Eden Foods has made a simple directory of quinoa recipes.  From Basic to Fruit Pudding and everything in between.  I can’t wait to launch in and try the.  I promise to share the results!  Why not try them yourself and share what YOU find!  I would love to hear !

Recipe Name

Basic Quinoa
Chili – Three Bean & Quinoa
Chili with Quinoa
Citrus & Mint Couscous
Colorful Quinoa Medley
Crimson Quinoa

….  and so much more!

Along with so many of the allergy and intolerance issues comes the very clear indicator of regular or not regular.  Being a mom of three boys, potty training has always been ‘ a delight’.  Finding out that one of my son’s had bowel issues made me feel less like failure in the Baby Olympics and relieved that he wasn’t just ‘lazy’.  The bowel was.

Enter the World of Fibers.

The lady in the swirling tummyless dress on TV does not make Metamucal any more fashionable.  I confess to not having read much into all the various contents of each of the different fiber options, I simply took the Dr’s advice, bought Clearlax for my son and have managed to set it up as just part of our day now.  At 6, he gets to make his own juice every morning (ya ya.. and working on the evening regiment still.).

Then I got to thinking what if I could find a product that had some food value to it as well.  Not just a ‘pipe scrubber’ but something to help the poor little guy get some kind of nutritional value!

Flax Seed?

Ok, looks reasonable.  Four key side effects were noted in several of my readings.  1) Laxative effect.  2) The oils turn rancid quickly 3)Phytoestregens – a THUS FAR proven effective hormone   4) Cyanide.

UMMM  CYANIDE?  Hello!

“ Like many other foods (cashews, some beans, and others), flax contains very small amounts of cyanide compounds, especially when consumed raw. Heat, especially on dry flax seeds, breaks these compounds down. However, our bodies have a capacity to neutralize a certain amount of these compounds, and the U.S. government agencies say that 2 tablespoons of flaxseed (~3 T of flax meal) is certainly safe and is probably an “effective dose” for health purposes. Various researchers who have used up to 6 daily tablespoons of the seed in different studies indicate that the amount they were using was safe.”

Ok.  seems reasonable.  Now… Gluten?  Everything I have read so far says GREEN for Flax.  It’s not a grain it’s a plant. ( I know, wheat is a plant too.. but you know what I mean.)  So.  It sound like one of those ” try it… see if it works for you.”  case by case thing.  Going to give it a shot.

Wonder how the kids will feel about a “Milk Shake” for breakfast EVERY morning?

Wish me ( and my son) luck.

1 – Is it Gluten Free?

Yes

2 – Is it WHEAT (grain) Free?

It is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a broad leaf plant rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family. Quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds.

So… onwards with the new food and ways of using it!

Some Links

• http://ezinearticles.com/?Is-Quinoa-Gluten-Free?&id=1157569
• http://grainfreerecipes.com/2009/04/is-quinoa-gluten-free/
• http://www.celiac.ca/Articles/Fall1990-1.html

Wheat grass is a member of the wheat family.

The seed planted contains gluten. If it is allowed to continue to grow, a seed/kernel will form that contains gluten. The stalk never contains gluten.

If you are sure the wheatgrass was harvested prior to seeds forming at the top and that it was cut and no roots (the partially used up gluten in the seed alluded to in an earlier post) were pulled up, you will have gluten free wheatgrass.  Cross contamination would be a huge risk in this case.

If you have a wheat allergy – which may or may not be a sensitivity to gluten and can even occur in conjunction with gluten sensitivity – you should be avoiding wheatgrass regardless of gluten content.

While gluten free is seen as a celiac issue, there are people (like ourselves) who avoid gluten for other reasons. If you have a wheat allergy – which can occur with and without celiac – you have reason to avoid wheatgrass regardless of gluten content.

Wheat grass comes from wheat that has been allowed to sprout and grow. It is usually sold either as fresh juice pressed from the grass or as a powder made from dehydrating this juice. Either way, wheat grass is chock full of vitamins, minerals and other good things.”

Wheatgrass is a food prepared from the cotyledons of the common wheat plant.   A cotyledon is a significant part of the embryo within the seed of a plant. Upon germination, the cotyledon may become the embryonic first leaves of a seedling.

Wheatgrass differs from wheat malt in that it is served freeze-dried or fresh, while wheat malt is convectivelydried. Wheatgrass is also allowed to grow longer than malt is.

More Links

• http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/inter…utes/030405.cfm
• http://www.thatsfit.ca/2009/04/27/is-there-gluten-in-wheatgrass/
• Barbara D Allan

The packaging looks so inviting.  Happy yellow plastic enveloping a golden loaf of what feels like moist delicious gluten free bread.

However, what you get is a loaf dry gritty slices that looks like bread.  The only thing this ‘bread’ is good for is to make croutons or bread crumbs for chicken coating.  (See the entry Hot off the Plate!)

My rating: 1/10 (it had nice packaging)