Quinoa

Quinoa pronounced Kin-wah is one of the latest foodie trends.
High in protein, iron and even fibre it has great health benefits especially of you are a vegetarian.

So after hearing all the hoop-lah about it I thought I had better give it a go.
So I headed on down to Thomas Dux grocer a little gourmet grocer in Black Rock, Melbourne. They had all types...red, white, royal mix, flour even cereal and as it turns out at this stage I had no idea what was the difference. As it turns out you can just get different colours and it in different forms.

Just as I was about to pick it up I realised they sold quinoa bread and salad already made so I got a coconut, roasted almond and coriander quinoa to go.
Now It is a grain grown primarily in a crop for its little seeds, it is generally cooked and is lite and fluffy and has a distinct nutty flavour about it.
To my surprise it was delish! It was crunchy yet light and simple yet flavoursome it would make a great substitute to rice or Couscous.

The bread was gorgeous as well quinoa and soya bean loaf crunchy outside and light in the middle and guess the brand ... Brasserie bread.
For those who follow I did a blog on brasserie not long ago.

After some research quinoa is very versatile it is a gluten and wheat free grain that is basically treated as a rice boiled or cooked in a rice cooker for the same time you would usually cook rice for, then you can then add Vegetables and seasonings to vamp it up.
Chicken stock can be substituted for water during cooking, it can even be transformed into a classic pilaf with a funky new twist.
I actually think that I have been converted I never, well I try to never follow trends however in this case I think I will defiantly be investing time into creating dishes with quinoa.

My only challenge I have ahead of me is to convince "Hubby" that good things DO taste good.