Is Fair Trade Quinoa A Real Thing, Or Has The Superfood's Popularity Hurt Those Who Grow It?

www.huffingtonpost.com - July 9th, 2013

The appetite of countries such as ours for this grain has pushed up prices to such an extent that poorer people in Peru and Bolivia, for whom it was once a nourishing staple food, can no longer afford to eat it. Imported junk food is cheaper. In Lima, quinoa now costs more than chicken.

Read More

Rice and Vegetable Bowl

2 cups cooked basmati rice

1 cup cooked pinto beans

1 cup cooked diced sweet potato

1 large shallot, diced

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

Handful fresh parsley chopped

Handful cherry tomatoes

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

In a deep sided skillet on high heat, cover the bottom with extra virgin olive. When hot, add shallot, tomatoes, garlic, and parsley. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Sauté until soft (about 2 to 4 minutes). Add rice, beans, and sweet and toss well to combine. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Drizzle extra olive oil over the top to serve. Garnish with fresh herbs.

Happy Quinoa Year!

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk - January 6th, 2013

The holiday season has left everyone with a lack of energy. Happy, but tired. Too much partying or just too much emotion? The good news is that this year has been declared the international year of quinoa by the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations). This famous Peruvian superfood has the power to nurture us well into the new year.

2012 was a good year for Peruvian cuisine, it's starting to get the recognition it deserves. You see, we eat dishes that not only fill our bellies but also our soul. Like superheroes, these ingredients have special powers. Maca, the Andean root, gives you a boost of energy. 'Kausac', a potato dish, literally means 'life' - and that's what it gives us. Kiwicha's grain flies through space as part of NASA's astronaut menu. And this year Huayllabambana, a new Peruvian superhero, was discovered - this super seed can produce oil which is 66% Omega 3.

Red, purple and gold carpets of quinoa flowers today drift happily from side to side high up in the Andes. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) was an Inca treasure. Each year the Incan emperor would ceremonially plant the first seeds of the season, digging into the soil with his golden spade. Quinoa was hugely valuable in the Inca trade system and during the solstice priests would offer vessels filled with quinoa to the ancient Inca sun God, Inti. The Spanish, unaware of it's rich properties, replaced it with other cereals in their diet. Despite that, Andean people have protected the tradition that surrounds this crop allowing present and future generations to enrich themselves with quinoa. So we're glad the Spanish didn't find the gold after all!

Known as the 'mother grain' for its balanced nutritional value, it has a high quality protein, high fibre content, minerals and plenty of vitamins. If compared to other similar grains in its category, then quinoa wins hands down; its power is impressive. Take for example its iron content, it has twice the amount that beans have and three times more than rice. It's considered to be a gluten free cereal, so its flour is a perfect solution for coeliac diets.

Read More

Creamy Mushroom and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

6 yellow peppers

1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 cups cooked quinoa

1 small white onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped finely

1 tablespoon fresh parsley

2 tablespoons cream cheese

Sea salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F

In a deep-sided skillet, add olive oil on medium to high heat. Saute onions and mushrooms until soft (about 7 minutes). Add lemon juice, fresh herbs and cream cream. Mix well to combine. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

Cut off stems and remove seeds from inside peppers. Stuff the peppers half full with cooked quinoa. Fill to the top with mushrooms. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the top. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Bake for 20 minutes.

Garnish with fresh herbs and sliced tomatoes to serve.

Quinoa Mozzarella Tomato Salad

2 cups cooked quinoa

1 cup baby mozzarella balls, marinaded in oil

1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 small white onion, chopped

1/2 cup fresh shredded basil

1/2 cup fresh baby spinach, chopped

1 large lemon, juiced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

sea salt and black pepper

Combine all the ingredients. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Drizzle olive oil over the top. Serve chilled.

