Quinoa....

Quinoa
(pronounced /ˈkinwɑ/ KEEN-wah or /ˈkinoʊə/ KEE-no-uh,
Spanish quinua, from Quechua kinwa)

is a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium) grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal as it is not a grass. Its leaves are also eaten as a leaf vegetable, much like amaranth, but the commercial availability of quinoa greens is currently limited.

Nutritional value of Quinoa

Quinoa, uncooked
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 370 kcal 1540 kJ
Carbohydrates 64 g
Starch 52 g
Dietary fibre 7 g
Fat 6 g
polyunsaturated 3.3 g
Protein 14 g
Water 13
Thiamin (Vit. B1) 0.36 mg 28%
Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.32 mg 21%
Vitamin B6 0.5 mg 38%
Folate (Vit. B9) 184 μg 46%
Vitamin E 2.4 mg 16%
Iron 4.6 mg 37%
Magnesium 197 mg 53%
Phosphorus 457 mg 65%
Zinc 3.1 mg 31%
Percentages are relative to US
recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient database

A few Quinoa grains close up.
Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance by maize. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%), making it a healthy choice for vegetarians and vegans. Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source.[5] It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights.[5]

(Source - Wikipedia)

Uses - Replacement for rice in any meal
some eat it cooked with milk and sugar

as you could see in the nutritional facts above --
it is way high in fiber and protein
along with many other essential nutrients!

(see link with recipes below)

Well we talked a little bit about quinoa at Christine's Grains Class --
& I talked to Chris Black yesterday
who has been researching where she could find some of this
around here and she came up with this....
She said the the price there was the best she could find in all her research!

They had these in California where we lived before we came here and these stores are absolutely amazing!!!! Unfortunately Idaho has not yet out any in! But they have lots of Locations in UTAH --- I know lots of you are going out of town for the upcoming Holiday! I know Chris Black said this will be one stop in her trip down -- it will be well worth the time spent!!!

I found a whole bunch of QUINOA RECIPES
on the site by just typing quinoa into the Whole Foods Market search bar.

they have a great recipe BLOG found HERE. called WHOLE STORY
which I have linked in the blog list to your right so you can see
when they have added something new.

DRY MILK...

Dry Milk can be used in any recipe.

Adding additional milk to a recipe will enhance the nutritive value of the recipe.

In any recipe calling for milk, simply ad the dry milk in with the other dry ingredients. sift to blend then add water called for in the dry milk in with all the other wet ingredients.

Foods made with powdered milk will have fewer calories and less cholesterol than those made from whole milk.

Recipes call for many types of milk.

All of the following can be made from powdered milk!!!

Whole milk

1 cup water

1/3 cup powdered milk

Evaporated Milk

1 cup water

2/3 cup evaporated milk

Whipped Evaporated Milk

Makes 3 Cups

1 cup evaporated milk

2 T Lemon Juice

Thoroughly chill evaporated milk.

Add lemon juice and whip until stiff.

Sweeten and flavor as desired.

Condensed Milk

1/2 Cup Hot Water

4 cups powdered milk

2 cups Sugar

1/4 cup butter

Blend in blender very well. Can be stored in fridge or frozen.

Butter Milk or Sour Milk

1 Cup water

1 T vinegar or lemon juice

1/3 cup powdered milk

Drinkable powdered milk

Powdered milk is better used in recipes than to drink. To improve the flavor of powdered milk, mix half whole or 2% milk. Another suggestion would be to try adding a little sugar or vanilla to enhance the flavor. Let it chill for several hours.

Rice Milk

1/2 cup rice

1/2 to 1 T. brown sugar or other sweetener

2 cups water

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (opt.)

Place ingredients inn a blender (Vita-Mix works best).

Run on high 2-3 minutes or until smooth. Shake well before using.

Sour Cream

Don't have any?? Mix one cup milk with one T. lemon juice.

Let sit for ten minutes. Can use in recipes like stroganoff.

(More of the Blalock's notes)

Replacing Fat in Recipes (ie: Butter, Margarine, Shortening)

White Beans can be used 

to replace most fat in baking.

Method 1: Cover beans with water and cook until very soft. Mash until consistency of shortening (or use blender). Replace in recipes cup for cup.

Example: Recipe calls for 1 cup of margarine - use 1 cup of mashed beans. 

You may need to add some liquid to your recipe to get the dough consistency you want.

*note - mashed beans do not last very long in the fridge - 

so store them in the freezer in freezer bags.

Method 2: Grind beans in your wheat grinder. Store in an air tight container. Replace fats in the recipe - cup for cup - as above. You will need to add liquid since the beans will be part of the dry ingredients.

Applesauce can be used to replace some or all of the fat in recipes. It can also be used in things like whole wheat muffins, pancakes, etc. to make them not so dry. 

Pureed Plumbs for a plumb tree can also be used for moisture.

"More of the Blaylock's Notes"

Researching other Grains....

Found a great site this morning - 

while looking for a new breadmaker recipe -- 

working with Gluten Free Recipes...

it is Called 

Gluten Free [Cooking School]