maple street co-op

Recipes
From "Maple Street Co-op News", Apr/May 2006

Tabbouleh with a Twist – and More!
by Sue Verstraten

Recently, one of our members was purchasing some quinoa (pronounced "keen-wah") so I asked her how she uses it. She needs to eat gluten free, so she uses quinoa instead of bourghul (cracked wheat) because it contains no gluten.

A little-known seed in Australia, quinoa has been cultivated in the Andes since 3000 BC. Along with amaranth, it was revered as sacred by the Incas. It was the tradition for the Inca leader to plant the first quinoa seed each season with a solid gold shovel. Inca soldiers marched for days on "war balls", a mixture of quinoa and fat. Were these the first protein bars? In the 1500s, the Spanish invasion led to yet another decline in good-quality food staples and quinoa cultivation was reduced to small-scale crops grown in remote areas for local consumption.

Nutritionally, quinoa seed has high protein and, unlike other grains except for buckwheat and amaranth, is not missing the amino acid lysine. The protein is equivalent to that of milk and has more iron than other grains as well as high levels of potassium, and riboflavin as well as other B vitamins: B6, niacin and thiamin (B1). It also is a good source of magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese and folate (folic acid).

Quinoa thrives in poor soil, arid climate and high altitudes and has a bitter coating on the seed that stops birds eating it. This coating, called "saponin", is soapy and must be removed in a strong alkaline solution. While this would have been done before you purchase your quinoa, you need to rinse the seed in a strainer under the tap, until the water runs clear, to remove any residue.

To cook, use two parts liquid to one part quinoa. You can also cook the seed in a dry pan on medium heat for 5 minutes to give a delicious toasted flavour. Although the seed itself is soft and creamy, the tail has a little crunch. Also, your liquid can be a stock and you have a base for a pilaf; just add some sautéed onion and garlic in a little oil, add toasted quinoa and liquid (two parts to one) and simmer for 15 minutes. When cooked, throw in herbs and cheese, etc. Easy! Quinoa will bulk out to three times its size.

The seeds are best stored in a dry jar in a cool place.

Now for the tabbouleh...

Ingredients (use organics wherever possible):
1 bunch parsley, washed, dried and finely chopped
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked as above
1/2 red onion, diced finely
1/2 cup mint (optional)
2 tomatoes, diced small
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 tspn fine sea salt
1/2 tspn organic cracked pepper
olive oil drizzled to taste

Method:
Combine all ingredients. Chill before serving.

[From "Maple Street Co-op News", April/May 2006; published by The Maple Street Co-operative Society Ltd, 37 Maple Street, Maleny, Qld 4552, Australia, tel (07) 5494 2088, email maplest.co-op@serv.net.au,
website http://www.maplestreetco-op.com.au]