It's a bit rich

Did you know that 2013 was the International Year of Quinoa, as designated by the UN, to recognise the long held practices of the Andean people who have been harvesting and eating quinoa for thousands of years. The Incas called it the mother of all grains. Quinoa was definitely the 'next big thing' in 2013, and I admit I tried it out in a few savoury things, mostly salads, and I wasn't overly impressed.  Let's be honest, it's just another grain, which is gluten free and high in protein, fibre, magnesium and iron - we could all do with plenty of that. However, because it's a so-called superfood we pay a premium for it.  People in the traditional South American quinoa growing areas are now starting to worry about food security, because the crop price has gone up (as it naturally would, when big markets get involved) and this inflated/higher price is making it harder for people to purchase it in these poorer areas.

I get a bit skeptical when people (media!) talk about superfoods.  Aren't they just the things our parents/grandparents told/made us eat because they're good for us - vegetables (broccoli, sweet potato, avocado, beans, tomato, chilli, garlic, ginger), grains (brown rice, oats), fruits (apples, bananas, blueberries), yoghurt, nuts, fish.  Then along comes goji and acai berries, chia seeds, pearl barley, kale, quinoa, green tea, green smoothies, coconut water, need I go on? Most of these have been around for a long, long time - thousands of years in many cases.  I think it can only be a good thing that people are going back to less processed and less packaged foods, and embracing the natural foods that have been around for thousands of years.  The next step is to source it locally and support local farmers and businesses. For example, why buy garlic that has been shipped to Australia from China, that has probably been stored/frozen for who knows how long by your friendly Coles supermarket, when you can get it at the local fruit shop or farmer's market where it's been harvested in the last week?

Right, so off my high horse now and onto the, you guessed it, Quinoa recipe.  I hadn't thought of using quinoa in a sweet dish until earlier this week when a friend of mine bought a chocolate quinoa cake to lunch.  It was rich and tasty and several of us wanted the recipe.  Much googling and pinteresting brought me to the recipe below.  In my search I was also looking for a recipe with mostly normal ingredients too.  So what you see below is the normal version and in brackets after some ingredients are the interesting substitutes you could make if you could find them or were so inclined!

Rich Chocolate Quinoa Cake
2/3 cup quinoa
1 1/3 cup water
1/3 cup milk (or buttermilk)
2 large eggs
4 large eggwhites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup olive/vegetable oil/butter (or coconut oil)
1 1/2 cups caster sugar (or coconut sugar)
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Rinse the quinoa, then add it to a small saucepan with the water.  Usually you use double the water to the amount of quinoa.  Bring it to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer with lid on for 10 - 12 minutes, until the water is absorbed.  Once cooked, leave it with the lid on for another 5 - 10 minutes, before fluffing it up with a fork and allowing to cool (i.e. tip it out onto a plate).
3. Whilst the quinoa is cooking prepare the cake tin.  I used a bundt tin, as it's a heavyish cake and I wanted to make sure it was cooked through.  So grease the tin, then flour it.  You could also use cocoa instead of the flour, or line the tin (if it's a normal shape) with baking paper.
4. If you're using butter or coconut oil, melt it and allow to cool.
5. In a blender add milk, eggs, eggwhites and vanilla. Pulse for a few seconds.
6. To the blender add 2 cups of cooled cooked quinoa and the oil. I found that the quinoa I'd made was just over two cups, so I used it all.  Blend until smooth.  Be warned, this mixture doesn't look that flash, but it's ok!
7. In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients (sugar, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and salt).
8. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir to combine.  Mix well.
9. Pour into tin and bake for 45 - 50 minutes, or until it is cooked (test with a skewer - it should come out clean).
10. Allow to cool in tin.  Do not attempt to tip it out while hot/warm as it will most likely fall apart!
11. Serve dusted with icing sugar, with berry coulis and a dollop of cream.