Quinoa part of "TOP TEN BEST FOODS EVER"

I was first introduced to QUINOA by Suzanne Sommers cook books, which pretty much taught me how to cook, really understand and see through labels, and use vegetables, herbs and spices in a way I never knew you could.

ANYWAY, Quinoa was one of the best things I learned how to use and utilize and WHY!! If you are TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT, you MUST replace it with your starchier grains like WHEAT, POTATOES and CORN with QUINOA. MUCH easier to lose weight by cooking with it partly because it carries the most protein of any grain. And you need PROTEIN to feed your muscles, which burn the most fat for you without you even doing anything. SO….

HAVE YOU EVER COOKED WITH IT? WHAT RECIPES DO YOU MAKE WITH IT? SHARE WITH US!!!

I will say your best bet is to buy it from a health food store or online. The best deal I have found for it is $2.15/lb at a health food store. Trader Joes and Whole Foods now charge $3.99/lb (BOO!)

Here is a little about it:

Pronounced (keen-wah), David Zinczenko, author of The Abs Diet Ultimate Nutrition Handbook, lists quinoa–a grain, as #7 on his ranking of the 100 Best Foods Ever.

(The top ten: Berries, Eggs, Yogurt, Black Beans, Kiwifruit, Almonds, Quinoa, Salmon, Oats, Spinach/Kale, Mango, Tomatoes.)

Although still relatively unknown or unused in the majority of the world, with the exception of health food enthusiasts, quinoa has been prolifically grown throughout the mountains of South America since 3,000 B.C. Growing easily at higher altitudes and in cold dry climates, the grain assisted in the development of great cultures. The Incas considered it to be the bread of life.
Quinoa is a single species of the Chenopodium genus–it’s not in the grass family like wheat or barley. A perennial, salt-tolerant plant, growing from 1.5–6 feet tall, it bears red, black, or white small flat seeds known as quinoa. The seed itself is high in polyunsaturated fatty acids 8.75%, protein 16.2%, and starch 65.2%. Rich in calcium, manganese, magnesium, iron, copper, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, it is also a good source of the B vitamins. Its composition of amino acids is balanced (lysine, methionine, cystine), from which quinoa receives the “perfect food” title. A half cup has 374 calories, 13 grams of protein, and 6 grams of fat– less than 1g saturated.

Today quinoa can be steamed and ready, replacing any grain, in 15 minutes. For the kid in all of us, pasta versions are available as well, most always gluten and wheat free.

HAVE YOU EVER TRIED IT?!?!?