There are certain whole food items that are regarded as staple foods. Here in our house virtually every dinner is served with potatoes. We eat potatoes with everything and anything. We bake them, boil them, we roast them and we mash them. We also make them into chips, potato cakes, and casseroles. When we run out of ideas for cooking potato it will be a sad day in our house.
Another staple food is rice. While not quite as flexible as the humble potato it can be cooked and used in many ways as a main meal or a dessert. Lord knows I’ve made many “can of soup + rice + meat” casseroles around here!
So what about quinoa whole foods?
Is using quinoa as a staple food a viable option for your household and eating lifestyle? Is it easy to use in lots of different types of foods and recipes? It certainly is! Let’s talk about some easy ways you can include quinoa in your diet today.
Quinoa as a Side Dish
You can very easily substitute quinoa as the side dish where you would normally serve rice. Because quinoa is more substantial than rice with a slight flavor of its own I believe it is a better option for many casseroles. It really improves the overall taste of the meal and makes it more filling. You can reduce the quantity and still feel full.
Cous Cous is used in North Africa and some Mediterranean countries as a base for salad. You can use quinoa is a similar way. You can mix in anything you have to hand with the quinoa and have a delicious meal ready in a few minutes. To add further punch you can dress the salad with mayonnaise or French dressing. For example, it is very easy to chop up some sweet peppers, celery and carrots and toss them together with quinoa. It only takes moments and tastes delicious.
Why Quinoa Whole Foods are Great
The point about quinoa is that is is much more easy to use than most people imagine. It comes in different colors and different forms. There are the standard quinoa grains like red quinoa and black quinoa. Then there are quinoa flakes that can be used in baking and in breakfast cereals. You can also use the flakes as a granola ingredient. You can also buy gluten free quinoa flour for use in special gluten free bread and cookie recipes as well as delicious quinoa pasta.
The possibilities with organic quinoa are limitless!
Get some great quinoa buying tips here.
Learn how to cook quinoa with these videos.