With the increasing awareness for eating healthy, many people are turning their focus to finding alternative ingredients that would provide them the most beneficial results from their everyday meals. One of these alternatives is the use of quinoa (pronounced “keen-wa”) in place of grains like rice.

Quinoa is not considered a grain since it doesn’t come from the grass family; rather it comes from a broadleaf plant similar to beets and spinach. The plant itself originated in the Andes Mountain of South America and has been a staple in the Incan culture for more than 6,000 years.

 An important benefit that quinoa brings to the healthy diet equation is its high level of protein, averaging about 16%, with some varieties producing more than 20%. These levels are quite significant compared to about 8% from rice, about 10% from millet, and about 14% from wheat.

Other benefits that quinoa provides is that it contains a balanced set of essential amino acids, making it a complete source of protein derived from a plant food. Additionally, it provides a good source of dietary fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, and is gluten free.

Although the leaves of the quinoa plant are also edible, chances are that it would be difficult to find even at the large grocery chains. The most commercially available part of this plant is the seeds. Until about a couple of years ago, quinoa seeds could only be purchased through specialty stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. Fortunately, the popularity of this product has made it possible to be stocked at mainstream food aisles of the major food chains.

Quinoa has a light, fluffy, and silky texture when cooked and also produces a slightly nutty flavor. The common cooking method for quinoa is similar to that of cooking rice with a 2-to-1 ratio for liquid and quinoa respectively (where the liquid can either be stock, broth, or plain water).

No doubt that you probably thought of someone scampering in the night out in the middle of a field trying to steal some livestock of some sort.  Indeed with a name like Gourmet Conspiracy, the word poaching tends to have a sinister connotation.  I refer, of course to the cooking method and yet even this meaning might bring about memories of negative dining experiences.

How can this be?!  It is because there are poachers out there that can't tell the difference between poaching and boiling.  If this is your idea of poaching, shame on you!

Poaching is a wet cooking method where the food is cooked in a gently simmering liquid other than oil. This method of cooking is typically reserved for delicate ingredients that might easily fall apart or dry out through other types of cooking methods.  Ideal foods for poaching include fish, eggs, vegetables and fruits.  Additionally lean meats, like chicken, can also benefit from this cooking method.

It is important to know that poaching is done using low heat with short cooking time (typically not to exceed 60 minutes).  The temperature of the poaching liquid is ideally around 160-185°F (71-85°C) and should not come to a boil which is around 212°F (100°C).  If the food is cooked in boiling poaching liquid, the blood proteins excretes from meats and produces a white goo around the meat.   Although it's harmless, it might be unsightly for some eaters.  The point is - the liquid should be simmering to gentle boil but not rapid boil.

What's in the liquid?

First of all, the poaching liquid is called court bouillon.  Don't let your mind wander with the word bouillon.  It's not about a greasy cube that you drop into water to make chicken soup...

Court bouillon is a French term for "briefly boiled liquid " and traditionally consists of water, salt, white wine, mirepoix, and flavored with bouquet garni.

Variations to the liquid may include milk, fish fumet, or broth as substitute to water, and vinegar or lemon juice as subtitute to the wine.

The poaching liquid lacks animal gelatin (unlike stock) and is also not typically added to the finished dish.  Make sure that your poaching liquid have enough flavor to carry through to whatever you're poaching.

Egg Poaching

The poaching liquid for poaching eggs consists of water and vinegar.  Here's a video from Rouxbe.com on the steps for poaching eggs.  The only variation that I would make to the process here is to break the egg into a small bowl before adding to the water.  This helps insure that the yolks wont break as you gently slide the egg from the bowl to the water, and you are able to easily extract chips of the egg shell from the bowl rather than hot water.

Fellow gourmet conspirators, poach to your heart's content and keep your eyes out for bad poachers!

Quackery is a type of health fraud that promotes products and services that have questionable and unproven scientific bases. Nutrition quackery is one of the most profitable types of fraud. Weight loss products, dietary supplements, herbal remedies, and "sports" foods are some of the most popular items sold through infomercials and magazine ads. Some are so convincing that even the most knowledgeable of us might say "I wonder if it really works?" So how do you tell which are legitimate products and which are scams? If you look for some specific clues, you can avoid making a bad decision. If a product claims to provide an easy answer to a difficult question, you may want to be skeptical. There are many, many research studies in the fields of nutrition, weight loss, and athletic performance. These are complex fields of study and there is no one single answer to these question. Anything that promises amazing results with little to no effort is a big red flag. They know what the consumer wants to hear and they cater to that. Stay away from the "Magic Pill". Many of these products will site a scientific study. Beware! If these studies cannot be examined or are not published , be suspicious. Check the reliability of the magazine or newsletter in which the study was published. If the studies do not supply checkable references, be skeptical. Legitimate studies are easily referenced on the Internet. Another popular strategy is to claim persecution by the established medical community. These quacks try to convince us that the establishment wants to keep the truth from us so they can keep taking our money. There is no conspiracy among the health and nutrition researchers. Stay away from products that allude to false conspiracies. Testimonials are a great way to convince the consumer of the benefits of a product. They can be false testimonials. Some people are paid for their testimonials and some are sincere. Check the fine print. If the testimonial is true, it will say somewhere in really, really small letters "Results not typical". What does this mean? It means that the chances of you getting similar results from using this product are very slight. If you are looking for a way to enhance you health, loose weight, or enhance your athletic ability, there is an answer...a balanced diet, daily exercise and hard work. Sorry, I don't have a magic pill.