Customer Reviews

Health Best Quinoa, 14-Ounce Units (Pack of 6)

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I'm new to quinoa. It's quite tasty and you can find good recipes on [...]. Tastes a bit like smooshed rice with a little grit.

Good value and great products. Quinoa is a complete protein. Great for vegetarians or anyone wanting to eat healthier.

I consider Quinoa to be one of the most versatile and valuable foods available on the planet, a food which meets my standards for luxury gourmet in flavor (and culinary versatility), in addition to being baseline healthy with full spectrum nourishment.

If I had to be limited to only 4 items or food groups (in addition to water, of course) to eat or drink, those would be Quinoa, Coffee, Dairy Products, and a variety of greens, spices, & nuts. Yeah, okay, dairy products; and greens, spices, & nuts may be considered more than 2 items, but, for me they're two categories.

I'm not a vegetarian because I love meat, chicken, and fish, but if I'm working with limitations, I'm making do with the most basic of basics, while still having enough food items to concoct satisfying flavor (yeah, yeah, and nutrition, too, though according to my beliefs, "nutrition" dims and deteriorates, unless it's in the living presence of "yummy.").

Quinoa, I believe, would take care of all (or at least many) basic nutritional needs.

The way I simplify my use and preparation of Quinoa is to think of it either as rice or oatmeal, and then to "gourmet it" accordingly.

-- As "rice" I add savory herbs like parsley, basil, marjoram, garlic, onions, etc. Actually, most types of herb concoctions or side foods which could be blended with pasta would also work with Quinoa. Think of what Lidia's Italian Table does with "noodle heaven"; then substitute Quinoa for pasta (I like pasta too, of course).

-- As "oatmeal" I add sweet or rich ingredients like fruit (including raisin and date types), brown sugar, molasses, maple, cream, that type of thing.

As far as cooking instructions, to me they're basically the same as rice:

-- Add water or liquid in a 2 to 1 ratio. 2 cups liquid (water, broth, vegetable, or fruit juices) to 1 cup Quinoa (Note that some brands vary this ratio slightly; check their instructions on the product package).

-- Instructions are given on the bag for boiling the water then adding the Quinoa, covering the pot, and simmering for 12 15 minutes.

-- I've also successfully prepared Quinoa in the microwave. You can heat the water to boil in a bowl (use a large one with lots of room above the grain and water to avoid the mess of boiling over) then add Quinoa, cover, and cook. Depending on power levels and volume of food, a microwave sometimes cooks 4 times faster than "outside the waves" cooking. As an example of time variance with larger amounts of food: 1 potato cooks (on average) in 4 - 8 minutes, 2 potatoes require double that, or 8 16 minutes.

-- For a single serving cooked quickly in the microwave, I might use 1/4 cup Quinoa with 2/4 (½) cup liquid.

I have simplified the process for myself by placing those single serving amounts (Quinoa and water in a bowl) in the microwave, and cooking it on high, maybe 3 minutes, till the liquid bubbles. Then I cover the bowl with a plate lid; zap it for another minute or half, then let it steep in the microwave, without opening it, for another few minutes. (Since microwave ovens and tastes for texture differ, you'll have to experiment with your own microwave processes to get results which work for you, or just use the sauce pan method described on the bag.)

In the microwave, Quinoa seems to cook easier than rice.

But, I also cook rice in the microwave in a similar method. I don't use minute rice, since my microwave method works easily and fairly quickly, and if I cook it in a serving bowl with a plate lid I can just place it on the table for family style digging in.

I love the nutty, barley flavor of Quinoa. Thankfully, so does my husband!

Recently, Health Best Quinoa, Alter Eco Fair Trade, Arrowhead Mills, Berry Farm, Eden, Now Foods, and Angelina's have been added to my list of purveyors of Quinoa.

In the past I've purchased Quinoa from Bob's Red Mill, and White Mountain Farms in Colorado, in the San Juan mountain area (have always been satisfied with those sellers, when/if the products are available on Amazon). Having used many different Now Foods products, I'm also very confident in ordering their Quinoa as well.

