Weighing in on Quinoa

Um...I have tried Quinoa...and, well, it's not my favorite thing on the planet...

Quinoa, for those of you who don't know, is a little seed...like as small as poppy seeds...you cook it to soften it, and well, it never really loses that seed like quality.

I have tried Quinoa many many many different ways...and yes, it is supposed to be this super dee duper food that people in South America eat in total abundance and it's soooooo healthy for you it's ridiculous....but, it's a bunch of seeds...I tried it as a warm breakfast cereal, I tried it in a salad (that Waldorf-esque salad), I have tried it plain, I tried it mixed in with soup...and there's a reason why Quinoa isn't on most restaurant menus...it's a bunch of teeny seeds...the flavour is pretty good (tastes like almonds to me, even though it's described as having just a 'nutty' flavour) it's the texture for me...it's not even like couscous...it gets all up in your mouth EVERYWHERE so you feel like you have to rinse after you're done!

I am going to give it a couple more chances in a couple of recipes...so I'll let you all know if I have changed my mind or not...other than that, maybe I need to look for Quinoa flour...or if I need pasta, then get the Quinoa pasta (not a big pasta kid tho')

In other news...this week I have to make soup for the cooking club at work. I am going to make something with lentils (because I think I love this legume now!). There's also a lunch and learn tomorrow about the benefits of eating locally! This is great!

I was also thinking alot about the cost difference of eating whole foods...and I am convinced that it totally balances itself out in the long run. I mean sure, some of the fruit and veg are more expensive (in my opinion, they seem to be lasting longer than the other crap so it makes it worth it - produce here is dead before you even get it home sometimes!) but I am starting to buy alot of raw ingredients to make my own stuff (like, lentils are $1.97 and whole oats for cereal are like $2.50 for a giant bag that will probably last for the whole month, whereas in comparison, a small box of cereal that lasts a week costs over $6.00) I should probably think about doing a shop comparison (I just don't want to scare the people who read this and don't live in Bermuda!).

I'm also hoping to make these lentil burgers that I found the recipe for in Clean Eating, and corn meal casserole... which sounds "interesting", but after looking at the ingredients, it looks pretty yummy, so we shall see!