Cooking with quinoa – from Holkham Beach to my kitchen

One of the highlights of the first Liberte Fitness Beach Day up at Holkham in June was the tasty lunch and my first taste of quinoa.
Anyone who regularly scoffs the fluffy grain, pronounced ‘keenwah’, will testify to its benefits – it’s extremely high in protein and unlike wheat and rice it is full of essential amino acids. So it’s a complete protein source on a similar level to oats. It’s easy to digest and, believe it or not is thought to be one of the best and most durable foods for NASA astronauts to eat on manned spaceflights.
About as spacey as Liberte gets is during the Zen breathing that traditionally ends most sessions, but the benefits of quinoa are such that it could be a vital part of your pre and post Liberte sessions.
Liberte trainer Gareth Thomas is a huge fan of the food and that was good enough to want me to find out more about the stuff after first tasting it on Holkham Beach.
That day it was prepared by chef Chris Coubrough and served with chicken, almonds and a garlic dressing and was really good. My first thoughts were that it looked like frogspawn and tasted like glue, but mixed in with other flavours it’s good - honestly!
It’s available in most supermarkets, indeed I picked some up at Asda last week and cooked with it tonight after my Liberte session, although I deter anyone old enough to remember 80s pop group Hue and Cry not to sing the words ‘Cooking with quinoa’ to the tune of their hit ‘Looking for Linda’ while preparing it!
I flavoured my quinoa with garlic and chilli and served it with grilled chicken and rocket leaves. It takes some getting used to but I’m a convert and I think it’s actually more filling than cous cous, and probably a bit nicer to eat.
So, my message is to give it a try if you’re looking for something healthy to get stuck into after a session. Although by the time you’ve got around to getting hold of some it may already be out of fashion. Apparently, well according to the Independent this weekend, quinoa is a bit last year and the new alternative is freekeh, a roasted green wheat grain from the Middle East.