fluffy goodness

Quinoa.  Say it: KEEN-wah.  It's fun to say.

My introduction to quinoa was in a dessert at Moto in Chicago.  Moto is a molecular gastronomy destination, so it shouldn't have been a surprise that Homaro Cantu was able to miraculously tranform this versatile grain (technically a seed) into a delicious, healthy dessert.  What did come as a surprise to me about quinoa was how easy it is to prepare.  

The quinoa seed is gluten-free, high in protein, calcium and iron, a relatively good source of vitamin E and several of the B vitamins. It contains an almost perfect balance of all the essential amino acids needed for tissue development. It is exceptionally high in lysine, cystine and methionine-amino acids typically low in other grains. It is a good complement for legumes, which are often low in methionine and cystine. The protein in quinoa is considered to be a complete protein because it has all the essential amino acids in the necessary proportions, reflected by its amino acid score of 106 (a score above 100 means it is complete).  Click through to read tons more of interesting info about this terrific power-food.  My nutritional sage Bettina RD adds that despite the soft and fluffy texture of quinoa, it is really high in fiber.  One cup of cooked quinoa has 5.2g of fiber, a combination of both insoluble fiber and soluble fiber.  One of the benefits of the soluble fiber is that it acts as a prebiotic, promoting the growth of healthy gut bacteria. A baby with a healthy gut is a happy baby.

Fresh Direct sells red and white varieties.  I happen to like the red, but if your child is going through a white-food-only stage, go with white.  It is spectacularly easy to make.  Better yet, it is fantastically versatile and can mix into practically any vegetable mash giving your baby's food a little extra texture.   

I suggest that you make a cup of quinoa to share as a family as it is an easy side to prepare and one cup will produce an abundant amount.  

Equipment:

Sauce pot

Sieve or mesh strainer

Ingredients:

Quinoa

Water or low-sodium stock

Instructions:

Put a cup of quinoa into a sieve or mesh strainer and wash it well in running water.  

Drop washed quinoa into your pot.

Pour 1 1/2 cups of water (or low-sodium stock) into the pot with the quinoa.

Bring t o a boil.

Drop the flame to simmer for 20-25 minutes. 

Check the quinoa -- it shouldn't be completely soft but it shouldn't be hard or crunchy either.  It should have a pleasant fluffy-chewy texture. 

If you'd like to make the flavor a little more complex without over-complicating things, add a little olive oil to the pot first and sweat some finely diced shallots or a simple mirepoix (finely diced onions, carrots, celery) before you mix in the quinoa.

If you'd like to serve this on it's own you don't really need to add anything.  However, if you are feeling fancy, you may "dress it up" with raisins, almond slivers, butter, walnuts, salt & pepper, chopped mushrooms ... the list is quite endless.  I would reserve a portion of the simple unadulterated version for your baby and mix a separate version for yourself with the culinary accoutrements of your liking.  I happen to think that quinoa works well as poultry stuffing because of it's hearty texture.  It is also an excellent (and very satisfying) stuffing for a roasted acorn or dumpling squash.  

 

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