Newest discovery: Quinoa

Up until now, my "Newest Discovery" posts have all been centered around websites (Etsy, Polyvore & Goodreads). But today, I want to take a different tack. I discovered a new food item on Friday night, and I absolutely love it. In fact, I've spent the last hour looking for recipes including this item on Pinterest.

If you can read, you already know what this food is: quinoa. According to Epicurious: "Quinoa, whose name means 'mother grain,' is indigenous to Peru and dates from the time of the Inca civilization. Compared with other grains, quinoa is very high in protein and relatively low in carbohydrates." (Apparently, Epicurious likes to personify its food. Who knew?)

Source: kalynskitchen.com via Megan on Pinterest

How many of you have heard of this delicious grain?

Am I the only one who was in the dark?

Last weekend, my dad was driving through Albuquerque for work, so I made the quick drive south to have dinner with him. We went to the Standard Diner, a quirky little restaurant near the University of New Mexico. I think the restaurant itself warrants its own post, so I'll just continue with the quinoa for now. I had seen this strange word several times over the past week, as I had been reading several environmental blogs and news sites and quinoa is a popular vegetarian dish. I decided to give it a try and ordered the Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash. Boy, was I not disappointed! Yum yum!

I'm definitely going to try to incorporate quinoa into the meals I make here at the apartment. (I hope it's cheap!) In addition to the meal pictured above, I also found this delicious recipe on Pinterest that I can't wait to try. I'll let you know how they both are!

Source: goodlifeeats.com via Megan on Pinterest