Veggie Quinoa Hand Rolls

4 toasted hand roll Nori sheets

1 cup cooked Quinoa

1/2 seedless cucumber, sliced lengthwise

1 large carrot,sliced lengthwise

1/4 cup pickled ginger (optional)

good quality low sodium soy sauce

sea salt and black pepper

Place a nori sheet diagonally, shiny side down on a work surface. Place two tablespoons of quinoa diagonally in the middle and add equal amounts of the veggie strips on top, followed by pickled ginger and a light drizzle of soy sauce. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste and roll ice-cream cone style starting from the left. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and serve immediately with extra soy sauce on the side and pickled ginger.

Chicken Quinoa Curry Masala

5 large chicken legs

1 cup quinoa

2 cups vegetable broth

1 large onion, chopped

1 large sweet potato

2 cups baby spinach

3 tablespoons curry masala blend

extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and black pepper

Remove skin off chicken and cut into three equal pieces. 

Combine 1 tablespoon of curry masala blend with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Add chicken pieces, making sure to fully coat the chicken. Leave to rest.

Add vegetable broth and two tablespoons curry masala blend to a large deep sided skillet and cook Quinoa according to the directions on the packaging.

In a large skillet on medium high heat, cover the bottom with extra virgin olive oil (about two tablespoons).  Add onions when hot and saute until soft. Add chicken and sweet potatoes, then lower heat to medium. Season with sea salt and black pepper and continue sauteing until chicken and sweet potatoes are cooked (about 30 minutes). Add spinach and quinoa to the pan and stir to combine. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the top and remove from heat.

Serve hot.

Quinoa Jambalaya

Quinoa: 
2 cups quinoa

2 garlic clove, crushed

4 cups vegetable broth

1 teaspoon vegetable bouillion

1 teaspoon fresh sage

1 teaspoon cumin

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Bring broth to a rolling boil, add quinoa, cumin, sage, bouillon, and garlic. Drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil and stir to combine. Season with sea salt and black pepper and reduce heat to low. Put the lid on and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed and quinoa is cooked but still firm to bite (al dente) about 15 - 20 minutes. Turn heat off and leave lid on.

Content: 

1 lb medium shrimp, devein and peel

4 links chicken and apple sausages, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3 large celery stalks, chopped

1 large white onion, peel and chopped

1 fuji apple, chopped

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

3 scallions, chopped

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

In a deep sided skillet on medium heat, add three tablespoons of olive oil. When hot, add onions, apples, celery, sausage and garlic. Sauté until soft. Add shrimp, sautéing a further 4 minutes or until shrimp turns pink. Add Quinoa and stir well to combine. Add parsley and season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Drizzle extra olive oil on top and serve hot.

Stir Fry Vegetable Shrimp Quinoa

Quinoa:

1 cup quinoa

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 cups vegetable broth

extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Bring broth to a rolling boil, add quinoa and garlic. Drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil and stir to combine. Season with sea salt and black pepper and reduce heat to low. Put the lid on and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed and quinoa is cooked but still firm to bite (al dente) about 15 - 20 minutes. Turn heat off and leave lid on.

Content: 

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3 large carrots, sliced thinly

1 large white onion, peel and chopped

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1 bunch broccoli, cut into small pieces

3 tablespoons capers

1 lb medium shrimp, devein and peel

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

In a deep sided skillet on medium heat, add three tablespoons of olive oil. When hot, add carrots, onions, and garlic. Sauté until soft. Add tomatoes and shrimp, sautéing a further 4 minutes or until shrimp turns pink. Add Quinoa and stir well to combine. Add parsley and capers. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Drizzle extra olive oil on top and serve hot with a crispy salad of your choice.

Quinoa with Butternut Squash and Mushrooms

2 cups cooked Quinoa

2 cups cooked, chopped butternut squash

2 cups cooked, sliced cremini mushrooms

1 small onion, chopped

3 garlic clove, crushed

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

Add enough oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet. When hot, saute onion and garlic until softened. Add vegetables and quinoa to heat through. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Drizzle extra olive oil and fresh herbs over the top. Serve hot.

