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).