Keen on Quinoa

It’s keen-wa, not kin-o-a, and it’s my new fave side dish. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a grain-like crop, grown for its edible seeds. It has a light, fluffy texture when it is cooked, much like couscous or white rice (which is what I have been using it in place of), but its mild, nutty flavour is much more interesting. It’s available in most grocery stores now and it only takes about 12 minutes to cook, so it’s handy to add to any meal. It’s gluten-free and much higher in protein that most grains, so it’s a great nutritional addition.
You can cook it in chicken stock for a little flavour, use it in place of pasta for a cold summer salad or add it to soups and pasta sauces as you would barley. Every summer, I make up big batches of what we call Quinoa Greek Rainbow Salad (which was inspired by this recipe but I use lots more lemon, mint, olives and feta than they specified), and bring it in for lunch in the office, or use it as a side dish with grilled chicken or fish.

For breakfast, I even enjoy it with some berries, nuts and honey, instead of the usual oatmeal porridge. It’s my new superfood! Have you tried quinoa?