Quinoa, May WildFlours GFGroup

Quinoa Flat Bread

Quinoa… At our May WildFlours Gluten Free Group last night we had a good discussion about this “mother of all grains”.  So, Quinoa, what is it?  It is actually not a grain but a seed.  Quinoa is the seed of the Chenopodium plant, which is better known as the goosefoot plant because its leaves resemble a goose’s webbed foot. There are more than 120 species of the goosefoot plant, ranging in color from ivory to pink, brown, red, and almost black. However, only three main varieties are cultivated today: white or sweet quinoa, red quinoa, and black quinoa. The seeds are similar in size to millet but have a different shape—flat with a pointed oval shape resembling a cross between a sesame seed and a millet seed. Nonetheless, this ancient seed is used as a grain because of its cooking characteristics. Close relatives of quinoa are beets, spinach, and Swiss chard.

How do you say it?  Quinoa is pronounced “Keen-wah”.  Is it gluten free?  The quinoa seed is GF and high in protein, calcium, and iron, and it is a relatively good source of vitamin E and several B vitamins. It contains a nearly perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids, making quinoa a complete protein food. Quinoa is exceptionally high in the amino acids lysine, cystine, and methionine. Again, these amino acids are typically low in other grains and legumes.

We shared lots of tips for using quinoa and cooking/baking with it.  The biggest thing to remember is that you need to rinse the seeds before cooking them to remove any saponin residue.  Saponin is a naturally occurring soapy coating on the outside of the seed that is there to deter pests.  Most of the saponin is washed away when the seed is harvested and prepared for packaging.  However, I have found that there is still residue that will cause your cooked quinoa to have a soapy or bitter taste if you do not rinse them before hand.  The easiest way to do this is by soaking the seeds in water and a teaspoon or less of apple cider vinegar.  You can soak them for 15 minutes or as long as overnight.  Either way, you will then be able to rinse away any residue much easier.  Make sure you have a fine mesh strainer for rinsing or your seeds will fall right through.

I made the Quinoa flat bread above to share with the group.  I found the recipe out of “Cooking with Quinoa” by Rena Patten.  On page 36 of her cookbook, is her recipe for “Olive Flat Bread”.  I made several adjustments to come up with the bread that we shared.  The thing about baking with Quinoa flour is that it has a bitterness that can be strong.  So, here is the recipe I came up with based on Rena Patten’s recipe:

Quinoa Flat Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Quinoa flour
• 1/3 cup Millet Flour
• 1/3 cup Sorghum Flour
• 1/3 cup Tapioca Starch or Arrowroot Starch Flour
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano OR rosemary, crushed
• 2 Tbls melted coconut oil or olive oil
• 1 cup warm unsweetened coconut milk
• Extra coarse sea salt for sprinkling on top

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Oil a pizza pan or line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly oil the parchment paper.
2. In a medium size bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
3. In a measuring cup, measure out the coconut milk and then add the oil to the milk, stir.
4. Gradually whisk the milk/oil into the dry ingredients until well incorporated and smooth.  You will have a very wet batter.
5. Pour into prepared pan and smooth into a round using a spatula.  Sprinkle the top with the extra coarse sea salt if desired.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.  Remove to a cooling rack and cool completely before slicing.  Cooling helps the bread set and not crumble when cut.

One of the attendees, Kristy, gave a great savory recipe using Quinoa.  Here is her recipe for you to try below  These meatballs sound so delicious I cannot wait to try them!:

Beef and Quinoa Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup cooked Quinoa
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
• 1/4 cup grated carrots
• 1/4 cup grated zucchini
• 2 Tbls ketchup
• 1 Tbls garlic
• 1 Tbls soy sauce, gluten free
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with oil of your choice.
2. Mix all ingredients well.
3. Form into 16 balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Roast the meatballs in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.

Note: Kristy mentioned you can substitute the following ingredients if need be for allergies… GF Tamari for the soy sauce, omit the ketchup, egg replacer for the egg, cooked oats for the quinoa.

A huge thank you to Susan Tokarz for letting us use the beautiful offices of Balance Bodyworks for the meeting!  Also to everyone who came, I hope you all enjoyed learning and sharing resources.  Please come again!