I'd never heard of quinoa before, let alone eaten it - prior to my son going onto a gluten free diet. My son loves elbow macaroni (especially macaroni and 'cheese') so when I saw this in the gluten free section of my grocery store and it was "the right shape" I tossed it in my shopping cart. I'd previously made him his macaroni with some rice based pasta that was a different pasta shape which he ate, but with some hesitation. I often find that half of the battle with getting my child to eat gluten free food is finding substitutions that "look right". No matter how good something tastes if it doesn't look like it is supposed to then I can forget about him even trying it.

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa is actually pronounced keen-wa and it is a grain with ancient roots back to the Incas where it was a staple food along with corn and potatoes. As far as grains go, if you are looking for protein then turn to Quinoa. If you want to learn more about the history of this ancient grain and its many nutritional attributes check out the www.quinoa.net site for Ancient Harvest Quinoa.

About this Quinoa Pasta

Quinoa Elbow Macaroni comes in a turquoise 8 oz box for around $2, which is probably the most affordable gluten-free food I've ever purchased. The elbows look just the same as 'regular' elbow macaroni except perhaps slightly more yellow in color. The yellowish color is due to the fact that Quinoa pasta is a combination of Quinoa grain with corn flours. The end result is a gluten free pasta that is high in protein and safe for Celiacs and those on special gluten free diets.

If you can boil water than you can cook with Quinoa pasta. To make this all you do is boil water and then put in the Quinoa noodles and bring it back to a boil for around 15 minutes or the noodles are your desired consistency. I like the Quinoa elbows because they are not mushy in the slightest, nor are they sticky. I do suggest putting in a teaspoon of salt in your water when you cook the Quinoa elbows to add a bit to their flavor. Usually when you serve up macaroni you are saucing it up anyways so the fact they are light and don't have a lot of their own taste doesn't matter as much as their super consistency.


How I make gluten free/casein free macaroni and cheese

My son's favorite dish with Quinoa elbows is macaroni and cheese. These elbows lend themselves really well to making macaroni and cheese because the slight yellowish tint helps make the mac and cheese look "right" (or more like Kraft dinner). To make his gfcf macaroni and cheese I first boil up about half a box of Quinoa elbows. After straining the water out I return the elbows back to the pot and add in a teaspoon of margarine (be sure to check to make sure your margarine doesn't contain casein as many do) and stir it into the elbows over low heat. Next I add in diced cubes of Vegan Gourmet Cheese (non-dairy cheese) in Cheddar flavor and stir it till it melts completely. Half of the box gives my son two big bowls of macaroni and cheese that he happily devours.

I worried that when we put my son on a wheat free and dairy free diet he wouldn't be able to eat many of his favorite dishes, and with Quinoa elbows I've conquered the Macaroni and Cheese hurdle! I'm even happier that I'm able to do this with a high protein nutritious pasta that is priced very reasonably. I'm definitely a Quinoa convert now.

Try Quinoa!




www.quinoa.net


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