Quinoa

Quinoa the nutritious seed that behaves like a grain!

From my book; What should I feed my baby?

I recommend quinoa as one of your baby’s first foods after 6 months. It has a unique lovely nutty flavor, is highly nutritious, and gluten free.

Quinoa is high in protein, calcium and iron. It contains an almost perfect balance of all eight amino acids needed for tissue development in humans. The protein in quinoa is considered to be a complete protein due to the presence of all 8 essential amino acids. Quinoa is 12% to 18% protein and four ounces a day, about 1/2-cup, will provide a child’s protein needs for one day. If you cannot buy quinoa finely milled as a baby food you can buy whole quinoa and soak it in lots of cold, clean water in a glass bowl (ideally overnight, but a few hours is enough).

Ingredients (1 adult portion)

80g quinoa (preferably soaked over night or for a few hours)

180ml water

Instructions

The day after (or a few hours later) you rinse it well in fresh water using a colander to rinse off the bitter resin-like coating, called saponin. You then place it in a small pot or heavy saucepan and let it simmer on low heat for about 10-15 minutes. (The ratio should be 1 part pre-soaked and drained quinoa and 1 and 3/4 portions water). After it has been cooked (all water gone and it looks fluffy) you simply puree or mash it with a little water, butter or cold-pressed olive oil and freshly steamed vegetable for example.

You can keep cooked quinoa in the fridge in a glass jar with a lid for about 3-4 days.

Since I am not a baby anymore 🙂 .. I eat my quinoa with lemon olive oil, apple or mango bits and hemp seeds and so does my daughter, Hanna, 14. It is ever so lovely! See how to video here below:

Instructions for preparing quinoa as a babyfood

When you are able to buy the quinoa finely milled you simply need to simmer it in water, while stirring, in a heavy saucepan or pot for about 2 minutes. Then you can serve it with pureed vegetables or fruit to your baby. Remember to always add some healthy essential fat to your baby’s food just before serving (but after cooking); it is very important so your baby gets enough energy through the meal, to stabilize bloodsugar. Fat is essential for us all, it does not make us fat, on the contrary.