Now that we all have finally figured out how to pronounce quinoa, maybe it is time to make it an essential part of our daily diet. I am so into quinoa that it is not weird at all for me to eat it at least once a day. From quinoa salad to quinoa casseroles, this amazing little seed is an extremely versatile and healthy addition to most recipes.

Why I love quinoa.

I became so intrigued with quinoa partially due to the amazing health benefits, the fact that it is low calorie, and also because so many people told me they hate the taste of it. When I realized so few people knew about it much less liked it, I decided I will make the world love quinoa. I started trying every recipe I could find and quite honestly mastered a few of them, if I say so myself. Then, the day came where my father (The most extreme quinoa hater of all haters) ate my broccoli quinoa casserole and then ate it again and again and again until he ate the entire casserole. If his delightful return for seconds and thirds wasn't reassurance enough he also spoke about this recipe for weeks to not only my mom but also his friends (it is linked at the bottom of this article!) I had done my job, for now. We are from the south hence most of our food is fried, buttered, or full of grease. So, not so surprisingly last year at the young age of 55 my father had to have a triple bypass open heart surgery. The surgery was an amazing success and now he is running 5Ks just for fun. But, since his surgery I have been trying to encourage healthier eating habits. Now that I have achieved the task of my fathers approval of quinoa, and he eats it on a regular basis I feel it is my time to share this wonderful knowledge with the world.

What makes quinoa so great?

Quinoa is cooked like a whole grain, but is actually the seed of a beet relative. This amazing little seed has the perfect balance of all nine amino acids that are quintessential for nutrition. This type of complete protein is quite rarely found in plant foods, because it is mostly found in meat. Quinoa is also rich in vitamins and nutrients including B vitamins, Magnesium, Calcium, Fiber, Vitamin E, Iron, and Potassium. If you remember in my apples over caffeine article we talked about ATP which is what fuels our body; Iron helps to make ATP, promotes good circulation, and can also help improve concentration. An interesting statistic is that over 90 percent of Americans actually are deficient in Potassium, so not only is this a great diet food but also a healthy addition for 90 percent of us.

Now do you want to hear the amazing news?

Every half cup of cooked quinoa is only 111 calories with eight grams of proteins and only two grams of fat. If these numbers aren't impressive enough then how about the fact that quinoa can actually help you to lose weight! The fact is we need to burn more calories than eat in order to lose weight. Quinoa's high protein content will reduce appetite and also increase metabolism while the high fiber content will make you feel more full with having to eat fewer calories.

It is so easy to cook!

The ratio when cooking quinoa is always one cup of uncooked quinoa to tow cups of liquid. Once cooked you will now have approximately three cups of Quinoa. The liquid part is up to you, if you are wanting to be extremely healthy or you are using the quinoa in recipes such as a casserole or stuffed pepper then using water as your liquid with a little salt is perfect. If you are making it more as a side dish or want more flavor (I typically make it this way) use a broth!

Now how to cook these bad boys.

Bring water or broth to a rolling boil then add quinoa. Reduce heat to lowest setting. Cover the quinoa and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and let it set for another five minutes. Then remove lid and fluff up the quinoa! You are done!

Below I have listed some of my favorite quinoa recipes that will turn even the biggest critic into quinoa fanatics!

My favorite quinoa recipes:

Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

(However I do blanch the peppers or roast them before I bake them because I like them very soft, but that is up to you!)

Quinoa Chili

Quinoa Salad

I hope you all enjoy!