The Amazing Quinoa! (As a breakfast cereal too...) It's "The Year of the Quinoa." 

Here is Quinoa with pineapple, cinnamon, ginger, a bit of stevia, and homemade cashew milk. 

I have to admit, I was not caught up in the quinoa craze. I just didn't care. It's pronounced "KEEN-WAH," but I still didn't care. I was more than happy with my brown rice, and while I knew I "should" eat more quinoa, it just seemed difficult. It had to be "cooked." That took longer than ordering from restaurants.

2013 is officially recognized as "The international Year of the Quinoa," by The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). How cool is that? Putting "the" before "quinoa" also makes it sound really cool. Like a rapper name. "The quinoa" is in the house. 

Little did I know a few things about quinoa, that have since made me a fan.

*It only takes 10-15 minutes to cook. (Unlike millet that takes 35-40, or even rice which takes longer).
*It's acts like a grain, but is gluten-free (gluten (which is found in wheat products, pasta, and just about ALL of our food here in carb-based America, is bad for everyone, even if you're not "intolerant" it does stress your body. Occasionally eating it is fine, but gluten and refined grains are seriously stressing your body out).
*It helps you stay skinny. Quinoa helps fight obesity. In studies, where animals ate quinoa daily, the animals had far less obesity.
*It has more flavonoids than cranberries! And it's anti-inflammatory, has a ton of antioxidants,
*It's a complete protein source, unlike all the other grains. What??? How can a grain-looking-thing ALSO have a ton of (complete) protein? I was blown away by this. No other grain has protein by itself. This means when you're cooking, you can eat quinoa as BOTH your carb and protein, so simply throw in some veggies or fruit, and it's complete. Huge time-saver. 185 grams of quinoa has 8 grams of protein! 
*It's not from the grain family! What? Even though it acts/tastes like a grain, and is a healthy carb, it's in the family with beets, swiss chard, and spinach!! Crazy.

OKAY, I'M SOLD.

How to prepare it: 
*Pour out a cup of it. Rinse it off with water. I find it's easier to use my hand to "strain" the water out, because the tiny grains go everywhere otherwise.
*Boil it in 3 times the water for about 10-15 minutes, or until the little spheres pop open. 
*Optional: If you have an extra 3 minutes, before adding water to the quinoa, first saute the quinoa in olive oil for a few minutes. It will add a nutty flavor.

How to use it: 
You can cook up a big pot of this once a week (it's pretty fast to make though), and then eat as follows:
*Instead of oatmeal. Pour some homemade almond or cashew milk over it, with some cinnamon and blueberries or other fruit, and a bit of stevia, agave, or honey. Tasty! I like this more than oatmeal now.
*Like rice: Use it anyplace you would normally use rice: in a stir fry, as a side dish, etc. It's great to saute it with some olive oil, garlic, onions, and any herbs you may have. So good!
*As a cold salad: If you cooked up a big pot of the stuff, take out a bit and mix with chopped tomatoes, parsley, some olive oil, lemon juice, and some salt and pepper, etc. You can make sort of a "pasta salad" kind of thing here. Add any veggies you want, including chopped bell peppers, zucchini, etc.
*To bake with: Throw some cooked quinoa into muffin or cookie recipes for added texture, protein, and healthiness!

Yes, "The Quinoa" has been officially welcomed into my daily diet! Welcome.

Read more about quinoa here: