Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah):

Quinoa cooks like a grain, but is actually a seed and is a good source of vegetable protein. It contains high levels of minerals and is rich in vitamins and can be used instead of rice or pastas.

Quinoa is easy and quick food to prepare. It has a protein content of between 12-18% and unusually for the vegetable world has a complete set of essential amino acids. It is high in both magnesium and iron and is easy to digest and gluten free, with a good amount of fibre. Because of its food value it is being considered by NASA for its long-duration manned spaceflights.

For thousands of years, quinoa used to be the staple food of the Incas. It is very versatile and can be used in both savoury and sweet dishes. The easiest way to cook it is bring two cups of water to a boil with one cup of quinoa, covering at a low simmer and cooking for 14–18 minutes. It is served instead of rice, pasta or potatoes and the leftovers could be used for breakfast as a breakfast mix with nuts, seed and berries.

Quinoa can also be sprouted like alfalfa or mung beans. Sprouting increases the vitamin and mineral content and this means that it can be used raw in salads as you would other sprout. Alternatively, a mix of different sprouts would make a good addition to any raw dish.

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