|
quinoa 
Mon Nov 28, 2011 at 13:10:33 PM PST
|
|
This diary is part of a series describing my trip to Bolivia to study food sovereignty, agroecology, and climate change. Our twelfth day was one I was eagerly anticipating. We left the city of Santa Cruz for two days with Productividad Biosfera Medio Ambiente (PROBIOMA). First, they took us to their training center, where we would spend the night, where they presented on their work. Then we visited a small, organic farm. The next day they took us to the heart of the industrial ag region of the department where we saw responsible soy production and lots of irresponsible soy production.
This post covers the last of a very long, tiring (but wonderful) day with PROBIOMA, in which they presented to us on some of the specific biological pest controls they promote.
|
|
There's More...
:: (0
Comments, 1182 words in story)
|
|
Sun Aug 21, 2011 at 21:55:39 PM PDT
|
|
This diary is part of a series describing my trip to Bolivia to study food sovereignty, agroecology, and climate change. On our first day, we saw a presentation I had literally waited a year to see. Last year I arrived a day late to Bolivia and missed it, and the listened to everyone talk about how great it was for the rest of the trip. And.... it WAS great! The presentation was made by Eliseo Mamani Alvarez from Fundacion PROINPA. Here is the second part, which focuses on two very important crops, potatoes and quinoa. Please at least read the part about quinoa and learn about the impact of the recent popularity of quinoa in the U.S. and Europe on the Andean people and their land.
Previous diaries can be seen here:
Day 1, Part 1: The El Alto Market
Day 1, Part 2: Intro to Bolivian Climate and Climate Change
Day 1, Part 3: Intro to Andean Biodiversity
Day 1, Part 4: Potatoes, Quinoa, and the Climate Crisis
Day 2: The La Paz Foodshed
Day 3: Agriculture in Chicani, A La Paz Suburb
Day 4: Coffee!
Day 5: Yungas
Day 6: Yungas to Santiago de Okola
Day 7: Santiago de Okola
Day 8, Part 1: Festival in Cochabamba - Morenada
Day 8, Part 2: Festival in Cochabamba - Morenada
Day 8, Part 3: Festival in Cochabamba - Tinku
Day 8, Part 4: Festival in Cochabamba - Caporales
Day 8, Part 5: Festival in Cochabamba - Street Food
You can also find diaries from my 2010 trip to Bolivia here.
|
|
There's More...
:: (7
Comments, 2007 words in story)
|
|
Sun Oct 24, 2010 at 03:38:48 AM PDT
|
|
I just rediscovered Quinoa. I bought a package of the red Qunioa at Trader Joes.
1 cup cooked quinoa (follow directions)
handful of sun dried tomatoes
garlic
small chopped onion
pitted olives
fresh parsley
saute garlic, onion. Add sliced sun dried tomatoes and chopped olives
Add to quinoa and toss. Salt and pepper to taste
|
|
Discuss
:: (9
Comments)
|
|
Wed Jul 08, 2009 at 05:52:34 AM PDT
|
|
I know the conventional wisdom is that fiber fills you up, but this is just freakin' impressive. Yesterday I woke up and went slightly overboard when making my breakfast. Usually I eat about a cup and a half of oatmeal or quinoa. 3/4 c. dry grains, plus water, plus heat. Yesterday I used 1/4 c. amaranth, 1/2 c. quinoa, and 1/4 c. millet. Then I added 3 c. of water. (Whereas quinoa requires 2 c. water per 1 c. grains, millet and amaranth require something like 3 c. water per 1 c. grains.) It was a big meal - 680 calories, 24g protein, and 13.4g fiber. (For flavor, I just add brown sugar and cinnamon.)
I felt full but comfortable. About 4 hours later, I wasn't really hungry but I was bored so I ate a peach. Several hours after that, I ate a pint of strawberries and made a cup of coffee. But it really wasn't until an amazing 10 hours after I ate the quinoa/millet/amaranth mixture that I actually got hungry. I grabbed a handful of walnuts and ate a nectarine. I had planned on eating green beans for dinner but it was getting too close to bed time and I wasn't in the mood to cook (if you call trimming green beans and tossing them in a pot of water cooking).
Usually, I get so hungry within an hour or two after breakfast that I can barely make it until lunch. If I start work at 8am, typically I'm the first one out the door for lunch at 11am. Maybe I should be eating more whole grains for breakfast in the future?
|
|
Discuss
:: (13
Comments)
|
|
Thu Jun 18, 2009 at 13:25:48 PM PDT
|
|
My philosophy about cooking is: if you start off with great ingredients, you don't need to do a lot of food preparation. And while complicated recipes often taste very good - so do many simple ones. Usually my approach to cooking is to ask myself: "What is the least amount of work I can do to make this food ready to eat?"
Here are two of my recent creations...
|
|
There's More...
:: (8
Comments, 329 words in story)
|
|
Sun Mar 01, 2009 at 09:59:13 AM PST
|
As kids I'm sure most of you were told to eat your greens and your grains. I sure was. Whole grains are a good source of B vitamins, Vitamin-E, magnesium, iron and fiber, as well as a myriad of valuable antioxidants not found in some fruits and vegetables. ~Why whole? All grains are composed of three parts: bran, germ and endosperm. Most of the antioxidants and vitamins are found in the germ and the bran.
However not all grains are created equal: all grains contain complex carbohydrates and various vitamins and minerals, but unrefined (whole) grains such as brown rice, quinoa, and oats are an even better source of fiber, selenium, potassium, and magnesium.
Cross-posted on the Big Orange!
|
|
There's More...
:: (23
Comments, 1996 words in story)
|
|
Wed Jul 30, 2008 at 19:28:01 PM PDT
|
(Quinoa and its close cousin, amaranth, are two very old, high-protein plants. They were held sacred in ancient Inca and Aztec cultures. Both now hold great potential for self-sustaining gardens in the northern hemisphere. Quinoa (and amaranth) should be promoted by farmers and small growers as they both come closer to meeting the genuine protein requirements of the human body than either cow's milk or soybeans. They are high in the amino acid lysine, which is lacking in most cereals such as wheat, sorghum, corn and barley. Olé! - promoted by Asinus Asinum Fricat)
OK, if you want to eat quinoa in most of the world, you probably won't be eating locally. There is some modest production in the United States in the Rocky Mountain region of Colorado and to a lesser extent in California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington State, but for the most part, quinoa is imported from the Andean nations of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, where the grain originated.
Although it might not be local, you can still feel pretty righteous eating quinoa. It has outstanding nutritional value, is gluten-free, and in many cases is organically produced by fair-trade co-ops of indigenous Quechua and Aymara farmers in the Andes.
So follow me below the fold for a longer look at this excellent edible...
|
|
There's More...
:: (16
Comments, 1539 words in story)
|
|
Tue Jul 22, 2008 at 15:28:34 PM PDT
|
So does this quinoa stuff grow in the United States? Does anyone know about production? I get premade stuff of quinoa and I'm starting to experiment with handling it on my own. It's yummy ... but it seems to only come from Ecuador :-(
|
|
Discuss
:: (7
Comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
