If you’ve been looking to incorporate different sources of nutrition into your diet, chances are you’ve come across quinoa – a grain that traces its history back to the Inca empire.
It’s high in protein, an excellent source of magnesium, folate, phosphorous, iron and fibre – and it’s gluten-free.
Quinoa is native to the Andean mountains of Peru, Bolivia and Chile, but it’s now grown in many countries.
While it’s often used in hot and cold salads or as a substitute for rice, quinoa can be incredibly versatile, says Camila Saulsbury, a food writer, recipe developer, cooking instructor and fitness trainer.
Saulsbury’s latest book is called 500 Best Quinoa Recipes. She spoke with Globalnews.ca about her passion for quinoa.
Global News: Most people have been familiar with limited uses for quinoa – salads and instead of rice, or they’ve seen it as a really expensive flour. How did you get to 500 “best” quinoa recipes?
Saulsbury: I think those experiences with quinoa – a cold salad or a stand-in side-dish for rice – are typical for many people! My husband is an English professor and he jokes that, when we were in grad school, every English department potluck party had multiple bowls of hummus; now the hummus has been replaced by quinoa tabbouleh.
But yes, it is quite different in our house. Beginning in those early days of pregnancy, I started to wrap my head around quinoa as a multi-purpose ingredient that I could use in endless recipes, from my favourite pastas (swap the pasta for quinoa), as a stir-in for soups, a breakfast booster (stirred into scrambled eggs and omelets or folded into pancake and muffin batters), a great base for topping with stews and tagines (in place of rice, couscous or mashed potatoes, for example), in sandwiches, and as a sweet dessert.
And, of course, all of the salad possibilities – warm and cold – beyond tabbouleh.
Honestly, it has also been a boon for eating at least 2 meatless meals per week–which we do for health, budget and environmental concerns – given that quinoa is a complete protein (the only plant source for which that is true).
Once I started playing with quinoa flour and flakes-well, I went a little bit wild with recipe creation. Yes, there were some major duds in the beginning, but once I was able to figure out how best to use quinoa flour, in particular, I had a lot of fun coming up with healthy recipes to make the most of it. In sum, 500 recipes may sound like a lot, but it was surprisingly simple in many ways because the book is an expression of how I have incorporated it into our family’s lifestyle over the past 7 years.
Are most of these recipes adaptations of non-quinoa recipes?
Get daily National news
Saulsbury: I would say that about 20 per cent of the book involves adaptations of non-quinoa recipes, and most of those are my baking recipes. For example, I wanted to have muffins, simple cookies and cakes that were familiar but also brand new. By that I mean familiar flavour profiles and form, but brand new in terms of overall healthfulness. My aim was to use super natural ingredients, keep sugars low (including avoiding refined sugars), and create recipes that showcase the superfood qualities of quinoa both in nutrition and taste. So, while I am sure a quinoa-flour adapted triple chocolate fudge cake, with multiple cups of sugar, butter, cocoa and chocolate, would be delicious, that was not the kind of recipe I wanted in my book.
I want to make quinoa flour. Do I need a special grinder? How do I know when it’s properly ground?
Saulsbury: Oh, it is so easy! I am very frugal, so I cringe at the price of quinoa flour in some supermarkets, too. All you need is an inexpensive coffee or spice grinder (the kind you pulse-just make sure to clean out the coffee residue!). I love recommending this to people because it is a great way to experiment with quinoa flour without buying an entire package of it.
Here’s what you do: Place 1/4 cup (60 mL) of quinoa seeds in the grinder (adding any more will overload the grinder and prevent the seeds from being ground to a fine consistency). Using on/off pulses, process, shaking the grinder every few pulses to ensure an even grind, until the seeds are finely and evenly ground. You can rub it between your fingers-it will be very soft and almost velvety feeling when it is ground all the way. It only takes about 30-45 seconds-easy! Empty the flour into a bowl or measuring cup and repeat with more seeds until you have the desired amount of flour. Note that 1/4 cup (60 mL) of whole quinoa seeds yields about 1/3 cup (75 mL) of fine quinoa flour.
