Quinoa milk

 Quinoa, (pronounced KEEN-wah) native to South America, is a gluten-free pseudo-grain; a high-protein, high-fibre seed which has grain-like characteristics. It contains all of the 9 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein.
You can find it in stores in 3 colours; red, black and white.
It is high in manganese, copper, phosphorous & magnesium and is a good source of iron, zinc, B vitamins & folate.
The health benefits don’t end there however; quinoa contains powerful antioxidants, such as quercetin and haempferol which are important for reducing inflammation.

Quinoa is also easy to cook & very versatile.
 
Quinoa seeds are naturally covered with a coating of bitter-tasting saponins that need to be washed off before cooking. If you don’t do this you might end up with an unpleasant-tasting, difficult to digest pan of quinoa. I say ‘might’, because some quinoa seeds might have been mechanically pre-washed before packaging.
 
For this milk use preferably sprouted or cooked quinoa.
I use sprouted quinoa, to preserve the enzymes.
It is a light-textured milk and has a sort of grassy taste to it, which is somewhat masked by the dates & vanilla.
 
Recipe:
  • ½ cup dried quinoa (sprouted or cooked)
  • 2 cups water
  • pinch Himalayan salt
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract powder
  • 1 Medjool date
 
How to:
  1. Soak the quinoa overnight or for 6-8 hours.
  2. Rinse the seeds & throw away the soaking water.
  3. Sprout the quinoa for 12 hours. (optional)
  4. Blend with 2 cups of pure water in a high-powered blender for 1-2 minutes.
  5. Strain through a nut milk bag or a large piece of cheesecloth.
  6. Squeeze as much of the milk as possible through the cloth.
  7. Store in an airtight bottle in the fridge.
Consume within 2-3 days.
 
 
How to sprout quinoa:
  1. Wash & rinse the quinoa.
  2. Put it in a glass bowl & cover with water.
  3. Soak 8-12 hours.
  4. Drain & rinse.
  5. Leave in the covered strainer to sprout 12 hours.
  6. Rinse again and it’s ready to use.
 
How to cook quinoa:
Follow the steps for sprouting but instead of leaving the quinoa for 12 hours to sprout, add the rinsed & drained seeds to 2 cups of boiling water & simmer (do not stir), uncovered, for about 10 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Then remove the pan from the heat & cover it for 5 minutes so the steam finishes the job.
Fluff it up with a fork, & you’re ready to go.