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2009/07/20

DAY 2

Quinoa is...interesting.

I suspect that, in the hands of a more competent cook, it would be quite tasty. Mine was, well, yeah. You know. Better than an $. 88 frozen dinner. And, of course, if you can believe what you read, it was way better for me. Which is the whole point here.

It does taste better tonight, though. Partly because some leftovers are just that way, and partly because I revved it up a little. I warmed it up by melting a little bit of butter (Yes! real butter. You got something to say about that? Huh? You got a problem with that?) and, I guess, sautee'ing the whole mess-- please feel free to correct my cooking terms--and adding more onion powder. Carol (best friend and food guru) said that I should try making the Quinoa in chicken or beef broth instead of water when I first cook it, and then add vegetables and whatnot. That sounds even more promising. Again, I'll keep you updated on the Quinoa. In the meantime, you should know that after only a modest cereal-bowl-size serving, I am stuffed.

The rest of the day was pretty much like yesterday, with the addition of some frozen purple seedless grapes to get me over the afternoon work blahs. And let me tell you, after 48 hours of no sweeteners, sugar or artificial, they tasted like heaven.

Heaven.

UPDATE:
It's about thirty minutes later, and I am still very full. But I want something--anything!--sweet so bad I am in a little bitty frenzy about it. I do have a perfect banana in there, perfectly yellow, ten minutes past green and not a hint of brown--and that would fix the sweet craving, I think, but: I am not hungry.

So.

I drank some Metromint water (which I hoarded all day long just in case of such an emergency as this.) It helps. Some. I guess I will go ride my bike. I have about 15 minutes.

Right now, all I can think is, this better all be worth it.

UPDATED UPDATE:

Ya. That works.

And for those of you playing along at home, if it's still 90+ degrees outside, you'll get the best results.

2 CLICK HERE, and you can have your say, too!:

Anonymous said...

Quinoa in its natural state has a coating of bitter-tasting saponins, making it unpalatable. Most quinoa sold commercially in North America has been processed to remove this coating. Some have speculated this bitter coating may have caused the Europeans who first encountered quinoa to reject it as a food source, since they adopted other indigenous food plants of the Americas like maize and potatoes. This bitterness has beneficial effects during cultivation as the plant is unpopular with birds and thus requires minimal protection. There have been attempts to lower the saponin content of quinoa through selective breeding to produce sweeter, more palatable varieties. When new varieties were introduced by agronomists to native growers in the high plateau, however, the native growers rejected the new varieties despite their 'magnificent' yields. Because the seeds no longer had a bitter coating, birds had consumed the entire crop after just one season.

The saponins in quinoa can be mildly toxic, as can be the oxalic acid in the leaves of all the chenopodium family. The risks associated with quinoa are minimal, provided it is properly prepared and leaves are not eaten to excess.





Quinoa, uncooked
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 370 kcal 1540 kJ
Carbohydrates 64 g
- Starch 52 g
- Dietary fibre 7 g
Fat 6 g
- polyunsaturated 3.3 g
Protein 14 g
Water 13
Thiamine (Vit. B1) 0.36 mg 28%
Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.32 mg 21%
Vitamin B6 0.5 mg 38%
Folate (Vit. B9) 184 μg 46%
Vitamin E 2.4 mg 16%
Iron 4.6 mg 37%
Magnesium 197 mg 53%
Phosphorus 457 mg 65%
Zinc 3.1 mg 31%

Percentages are relative to US
recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient database


Almost as many carbs as pasta and not much fiber.

12:00 PM
Roxie said...

Well.

This is altogether disturbing. I will have to open this up for debate, apparently. And, as everyone who knows me knows, I usually agree with whoever is talking. But, I do leave you, Mdme. or Mssrs. Annonymous with this quote:

"Quinoa is a true wonder food," says Daniel Fairbanks, Ph.D., a professor of plant and animal science at Brigham Young University. "It has about twice the protein of regular cereal grains, fewer carbohydrates, and even a dose of healthy fats." Plus, it's considered a "complete" protein, which means that, like meat, eggs, and dairy, it packs all of the essential amino acids your body needs to build muscle.

5:33 PM

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