Quinoa comes from South America around Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador.  Humans began cultivating it around 3,000-4,000 years ago.  These seeds are high in protein (for a grain) and contain essential amino acids that are beneficial to our health.

Quinoa can be found in many colors, but there are three common colors you’ll see in most grocery stores.  An earthy white color, a rich clay red color, and black.  I’ve been asked, “what are the differences in red/white/black quinoa?”  So here is what I have noticed.

White quinoa is very susceptible to heat.  It tends to swell quickly when cooked and can become mushy fast.  I would prefer to let it soak in water to soften and use in cold dishes.

Red quinoa is my favorite.  It tends to hold its texture and form when cooked.  It also adds a nice color to the dish.

Black quinoa can be a bit sweeter when cooked and will still maintain its texture and form.

Personally, I prefer the red quinoa due to the color contrast it adds to my dish and how well it holds form when cooking.  Plus in my local grocery stores and health food stores, I can only find red, white, or tricolored mixtures.  So I tend to stick with red.

The nutrition content is very similar among all quinoa no matter the color.  So lets take a look at what it contains.

QUINOA

SERVING: 1/2 CUP

CALORIES: 111

PROTEIN: 4 g

CARBOHYDRATES: 19.7 g

FIBER: 2.6 g

FAT (mostly poly/mono): 1.8 g

*Contains: Potassium, Calcium, Iron, Zinc

If you would like to add more quinoa to your diet, try out my new quinoa soup recipe HERE!

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