Quinoa

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
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Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

As a meatless main or a savory side, these stuffed peppers are as pleasing to your tastebuds as they are pretty on the plate. Adding the bay leaf to the quinoa as it cooks infuses each grain with another subtle layer of flavor. For slightly firmer peppers, omit the boiling step and go straight...

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Quinoa Offers Antioxidants for Gluten-Free Diets

Researchers suggest that adding quinoa or buckwheat to gluten-free products significantly increases their polyphenol content, as compared to typical gluten-free products made with rice, corn, and potato flour. Products made with quinoa or buckwheat contained more antioxidants compared with both wheat products and the control gluten-free products. Also of note: antioxidant activity increased with sprouting, and decreased with breadmaking.
Food Chemistry, March 2010; 119 (2): 770-778.

Tangy Quinoa Salad
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Tangy Quinoa Salad

Recipes don’t get much simpler than this. You can vary the vegetables according to what you have on hand.

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Black Quinoa Asian Slaw
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Black Quinoa Asian Slaw

Spicy, crunchy, and flavorful, this slaw is worlds above the cabbage-in-mayo concoction you may associate with “slaw.” In fact, this dish makes a complete meal, with a wide range of vegetables and protein-packed quinoa.

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Chilled Avocado Quinoa Soup
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Chilled Avocado and Red Quinoa Soup

This refreshing summer soup mixes two great Latin flavors: avocados and quinoa.

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Coconut-Spiked Pork with Quinoa and Peanuts
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Coconut-Spiked Pork with Quinoa and Peanuts

I love the unusual combination of flavors in this one-dish meal. It’s easy enough to make for a weeknight dinner and particularly colorful if made with red quinoa.

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Quinoa Corn Chowder with Shrimp
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Quinoa Corn Chowder with Shrimp

This thick soup is hearty enough to serve as an entrée, accompanied by a tossed salad and perhaps a bowl of popcorn—a standard soup garnish used by Ecuadorians that delights children of all ages.

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Creamy Pasta Carbonara
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Cut the Fat, Keep the Creamy Pasta Carbonara

Carbonara is traditionally made by tossing the pasta in bacon grease and heavy cream. By making this dish with turkey bacon, fat-free yogurt, and half-and-half, you still get those great carbonara flavors—my husband’s favorite—without tons of saturated fat.

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Quinoa’s Excellent Nutritional and Functional Properties

Lillian Abugoch James of the University of Chile reported on the composition, chemistry, nutritional and functional properties of quinoa. She cited the pseudocereal’s “remarkable nutritional qualities” including its high protein content (15%), “great amino acid balance,” and “notable Vitamin E content.” Beyond its nutritional profile, Abugoch recommends quinoa to food manufacturers because of its useful functional properties, such as viscosity and freeze stability.
Advances in Food and Nutrition Research, October 2009; 58:1-31

More Protein, Minerals, Fiber in Quinoa

Anne Lee and colleagues at Columbia University’s Celiac Disease Center found that the nutritional profile of gluten-free diets was improved by adding oats or quinoa to meals and snacks. Most notable increases were protein (20.6g vs 11g) iron (18.4mg vs 1.4mg, calcium (182mg vs 0mg) and fiber (12.7g vs 5g
Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, August 2009; 22(4):359-63. Epub 2009 Jun 10.

Quinoa Possible Dietary Aid Against Diabetes

Scientists at the Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil studied ten traditional Peruvian grains and legumes for their potential in managing the early stages of Type 2 diabetes. They found that quinoa was especially rich in an antioxidant called quercetin and that quinoa had the highest overall antioxidant activity (86%) of all ten foods studied. Coming in a close second in antioxidant activity was quinoa’s cousin, kañiwa. This in vitro study led the researchers to conclude that quinoa, kañiwa, and other traditional crops from the Peruvian Andes have potential in developing effective dietary strategies for managing type 2 diabetes and associated hypertension.
Journal of Medicinal Food, August 2009; 12 (4):704-13.

Kañiwa's Healthy Components

Researchers in Peru studied kañiwa, a native Andean pseudo-cereal that is a cousin of quinoa, to determine its potential to contribute to health. They found that kañiwa is rich in total dietary fiber and lignins, with high antioxidant activity. Moreover, they found that kañiwa had good functional properties, making it attractive for food processing.
Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, June 2009; 64(2):94-101. (Repo-Carrasco-Valencia et al.)

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