I have only in the past year tried quinoa. At first when people talked about it I was like “what is that?” so I decided to give it at try. Of course I came to love it! I have used it in a variety of ways, but my favorite is with some fruit and plain yogurt. Very yummy for a snack!

Now its my friend Wendy, of www.DontWorryGetHealthy.com and of the Money Saving Meal Plans, turn to share with you her knowledge of Quinoa.

If there’s one whole grain I can’t get enough of, it would definitely have to be quinoa.Since I’m sensitive to wheat, quinoa is the perfect grain for me, completely gluten-free.

Not familiar with quinoa? It’s a grain from South America that has been gaining in popularity in recent years.  I love the fact that you can cook it in 15-20 minutes, which seems like a breeze compared to brown rice.Extra bonus: it’s a great source of protein that’s non animal-based, and contains ample amounts of magnesium, iron and manganese.  Plus, it just tastes good.

I’ve been having fun experimenting with quinoa in the last few months. Recently, I added it to one of my favorite Real Simple recipes,bean and sausage stew. It makes for a hardy one pot meal but with minimal effort and so much flavor.

I also like that quinoa works as a breakfast porridge, part of a main dish or a healthy side dish. Check out this week’s video tip on adding pesto to quinoa — a great accompaniment to almost any meal.I talked about this specificrecipea while back, so fast and easy. Now you can see just how easy it is in the video.

Do you have a favorite quinoa recipe? How do you like to prepare it? Another of my favorites is this deliciousquinoa stew. Enjoy!