Food of the week: Quinoa

Are you ready for this Mom? You're going to be so happy! This week's food of the week is none other than...duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh!....Quinoa.

It seems that quinoa has a very loyal following. Those that love it, want to spread its good word to people around the world. If there was ever a superfood, it would be quinoa. It's super-nutritious and easy to make.

Benefits:

• Excellent source of magnesium, which helps prevent migraines and hypertension.
• Helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol in postmenopausal women.
• Fiber, fiber, fiber!
• Lowers incidence of asthma in children.
• Contains plant lignans which help protect against breast cancer and heart disease.
• Lowers type II diabetes risk.
• Good source of protein (especially for vegans because it provides all the essential amino acids found in meat and dairy).
• Easy to cook
• Cool looking

Drawbacks:

• Can be more expensive than grains (but it expands a lot when cooking, so it kind-of evens itself out).

Ways to eat quinoa:

• Substitute quinoa for pasta or rice, as I did with my Cheesy Quinoa Surprise.
• Add it to vegetable soup.
• Eat it like a hot cereal.
• Use it in cookies.

Little known fact:

• Quinoa is not actually a grain, but the seed of a plant closely related to spinach.