New to Quinoa? Me too!

Seriously, until just a few weeks ago I had never heard of it before - Quinoa?! Pronounced "Keen-wah." Then I started doing a bunch of research and have found out according to Dr. Oz and several other health conscious gurus out there, I really should be eating this stuff. It's a bit hard to describe but it's almost a cross between a pasta and a rice. Why is Quinoa so good for you? In doing some research this is what I found:

 With all the buzz about quinoa these days, you may be asking, "why is quinoa good for you?" Quinoa is very high in protein and has every one of the nine essential amino acids. These nine essential amino acids are the ones that your body cannot synthesize in quantities sufficient to sustain good health, so they need to come from food sources. Qunioa is the only plant-based protien to contain all 9 essential amino acids. Many people think that quinoa is a type of grain, but it's not. Quinoa is actually the seed of a plant related to spinach. Quinoa is also very good in sustaining and supporting cardiovascular health.
Other things I've heard in talking to people about this latest "super food" and why it is a preferred choice with their family:

-Gluten free

- Great source of protein

 - Served hot or cold

- It's used in both breakfast type foods and lunch/dinner recipes

- Cheap

- Easy to make (Like cooking rice)

To cook Quinoa? SO easy. Rinse it well beforehand. Then it's two parts liquid to 1 part Quinoa. For my family of four I usually have made 4 cups liquid to 2 cups Quinoa and it comes out with a perfect amount. Bring to boil. Turn heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve.

 I've made a couple things with Quinoa now and for the most part, I'm fairly happy. First, I stir-fried a bunch of vegetables in garlic and olive oil and served it over the quinoa like a stir-fy. It was tasty and I had cooked the quinoa in beef broth to add a little flavor. The other thing I tried was using the Quinoa almost like a spaghetti noodle. My red sauce was thick and full of ground turkey, served over the quinoa. (Not bad.) People keep telling me, "You can't go wrong with Quinoa. You can serve it with just about everything." Hmmm, anyone have any good Quinoa recipes?