indigenous non-Christian ceremonial crop. For a time, the conquistadors forced the Incas to grow corn.

I like quinoa because of its nutritional value. Its protein content is very high (12% - 18%) and it contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source. Quinoa is also a good source of dietary fiber, phosphorus, magnesium and iron. Since it is gluten-free and easy to digest, NASA"s Controlled Ecological Life Support System is considering it as a possible crop for long-duration manned space flights.

Easily made in less than 20 minutes, quinoa is great as a breakfast cereal, added to soups or salads or a side dish for dinner. Go to www.quinoa.net for loads of delicious recipes.