Quinoa: The Miracle Grain

Hello again!! As I has mentioned in a previous post, I underwent some surgery this past spring. The surgery confined me to a wheelchair for about 6 weeks, and despite my best efforts I gained some wheelchair weight. I have been attempting to lose some weight by exercise, but with my Physical Therapy limitations, I have only been able to do so much. So I turned to my diet.

I noticed that I was eating a lot of rice and other grains, so my first inclination was to work on that. With much research I found that Quinoa is a fantastic gluten free alternative! Although many consider it a gain, it is actually more considered a vegetable. It's high in fiber, so a little goes a long way, and it's a complete protein.

Quinoa has a rather mild flavor, so you can really flavor it however you would like. My favorite way is to saute some onions and garlic in a pan, add the quinoa and some broth and let simmer. Then you can add anything from chicken to black beans to it. Remember to spice your quinoa when you add the broth. Otherwise it would not absorb the flavor as well.

The ratio of liquid to quinoa, much like rice, is 1 cup quinoa to every 2 cups of liquid. Quinoa is easy to find as most grocery stores, and is an easy grain to make for any meal. It even reheats in leftovers very well!

I hope you explore the benefits of quinoa. It's quite tasty, and has great health benefits!