There is some confusion over whether or not raw quinoa is safe to use in blended smoothies. Before reading any further, never use quinoa straight from the bag in smoothies. Raw quinoa right out of the bag is not safe to consume and will not taste good at all. Raw quinoa has a natural coating of saponins on them that make them virtually unpalatable.
To Consume Raw
If you want to only eat raw quinoa, you must either sprout the quinoa or soak it beforehand. I would recommend sprouting the quinoa to make it most digestible. Soaking goes a long way, but I find sprouts to be much more healthful in comparison to simply soaked seeds. Whatever you choose to do, be sure to rinse the quinoa off before adding it to your smoothie to prevent any sort of bitter taste transferring over.
Cooked Quinoa
I prefer cooked quinoa so much more so than sprouted quinoa. It is far better tasting in my opinion, sprouts tend to have a bitter earthy taste that I find unpleasant. Cooked quinoa on the other hand is usually pretty creamy tasting due to its texture. Due to this, it makes for a great smoothie addition as a thickener along with offering a nutrient boost.
Since I only drink smoothies in the morning, I will cook quinoa the night before and eat some for dinner along with saving some for future use. When I wake up in the morning, cooked quinoa will already be waiting in the fridge to be ready to go for smoothie use. Whichever smoothie recipe I end up choosing, quinoa makes for a great addition to any drink.
Sometimes little bits of quinoa will not be blended up, but this is no big deal. Quinoa goes down easy whether it is blended or not. Something like a grain of rice would be annoying, quinoa is not.
Verdict
Cooked quinoa added to smoothies is a good addition. It requires extra work and planning on my part to add to smoothies, but it makes for a thicker and more nutritious drink at the end of the day. Sprouted quinoa actually requires more work and planning, that is a major count against it. Along with this, I prefer the flavor of cooked quinoa far more than sprouted quinoa.
Anyone else ever add quinoa or an uncommon ingredient to smoothies?
By Mat McNeile
To Consume Raw
If you want to only eat raw quinoa, you must either sprout the quinoa or soak it beforehand. I would recommend sprouting the quinoa to make it most digestible. Soaking goes a long way, but I find sprouts to be much more healthful in comparison to simply soaked seeds. Whatever you choose to do, be sure to rinse the quinoa off before adding it to your smoothie to prevent any sort of bitter taste transferring over.
Cooked Quinoa
I prefer cooked quinoa so much more so than sprouted quinoa. It is far better tasting in my opinion, sprouts tend to have a bitter earthy taste that I find unpleasant. Cooked quinoa on the other hand is usually pretty creamy tasting due to its texture. Due to this, it makes for a great smoothie addition as a thickener along with offering a nutrient boost.
Since I only drink smoothies in the morning, I will cook quinoa the night before and eat some for dinner along with saving some for future use. When I wake up in the morning, cooked quinoa will already be waiting in the fridge to be ready to go for smoothie use. Whichever smoothie recipe I end up choosing, quinoa makes for a great addition to any drink.
Sometimes little bits of quinoa will not be blended up, but this is no big deal. Quinoa goes down easy whether it is blended or not. Something like a grain of rice would be annoying, quinoa is not.
Verdict
Cooked quinoa added to smoothies is a good addition. It requires extra work and planning on my part to add to smoothies, but it makes for a thicker and more nutritious drink at the end of the day. Sprouted quinoa actually requires more work and planning, that is a major count against it. Along with this, I prefer the flavor of cooked quinoa far more than sprouted quinoa.
Anyone else ever add quinoa or an uncommon ingredient to smoothies?
By Mat McNeile
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