For those who don’t want to make their own flour, but still want better price, there are some GREAT online sources for ordering quinoa flour in bulk. A fantastic online quinoa resource for Canada is quinoa.com, which sells some imported quinoa but most of the quinoa is grown in Canada! You can order the flakes, seeds, and flour for terrific prices (e.g., $5/lb for quinoa flour). Canadaorganic.com is another great mail order source for all things quinoa in Canada.
Anything particular I should know about quinoa flour? Does it have a limited shelf life?
Saulsbury: Quinoa flour has a shelf life comparable to all-purpose flour if stored properly. That said, I should probably say “refrigerator life” rather than “shelf life” because quinoa flour, like whole wheat flour and many other gluten-free flours, is higher in fat than all-purpose flour, so it can spoil easily if kept at room temperature. For the best flavor and freshness, always check the expiration date on the package, and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer to prolong freshness. Let the cold flour return to room temperature before using it.
Is quinoa safe for infants? What dishes do you recommend for very young children?
Quinoa is a wonderful product for children, including toddlers and babies. The flakes are wonderful for especially small children and babies; they look just like quick-cooking oats, except thinner and lighter. They can be made in a minute as a porridge or added to other baby foods. You can also use the flour in the same way (not as a porridge, but mixed in to other foods).
The one caution I make with regard to children and quinoa is to heed my advice about rinsing quinoa even if the quinoa box states that it has been pre-washed. Virtually all quinoa that reaches consumers in North America and Europe has already had the saponin-it’s the bitter protective coating that is natural to all quinoa seeds– removed (this includes quinoa flour and quinoa flakes). Nevertheless, it is important to give quinoa seeds a rinse to remove any saponin residue that may remain during processing before use. Some people may be a little bit more sensitive to the residue, especially little tummies. The extra-rinse is easy: Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly under cold water for 30 to 60 seconds. This ensures that the cooked quinoa will have a delicately sweet, pleasant flavor.
Now, as for recipes: my son was not a quinoa fan until recently (it was a texture thing), but he loves all of the baked goods and smoothies I make with quinoa flakes and quinoa flour. The Peanut Butter and Quinoa breakfast cookies (I make them with sunflower seed butter and almond butter sometimes, too), the superpower breakfast cookies, multigrain breakfast bars and maple breakfast biscotti are all staples in our house-kids and adults love them equally. And it makes breakfast and snacks so easy: have a healthy “cookie” for breakfast with some milk or yogurt. Done! Quinoa pancakes and waffles are also big hits around here. Since your girls are open to the texture of quinoa, quinoa porridge, pudding and fruit parfaits are also sure-fire winners. You can fold about 1 cup of cooked cooled quinoa into just about any quick bread recipe you already have , too (e.g., muffins, loaves, pancakes, waffles)-easy!
It’s Thanksgiving weekend. Any ideas for a nice quinoa stuffing?
Saulsbury: Oh, the possibilities are endless! The simplest, no-fuss way to make a fantastic stuffing is to replace the bread or rice in your favorite/family recipe with cooked, cooled quinoa recipe. If it is a bread-based recipe, you will not need to add the liquids called for in the recipe save for a 1/4 to 1/2 cup to keep things moist; if the recipe calls for eggs, keep them in the recipe, and if it doesn’t consider adding one or two (depending on how large the volume of stuffing is) to bind the stuffing. If it is a rice-based stuffing, you can swap cooked quinoa for cooked rice, measure for measure.
If you need a more specific recipe, you cannot go wrong with my black and white quinoa dressing (page 248 in my book). You can use any colour of quinoa, but it is particularly festive when made with different colors of quinoa (red quinoa is gorgeous, too, but use whatever you can get your hands on). It’s got dried fruit (cherries, apricots), rosemary, pecans (or you can use walnuts), and plenty of fresh herbs. Best of all, it is (a) incredibly delicious – that’s always the most important factor for me, (b) super-easy (always a good thing when you are making multiple dishes for a crowd!), and (c) can be eaten by EVERYONE you invite (gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, egg free).
Comments