Quinoa!

Always someone to try something new, I discovered Quinoa at my favourite local gluten-free bakery Lorenzos Specialty Foods.  And shortly thereafter I discovered Red Quinoa at the local Bulk Barn.  It kept popping up everywhere, how could I not try it?

I have to say that Quinoa is a new favourite.  It kind of has a nutty taste to it and it cooks just like rice.  I love it so much that on my next quinoa run I picked up quinoa flour and Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming's Quinoa 365 The Everyday Superfood.  This cookbook rocks!  

And so does their website Quinoa 365 which contains new recipes that are not found in the cookbook.

I love their recipe for Quinoa Pancakes.

I tweaked the recipe by adding about 3 heaping tablespoons of gluten-free all-purpose flour just because I found the pancake mix a wee bit thin.

I also made their Strawberry Banana Muffin recipe using gluten-free flour, and 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum and substituting the strawberries for raspberries.  But even if you use the original non-gluten-free recipe you must try this recipe out--the quinoa adds an interesting texture.

Anyway, new favourite food and cookbook that I thought to rave about and share.