Food Storage Product Highlight: Quinoa

It is as easy to cook as rice, but contains a whole lot more nutritional punch.  Read on to see just why you should not only add Quinoa to your food storage, but to your everyday diet!

Photo Credit: Nerissa Ring

I just started using Quinoa regularly about 1 year ago.  In fact, I hadn't even heard of it before then.  But it has become quite the staple in our home.  I use it at least weekly.  We love it: even my kids.  I was thrilled when Shelf Reliance announced that they had added it to their line of products.

I'm going to use my love of Quinoa to start another great series on this blog: Food Storage Product Highlights. 


Are you sensing something here?  Yep, the OCD side of my personality is feeling a need to better organize how / when I post on this blog.  You will be seeing a few series starting up.  I already started one yesterday: My top food storage tips.  I will be starting another really exciting one (at least in my book, but c'mon, this stuff really gets me excited!) on the 28th: A week by week guide to putting together your own 72 hr kit.  That one actually comes at the request of a few different readers.

But, I digress....back to Quinoa.  While most often used as a grain, Quinoa actually is not part of the grain family; it is a pseudocereal. and is closely related to Spinach!  

Photo Credit: T-Dubisme

Quinoa Nutrition:
Quinoa has an extremely high protein content (50% more than brown rice), and its balanced set of essential amino acids make it a complete protein source, which is unusual among plant foods.  Soy is the only other plant based food with this quality.  As such, it is a great meat substitute for Vegans.  It also provides fiber, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron. Plus, it is gluten free and can be eaten by those with Celiac disease. Wow!

Quinoa Uses:
I most often use Quinoa as a replacement for brown rice.  Brown rice doesn't store well and my husband (who has spent years in Asia) doesn't love it.  He loves his white rice, which I try desperately to avoid.  But we actually started eating Quinoa at his recommendation: a friend prepared it for him and he loved it.  So, we got rid of all our brown rice and started using Quinoa instead.

Photo Credit: Sweet On Veg

I love it in soups and stir frys.  It can also be added to salads - as the main ingredient or with other greens.  Or grind it to a flour and use it in gluten free baking.  Or, try mixing it with some freeze dried fruit and cinnamon and cooking it up in milk instead of water as a breakfast cereal.  And a fun, but less well known use: Use it as a binding agent in things like meatloaf (instead of the less healthy breadcrumbs).

Preparing Quinoa:

Prepare it just like rice: boil it.  Place 1 part Quinoa in 2 parts cold water.  Bring to a boil and then simmer.  10-12 minutes will give you a nutty and crunchy feel / taste.  18-20 minutes will make it soft and fluffy like rice (but it will not become sticky and icky like overcooked rice does). It expands to 3-4 times its size when cooked.  So 1 cup dry will yield 3-4 cups cooked.

A Quinoa Recipe:
One of my favorites is this Quinoa Stew.  I'll post more....

Quinoa Goal:
My goal: to try making Quinoa pasta...someone followup with me on that, okay?  Please......

I am an independent consultant for Shelf Reliance; a company with a mission to empower others to become self reliant, prosperous and charitable.  You can learn more about Shelf Reliance, buying their products, earning free products, or selling their products on my Shelf Reliance website.