Quinoa is considered to be “a high protein grain with a lot of nutrients from South America.” It is a complete protein meaning it contains all of the essential amino acids your body needs and can’t synthesize for multiple functions. Quinoa dishes can be made similar to brown rice. It has a similar calorie count per cup around 220 and carbohydrates are around 50 grams per 1 cup in brown rice and 39 grams per 1 cup of quinoa. Quinoa has advantage over the brown rice in terms of protein at 8 grams per cup versus 4 grams per cup. It also is a good source of iron. Quinoa is a great alternative for protein for vegetarians. It is also gluten free for those that have celiac disease. There are a variety of different ways you can make the quinoa. One of my favorite and easy recipes includes:
1 cup of quinoa cooked
1cup of your favorite vegetable (can use more than one, in this case I used red peppers and onions)
1 can of chick peas
Mix all together in skillet with olive oil then add in vinaigrette below.
Citrus Vinaigrette: Mix all ingredients together in food processor.
- 1 shallot or garlic chopped
- ½ cup olive oil.
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice.
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- Dash of salt and pepper
