A few weeks ago a friend of mine suggested that I try couscous as an alternative to rice or pasta that I usually add as a side dish accompanying poultry or meat. He also mentioned quinoa, which I purchased and liked just as much as the couscous and decided to write a product review about this versatile dish.
I invited a vegetarian friend of mine to join me for dinner and this time she actually accepted because quinoa is a complete protein having a balanced set of amino acids, making it a complete protein source that is rare in plants, according to Livestrong.com. It’s also high in iron, fiber, and free of gluten.
I prepared this dish much like I do rice, except I added two cups of chicken broth to the one cup of quinoa with selected spices. After the broth boils, simmering only takes ten minutes. To complete this as a main dish I merely added sauteed onions, fresh green beans, and chopped green and red peppers. In addition, we of course had to have some semi-sweet chocolate covered granola squares for dessert. We liked the crunchy texture and slightly nutty flavor the quinoa has, as well as the fluffy result like rice has.
Trader Joe’s quinoa has 170 calories per 1/4 cup serving, only 30 of those calories are from fat, it has no saturated or trans fat, no cholesterol, 5 grams of sodium, 30 grams of total carbohydrates, 3 grams of dietary fiber, 5 grams of protein, and 10 percent of your daily recommended in take of iron. It is a delicious food that I would recommend to anyone, including vegetarians, vegans, or to meat consumers alike.
