CORN AND QUINOA

Quinoa, originally from South America, is a small seed but is used by many people as a grain because of the way it cooks.  It is gluten free, easy to digest and has a nutty flavor.  The seed has a variety of colours and the most popular colour is white or yellow but it can also be pink, red, brown and black.  Quinoa has about twice the protein content of rice, it ranges from 12 to 18 percent, and is a complete protein as it has 8 essential amino acids.   When you cook quinoa, you can use a similar cooking method to rice.  In the following recipe I used red quinoa which I bought in bulk at a local health food store.  Quinoa can be used in a number of recipes from salads to soups to casseroles and as a substitute for oatmeal.   During the summer months, I make a number of salads that uses quinoa.

CORN AND QUINOA

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup quinoa

1 tsp canola oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup cooked or frozen corn kernels

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

1 clove garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS:

In a saucepan bring 1 cup of water to boil, stir in the quinoa.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed.

Heat the canola oil in a large frying pan and saute the onion and garlic until soft.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Makes about 4 servings.