Nourished Magazine :: Wisdom to thrive by

High in the snow-capped mountains of the Andes, there exists one of the world’s most ancient native grains, a staple of the Aymara and Quecha Andeans. Here, more than two miles above sea level grows Quinoa (pronounced Kee-nwah). Its name means “Mother” and there are hundreds of species yet only a few are cultivated and the rest weeds.

“At some point many thyousands of years ago, ancestors of the ancient Inca people somehow transformed a wild weed chenopod into a superlavtiely nutritious grain that would be handed down to the incas and from them  onto their descendents. Strikingly, this same unique transformation of chenopod weeds to grain can also be found in several other parts of the American continent and the lofty Himalyan mountains of Tibet.” - Steve Gagne, The Energetics of Food.

Energetically speaking, this grain is warm and dry, perfect for the cold wet winter days (down under).

You need:

2 cups quinoa

6 cups warm water plus 2 table spoons of whey or lemon juice.

2 onions, chopped

2 zuccini, chopped (you can add any vegetable here)

2 tablespoons of ghee or virgin olive oil

4 cups chicken or beef stock

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3 cloves garlic, crushed

Soak quinoa in warm water and whey or lemon mixture at least 12 hours. Rinse and drain well.

Saute onions until soft. Add zuccini and then garlic at the last minute. Add quinoa and stock and bring to boil. Skim, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour or more on very low heat (use a diffuser to keep the heat low). The quinoa should soak up all the stock.

This is the basic recipe. From here you can add cream cheese or grated Parmesan, chopped sausage, even Asian ingredients like ginger, Mirin and Tarmari or Soy Sauce. Enjoy.

About the Author...

Joanne Hay, Editor of Nourished Magazine, Chief Nourisher and Mother of three is very grateful to live in Byron Bay and be able to share all she has learned about Nourishment. She has trained as an Acupuncturist (unfinished), Kinesiologist (finished) and parent (never finished). She serves the Weston A Price Foundation as a chapter leader. She loves sauerkraut, kangaroo tail stew, home made ice cream, her husband Wes and her kids Isaiah, Brynn and Ronin (in no particular order…well maybe ice cream first).