The new superfood: Quinoa

We're at one of our favorite restaurants, Holy Taco, in East Atlanta Village. And by "our" favorite, I mean, the place that I force Jen to go to waaay too often, as she mumbles, "again" under her breath. The place is not quite farm to table, but they definitely have a bias towards sourcing things the right way, thus, the "holy".

They update their menu frequently, and there's been a new addition of something called Quinoa salad. I asked the waiter about it and he starts spouting all these great things that it has in it: super high in protein (and is a "complete" protein), calcium, vitamins, minerals and is gluten free. Sold!

I'm wondering why I haven't heard about this before? It's got as much protein as those stupid shakes I used to drink. Could easily replace meat for vegetarians. And is super versatile as it is a grain that acts a lot like a pasta. It' s similar to couscous in texture and like a rice when cooked, in that it absorbs the flavor of what it's cooked in. It could easily be breakfast with a little butter and honey or a vegetable laden side dish or a baked good. It's extremely versatile. Annnd it's delicious.

Turns out it's yet another wrong-headed decision foisted on the indigenous people of South American (Incans) who were growing it. The Conquistadors basically forbade it, and insisted that they grow corn instead. Brilliant. Thus it remained off the grid and grown primarily by remote farmers. Click here for the backstory. It's a wild one.

Now it's getting play as the UN has endorsed it as a superfood, and it's getting distribution through Whole Foods and other natural stores. Well worth a try.

Jen made a brilliant dish of it last night. She'll post that recipe next.