How to Prepare 69 Recipes with Quinoa

Mar 8, 2011 by Emilia

If you are a vegan or vegetarian, you probably are familiar with quinoa and how to cook it. For the rest of us, mortals, quinoa could be a little mystery in that we may not be too familiar with how to make it part of our meals. ”The Complete Guide to Cooking Quinoa” mends this problem by showing us, in a very practical way, how to include quinoa in our meals.

A word about the author of the book

Ken Jones is the author of this practical and informative book. He does not have a degree in nutrition but Ken’s background is one of being an enthusiastic cook. His Mom is a retired home economist who specialized in teaching cookery for 20 years. Most of this has rubbed off on him.

One day Ken was watching a TV program about “living green” and the people in the program kept eating quinoa. It was also a recommended food on a diet he was doing. But he didn’t know what it was; never mind how to cook it. So he started experimenting with this “grain” and ended up with the cookbook. That was 4 years ago. Someone told him to compile the book and spread the word and that’s what he did.

Some facts about quinoa nutrition and quinoa calories

Quinoa is not exactly a grain. Actually it is a relative of leafy green vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard. The good news is that this ancient “grain” once considered to be “the gold of the Incas”, has been recently rediscovered and more and more people are making it part of their diets because of the health benefits derived from consuming it.

Although it is very tempting for me to get into the history of quinoa, history is my second passion after nutrition, I am going to refrain myself from doing it because Ken has already done it in his book ”The Complete Guide to Cooking Quinoa” . What I am going to tell you is that quinoa has a high nutritional value as you can appreciate in the table shown below:

 What are the benefits of quinoa?

Quinoa has many health benefits, some more known than others. Here are some of them:

1. High in complete protein. This means it has all nine essential amino acids, the building blocks of protein. This type of protein is an excellent choice for vegans, or anybody else for that matter, because it can replace animal protein in many instances.
2. Higher in iron than most cereals which helps prevent anemia.
3. It is gluten free which makes it an ideal food for people with celiac disease.
4. It is high in the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair.
5. High in magnesium. Magnesium relaxes blood vessels which helps maintaining a normal blood pressure. High blood pressure is the main risk for strokes. Magnesium is also a crucial mineral for diabetics because it helps with the metabolism of blood sugar.
6. High in riboflavin (B2) which is necessary for the production of energy inside the cells.
7. High in minerals such as manganese and copper that help prevent the oxidation of the mitochondria, the energy factory inside the cells.
8. High in fiber which protect against cancer of the colon.

Quinoa Lowers Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Quinoa (and many other grains) is a rich source of magnesium, a mineral that is essential for the good control of glucose and insulin in our body.

 In the Black Women’s Health Study conducted during 8 years by Van Dam RM, Hu FB and published by Diabetes Care, the data obtained from 41,186 participants confirmed that the individuals who had adequate amounts of magnesium and calcium had lower risks of developing type 2 diabetes, a data that had already been reported in mostly white populations.

The risk of type 2 diabetes was 31% lower in black women who frequently ate whole grains compared to those eating foods low in magnesium. When the dietary intake of magnesium was considered by itself, the risk of type 2 diabetes was 19%, indicating that whole grains offer special benefits in promoting healthy blood sugar control.

Quinoa is also low in the glycemic index which means it will not spike your blood sugar too fast. Quinoa will cause blood sugar to be released at a lower pace into the blood. This feature helps lose weight and a better control of blood glucose.

What you can expect from this book

This book will show you almost everything you need to know to enjoy quinoa in your meals. The main topics in the book are:

Cooking quinoa  - Before going into the recipes, you will learn all the steps you need to take to cook quinoa.

Sprouting quinoa  - Step by step with illustrations on how to sprout this “grain”.

Cooking with quinoa flour and flakes  - You will get about 14 recipes to make bread, cookies, cakes, pancakes, nut bars, and porridge.

Preparing recipes with quinoa  - Here will have a selection of recipes organized by subject:

1. Soups – 6 recipes
2. Main course – 16 recipes
3. Salads – 15 recipes
4. Snacks – 6 recipes
5. Stir Fry Dishes – 5 recipes
6. Desserts – 7 recipes

The 7 Day Quinoa Diet A step by step very simple eating plan aimed at losing about 2 to 5 pounds during the seven days the diet lasts. The base of the diet is quinoa, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, and juices made at home. This part provides you both the menus and the recipes for those menus you will need for the seven days the diet lasts, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

These videos will help you get familiar with quinoa

Final word

Emilia Klapp, R.D., B.S.
www.TheDiabetesClub.com

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Tags

• cook quinoa
• recipes with quinoa
• vegans
• vegetarians

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