Quinoa is native to South America, where it was once a staple food of the Incas, and has been cultivated for thousands of years.\u00a0 It might be because of its history and its tiny stature that quinoa is often referred to as an \u201cancient grain\u201d and treated like a grain or starch.\u00a0 It cooks up just like rice or pasta in a fraction of the time.\u00a0 The fact is, however, that although quinoa acts convincingly grain-like, it\u2019s actually the seed of a vegetable that\u2019s a closer relative to spinach (which means it\u2019s also gluten free!).<\/p>\n
Today, quinoa is most famous for an impressive protein content\u2014around 11 grams per half cup (uncooked)\u2014that happens to boast all essential amino acids.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t stop there: quinoa provides many minerals, such as magnesium, potassium, and zinc.\u00a0 It even includes some vitamins too, like skin and hair-rejuvenating vitamin E, plus many energy-giving B vitamins.<\/p>\n
By now, you might be itching to get your hands on a bag of quinoa for some superfood cookin\u2019, so I\u2019ll leave you with a handful of quinoa recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the cutest video by The First Mess<\/em> on how to make quinoa that I\u2019ve ever seen.<\/p>\n Maple Cinnamon Crunch Quinoa Granola<\/strong><\/a> via Taste Yummies<\/em>: \u201cI think what I like about this granola is that it is grain-free, something I am trying to be much more aware of, as I definitely feel better and less bloated when I am not consuming a lot of grains. Besides the fact, quinoa, those cute little seeds, often mistaken for a grain, is a nutritional powerhouse of a super-food.\u201d Quinoa with Squash, Peppers, and Figs<\/strong><\/a> via The Forest Feast<\/em>: Click this link even if it\u2019s only to see oen of the most beautifully put together recipes I\u2019ve ever seen.\u00a0 Warm Kale Salad with Quinoa + Balsamic Roasted Beets<\/strong><\/a> via The First Mess<\/em>: \u201cThere are more inclinations to bring us into the kitchen, that beating heart of pure goodness and love. There\u2019s stock to be made for soup, squash and roots to be roasted, more languid breakfasts to be had with the ones you like to hold close. The food takes a bit longer and we never mind. Steam rises and falls out of heavy pots. The dog cuddles in a blanket on the warm spot beneath the oven. Slower time, coziness, that intimacy with all of our surroundings. It\u2019s here, it\u2019s here.”<\/p>\n Grilled Eggplant with Herbed Quinoa<\/strong><\/a> via Sprouted Kitchen<\/em>: \u201c\u2026I wanted to share a simple dish that seems to fit in with the pace lately. It’s not fussy, tastes light while still having enough flavor to remind you that vegetables are just magnificent.\u201d<\/p>\n Strawberry-Quinoa Pudding<\/strong><\/a> via Strawberries and Owls<\/em>: \u201cI don’t like going to bed with my tummy all bloated full of food that wont be anything but fat later. I also like it as a fast breakfast for those who don’t have time to have breakfast at home. Just put it in a mason jar at night and take it along in the morning\u201d<\/p>\n 2013 is the International Year of the Quinoa, as declared by the United Nations General Assembly<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":528,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,4],"tags":[555],"thb-sponsors":[],"yst_prominent_words":[1775,1781,1774,2519,802,991,1616,1750,1945,867],"class_list":["post-408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","category-nutrition","tag-seasonal","post_format-post-format-image"],"acf":[],"views":1219,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21845,"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408\/revisions\/21845"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408"},{"taxonomy":"thb-sponsors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/thb-sponsors?post=408"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Quinoa recipes from around the web:<\/h3>\n
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<\/a><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\nQuinoa recipes from Life and Health Network:<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>Quinoa Tacos<\/a><\/strong>: This delicious Mexican dish is easy, fast, and convenient. To make the tacos, you can use our\u00a0Spicy Quinoa \u201cTaco Meat,\u201d<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0or any substitute meat you want.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Recipe-Breakfast-Quinoa-Bowl.jpg\")
<\/a>Breakfast Quinoa Bowl<\/a><\/strong>: Quinoa is a wonderful, wonderful seed and a complete protein, which means it contains all nine essential amino acids.\u00a0 Most people tend to add quinoa to a savory lunch or dinner meal but we\u2019re turning that on its head by combining it with sweet ingredients for a healthy breakfast.<\/p>\n![\"Protein-Packed](\"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Screen-Shot-2016-02-11-at-1.25.20-PM.png\")
<\/a>Protein-Packed Quinoa Salad<\/a><\/strong>: This earthy, nutty flavored, grain-like seed makes a great rice substitute. It\u2019s gluten-free,\u00a0packed with protein, and delicious!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lifeandhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Italian-Chickpea-and-Quinoa-Soup.jpg\")
<\/a>Italian Chickpea and Quinoa Soup<\/a><\/strong>:\u00a0Although quinoa is of South American origin, it complements very well with the Italian seasoning of this recipe. This soup is perfect for cold or rainy days, but it will delight palates at any time of the year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"