The reviews on Quinoa Red were helpful. In addition to the most common golden grain, I've only seen black Quinoa, which is also appealing, and is reportedly the oldest variety. Well, actually all the reviews I've read on Quinoa have offered something of value to the info I've already gathered.

*** Though I would happily purchase any of the available Quinoa offerings on Amazon, currently I'm favoring HEALTH BEST QUINOA and ALTER ECO FAIR TRADE for my personal use. The extra details of info on the Alter Eco Fair Trade buying pages were appreciated, and Health Best has an economical packaging proportioning to pricing. I feel that these two purveyors provide a grain close enough to what the original seeds were intended to be. I usually look at the proportion of water to 1 cup Quinoa called for in the purveyor's recipe. I look for the recipe to call for 2 cups water to 1 cup Quinoa. Any different proportion, in my opinion, means something may have been altered with the grain or packaging. I also prefer to rinse the Quinoa myself, but at times Bob's Red Mill's pre-rinsed option is a blessing. ***

(I used to sell Quinoa in my CITY CHEF kitchen store, which is no longer open; I spend all my time writing now, with a little cooking on the side.)

Quinoa has an interesting history, including the development of a saponin coating on the grain:

-- The genetics in the Quinoa seeds, after eons and ages of growing, had developed the saponin coating as a very effective protection against insects and burrowing varmints, like worms or parasites.

-- Knowing what saponin is and does, I began a habit of saving some of the water used to rinse Quinoa for watering my plants, or pouring on the ground where I might want to discourage insects.

-- Once the saponin is removed, I'm not sure how long the "naked" grains will be able to protect themselves again parasitic invasions. Certainly, Quinoa (being a very strong, wise old grain with high integrity, for many reasons) would be able to do so longer than other similar, eon's younger food offerings. I'm not concerned about this, and will usually order either pre washed grain or saponin coated, whichever is readily available.

Quinoa grows only above a 7,000 foot elevation and requires a certain growing climate, which can be found only in certain areas of the world. Some parts of the Rocky Mountains are one of those areas, not tested until fairly recently (in terms of the eons and ages associated with this ancient grain from the Incas).

Interesting stories about Quinoa's long history are bountiful, but I won't get into those. A large assortment of books and pamphlets are available to read on it, and of course, many are offered here on Amazon.

I remain ever thankful for magical foods (which are both gourmet and healthy in quality), especially in our era of being told by some authorities that we need to remove the life, magic, wholeness, and flavor out of most everything. For the sake of "health"?

Here's an interesting question to ponder:

Why and how, for a while (eons), did we lose Quinoa seeds, which had lived and evolved long enough to develop saponin. Why and how did we find them again?

For an easy, exotic recipe using Quinoa, see my review of Virgin Coconut Oil (Certified Organic) 12 fl.oz

Linda Shelnutt
Author of several KINDLE books including The DAYS of COFFEE & DONUTS: Non Toxic Soapbox Satire: Who or What is De-Kindling Life? (Nonfiction)

At $5 per pack, I think this product is too expensive. But if the price is not an issue, the taste is great. Wonderful in cold salads with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing. Will look for a cheaper alternative.

Quinoa!! Where has this been all my life? What a great grain. I've put it in muffins and mixed it together with rice and made fried rice. I've also added cooked quinoa to pancakes and I've popped it for an extra kick. All the recipes I've seen mentions rinsing the quinoa first. Some brands of quinoa are sold pre-rinsed and it says this on those bags. However, nothing is mentioned on this brand about whether it is pre-rinsed. I rinsed the quinoa the first time I used it, but, after losing half of it down the drain, I decided to forego the rinsing process. I taste no bitterness; the quinoa tastes great. The grain is small and round, but not as small as the amaranth grain. Quinoa is as easy to work with as rice. The Aztecs were on to something! The packages arrived from Amazon intact. There were no stray grains rolling around in the box. You might be able to find this amazing grain near you if you live in a big city, but we are in a rural area. It's nice that this food is offered through Amazon and free shipping is available. Health Best Quinoa, 14-Ounce Units (Pack of 6)