Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes

Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes | Healthy Food of The Day

February 1, 2009 on 8:52 am | By Matt | In Healthy Eating |

Tired of Oatmeal for Breakfast? Then You Have To Try Quinoa Flakes from Ancient Harvest. The Best Part: You Can Prepare Them In Less Than 90 Seconds!

There’s a reason ”breakfast” has the word “fast” in it: Most people need something quick and nutritious to eat before they head off to Box of Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes the gym, office or dropping the kids at daycare.

Outside of weekends — when you have time for more elaborate breakfasts — the first meal of the day needs to be quick, nutritious and balanced.

Oatmeal is always a good choice, but over time, even oat lovers can get bored with it. Plus, oatmeal isn’t a complete protein, so you typically have to combine it with another source of protein — like whey, eggs or skim milk — to get all of your aminos in the morning.

The good news is that you always have options.

And one of them is quinoa flakes from Ancient Harvest.

Not only do Ancient Harvest’s Quinoa Flakes cook up in the time it takes you to gather your company ID badge, wallet or purse and Blackberry, but they are one of the best tasting, quick sources of complete protein available in a grain.

What Is Quinoa?

Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) is an ancient “grain” that dates back over 5,000 years to the Incans.

Technically, it’s not actually a grain, but rather the seed of the Chenopodium quinoa plant, which is native to the Andes mountains. Today, Quinoa is raised not only in South America, but also in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, where the cool, dry climate and poor soil is well-suited to quinoa.

Quinoa itself can come in a number of colors, including red, white, black and yellow.

The seeds have some similarities with rice in terms of texture, although cooked quinoa is lighter and fluffier than rice. It also has a unique inner spiral endosperm that “springs” out when you cook it. Quinoa expands to about four times its dry volume when cooked, and can be used as a substitute for rice or whole grains like wheat in soups, salads or things like tabbouleh.

Quinoa For Breakfast?

Quinoa is also an excellent breakfast choice.

It’s low in fat, has a fair amount of fiber, almost no sodium and is a good source of slow-burning complex carbohydrates.

But what makes quinoa particularly unique is that it’s one of a hand-full of plant-sources that has a complete protein profile. This means that a serving of quinoa contains all 8 of the essential amino acids that your body needs. Most grains only contain some of the essential amino acids — requiring you to “mix” your proteins (for example beans with rice) to create a full protein.

This not only makes quinoa great for people who are trying to eat cleaner and build muscle, but also for vegetarians or vegans who may struggle with finding non-meat sources of complete proteins.

Most quinoa that you buy at the store will be in its whole-seed form. However, Ancient Harvest has a version of quinoa that is “flaked.”

This is the only brand of quinoa flakes I’ve been able to find, and they are 100% organically-grown.

The nice thing about Ancient Harvest Quinoa flakes are that they cook up extremely quickly and have a smoother, more creamy texture than the whole seed form of quinoa. This makes it a great, whole-grain alternative to oatmeal in the morning. Its texture after cooking resembles Cream of Rice or Cream of Wheat hot cereal and is less “gelatinous” than oatmeal.

Quinoa flakes can also be added to things like homemade granola or muesli, which adds an interesting flavor twist and additional protein balance.

Many people also find quinoa easier to digest, and it is considered gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease. However, as always, you’ll want to find a source of quinoa or quinoa flakes that are not processed on machinary that comes in contact with products containing gluten.

Unfortunately, Ancient Harvest’s quinoa flakes are processed on machinary that also process things like wheat, so you will have to either shop around for an alternative or be careful using this product, depending on the severity of your gluten allergy.

Cooking Quinoa Flakes

Cooking quinoa flakes is easy.

You can prepare them on the stove top by bringing 1 cup of water to boil in a saucepan, adding 1/3 cup of quinoa flakes, and letting the quinoa cook for about 90 seconds. Turn off the heat and allow them to cool slightly. The mixture will thicken.

You can also prep them in the microwave by combining 1 cup of water and 1/3 cup of quinoa flakes in a microwave-safe bowl that’s twice the volume of the serving size being prepared. Microwave on HIGH for 2 - 2 1/2 minutes until thickened. Stir well before serving.

Any extra quinoa left over can always be refrigerated over night and warmed up in the morning.

How To Serve Quinoa Flakes for Breakfast

Quinoa flakes can be served just like any hot breakfast cereal, with a little skim milk, and fruit to sweeten it. You can also add things like honey, real maple syrup, nutmeg or cinnamon.

Adding things like fresh or dried fruit, nuts and even coconut or a scoop of wheyor soy protein powder can also give them a nutritional boost, and make quinoa flakes more interesting. I personally like mixing in dried cherries, chopped walnuts and chocolate whey powder for a kind of “Black Forest Quinoa” cereal in the morning.

Other Serving Ideas for Quinoa Flakes

Because quinoa flakes are a bit lighter than their whole-seed versions, quinoa flakes are excellent to use in baking, and can be included in cookies, whole-grain waffles or pancake recipes and even homemade bread.

Where Can I Buy Quinoa Flakes?

Your can usually find Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes at health food stores and some grocery stores. You can also order them online here at Amazon.com.

Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes Nutritional Information

Serving Size: 1/3 cup (34 grams) dry

Amount per serving:

Calories: 131
Total Fat: 2 g
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 2 mg
Sodium: 2 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 23 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.4 g
Sugars: 2 g
Protein: 4.3 g