Quinoa Maple Stuffed Pork Chops

4 pork chops (bone in)

2 cups quinoa, cooked

1 cup fresh sweet corn

1 cup green apple, remove core and chopped

1 white onion, chopped

5 fresh sage leaves, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup maple syrup (glaze)

Salt and black pepper to taste.

Stuffing:

In a large deep sided frying pan, add two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.  When pan is hot, add onions and apples. Saute until soft. Add corn and cooked quinoa to the pan.  Stir to combine all the ingredients. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Leave half the stuffing aside for garnish. Set aside

Pork Chops:

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil generously over the chops (both sides) and rub with fresh sage and garlic.  Season well with salt and black pepper. Make a slit in the side of each chop. Stuff each pork chop with stuffing.

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet and sear pork chops on both sides until browned (3 to 4 minutes). Transfer pork chops to a large greased baking dish. Glazed the top of each chop with maple syrup. Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked. Glaze chops throughout cooking time. Turn chops over halfway and continue glazing until all the maple syrup is used up.  

You can also use pan drippings to glaze the chops because that's where all the great flavor is and color. Remove from heat and allow to rest before serving.

In a large serving platter, cover the bottom with stuffing and arrange pork chops on top.  Glaze the chops with pan drippings and garnish with fresh sage or herbs of your choice. 

Quinoa Warm Roasted Vegetable Salad with Balsamic Pear Vinaigrette

Roasted Vegetables:

3 large zucchinis, cut into spears

1 large eggplant. slice into discs

12 asparagus 

8 cremini mushrooms 

8 large garlic cloves, peeled

1 medium red onion, cut into wedges

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Use two baking sheets. Arrange eggplants and garlic cloves in a single layer on the first sheet pan. Drizzle a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil all over. Season with salt and black pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, turning vegetables over half way during cooking. On the second sheet pan, arrange the rest of the vegetables. Drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper. Bake during the last 10 minutes of the first pans cooking time. Keep vegetables warm while you cook the quinoa.

Quinoa:  

1 cup quinoa

2 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons butter

salt and black pepper to taste

Bring broth to a rolling boil, add quinoa and butter. Stir to combine. Season with salt and black pepper and reduce heat to low. Put the lid on and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed and quinoa is cooked but still firm to bite (al dente) about 15 - 20 minutes.

Balsamic Pear Vinaigrette:

1 Bartlett pear (or similar),peeled, cored, and chopped finely

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 cup balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons raw brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

salt and black pepper to taste

Simmer balsamic vinegar, raw brown sugar, and pear on low heat for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and add extra virgin olive oil and fresh thyme leaves. Blend to fully combine. Season with salt and black pepper. Drizzle over salad.

Cover the bottom of a large serving platter with quinoa and arrange roasted vegetables on top. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Serve warm. 

Roasted Vegetable Spaghetti

1  large yellow capsicum/pepper, cut into bite size chunks

12 asparagus spears, cut into bite size chunks

1 cup cherry tomatoes

3 small garlic cloves, minced

1 large lemon, juiced and zest

1 tablespoon capers (optional)

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 freshly grated parmesan cheese

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil on medium high heat. Season generously with salt. Add spaghetti and cook until cooked (about 8 minutes - don't over cook!). Drain and put back in the pot. Drizzle about three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add half the parmesan cheese, half the minced garlic, lemon zest and toss to combine. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Keep warm.

Pre heat oven to 450 F.

In a large baking sheet toss capsicum/pepper and asparagus in 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, half the minced garlic and lemon juice. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Roast for about 5 to 6 minutes (don't over cook!). Turn oven off and add the cherry tomatoes and capers.  Give it a quick toss and and leave to sit in the oven for a further 3 minutes or more to warm the tomatoes and capers through.

In a large serving bowl. Combine spaghetti and roasted vegetables. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Drizzle extra olive oil all over the top and enjoy!