Quinoa (with recipe)

            This “grain” (quinoa is not truly a grain, but the seed of a leafy plant) is native to the Andes and was cultivated and eaten by the Incas thousands of years ago. Quinoa flourishes under rough conditions, surviving drought, frost, and poor soil, and yet still manages to produce a high-protein seed with more calcium than milk and an abundance of amino acids, including lysine.

            Though most quinoa is imported from South America, it is now being cultivated in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, where the conditions can be harsh enough to keep the quinoa growing well. A small yellowish grain with a sproutlike tail, quinoa cooks quickly to form a light, fluffy, and creamy dish. Quinoa has a bitter coating, called saponin, that protects the seed from predators and shields it from direct sunlight. The saponin has been removed before it reaches the store. However, quinoa should always be rinsed well before use in order to remove any remaining residue. Quinoa can also be ground and used as a nutrient-rich flour in breads and other baked goods.

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QUINOA SALAD

1 ½ cups quinoa

1 small zucchini, diced

1 small carrot, diced

1 small red pepper, seeded and diced

1 small yellow squash, diced

5 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

Salt and pepper

6 ounces goat cheese

1.      Cook quinoa in 3 cups of salted water, covered, over medium heat, until all water is absorbed (15 minutes).

2.      While quinoa is cooking, toss vegetables together. Make vinaigrette with olive oil, vinegar, tarragon, salt and pepper. Toss vegetables with cooked, room-temperature quinoa. Add vinaigrette. Toss. Crumble goat cheese on top.

3.      Serves four.

Buckwheat (with recipe)

            A hardy grasslike herb, buckwheat produces a three-cornered seed, known as kasha or buckwheat groats, that is used in much the same manner as grain.  High in potassium and phosphorus, buckwheat contains all eight essential amino acids and is particularly high in lysine. Buckwheat is a staple in Russia and in Brittany, but it is not so commonly used in the United States. That is unfortunate, for buckwheat is one of the few commercially grown products that are not routinely doused with insecticides – for its extreme hardiness makes it almost blight-free. Buckwheat is grown extensively for honey making; dark and flavorful, it yields one of the most nutritious of honeys.

            Buckwheat groats are generally available roasted or raw. If you enjoy a really fresh-roasted flavor, buy the raw groats and roast them yourself; just put them in a heavy frying pan over medium heat and stir until browned on all sides. Kasha (as roasted buckwheat groats are more usually called) can be served as a warming breakfast cereal, with honey and cream added. It can also be used as stuffing for game or fowl, or served as a rice substitute. If you find the pungent musty flavor of kasha a little strange at first, try mixing it with rice.

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KASHA WITH RICE

4 cups water

1½ teaspoons salt

1 cup brown rice

1 egg

1 cup kasha (roasted)

1 tablespoon butter

·        Bring salted water to boil. Meanwhile wash brown rice in a sieve and drain it. When water reaches rolling boil, sprinkle rice in slowly enough so that the water does not stop boiling. Cover tightly.

·        Beat egg and mix with kasha until all grains are coated. In a hot heavy frying pan stir this mixture briskly until each grain of kasha is dry and separate. When rice has been cooking for 15 minutes, add the kasha to it and cover. Cook for 30 minutes more, until liquid is absorbed and kasha and rice are tender. Add butter.

·        Serve as a side dish with fresh steamed vegetables or fish.

·        Serves four.