Warm and Nutty Cinnamon Quinoa Recipe

This recipe was recently given to us to use by one of our Lansing City Market friends. It is a fabulous hot cereal to start the day. Packed with protein, calcium, and fiber this recipe can serve four people.

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup organic quinoa (rinse quinoa before cooking)
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 11/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Combine milk, water and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat; let stand covered 5 minutes. Stir in blueberries and cinnamon. Sweeten with your sweetener of choice - I recommend Xagave. Top with pecans or walnuts. You can use other fruits like cherries and top with almonds!

Quinoa Tabouli Recipe - A Grain Market Favorite!

Versatile quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) combines well with the traditional Middle Eastern flavors of tabouli.

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups parsley leaves, snipped or pulled from the stem
• 1 1/2 cups halved or quartered cherry tomatoes
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1/2 vidalia or other sweet onion diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves of 1 Tbs. dried
• 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To remove the sticky, bitter-tasting saponin that may still cling to the surface of the quinoa, rinse quinoa thoroughly by placing the quinoa in a fine strainer and rinse.

Place the quinoa in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Toast until the grains are fragrant and lightly colored, about 5 minutes. Add the 2 cups fresh water, cover, and bring to a broil. Reduce the heat and simmer slowly for about 12 minute, until the water is all absorbed.

Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Turn out into a bowl and let cool, stirring occasionally with a fork. When the quinoa is cooled, add the parsley, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.

Grand Opening - Tomorrow! Saturday, April 24th

Saturday, April 24th (TOMORROW!) is the Grand Opening for the Lansing City Market. The day promises to be filled with fun, music, food, and history. In addition to all of the amazing festivities planned throughout the day, The Grain Market demos start at 10:00 AM.

• 10:00 AM: Gluten Free Sweets by Cherie Oxender
• 11:30 AM: Chef Richard Taylor with his famous Jamaican Red Beans and Rice, Blackened Chicken, and his tasty Curried Chicken.
• Last, but not least: Scarlett's Demo with her pressure cookers! She will surprise you!

Make sure you stop by The Grain Market tomorrow and don't forget to bring the below coupon!

DON'T FORGET YOUR MOTHER!

We also have a Mother's Day Combo Special on the Bosch Universal Mixer and the Nutrilmill Grain Mill. SAVE over $120 plus free shipping! You can now purchase the Bosch Universal Mixer, without blender, plus the Nutrilmill Grain Mill for only $549.00. Don't need both machines? Go in together with a friend and you can both save. Offer is good through May 9th or while supplies last. For details on the Bosch Universal and the Nutrilmill Grain Mill go to www.TheGrainMarket.com. These machines don't go on sale often, buy now and pay less!

We invite you to become a Fan of The Grain Market on Facebook!

Upcoming Classes and Demos

Please visit www.TheGrainMarket.com or become our fan on Facebook to view detailed information regarding our classes and demos. The Grain Market classes require registration and have a cost associated with them. With many of the classes you will recieve a $10 in-store credit for fabulous Grain Market merchandise to be redeemed the night of the class. Seating is limited so please call immediately to reserve your spot. Register by emailing Scarlett@TheGrainMarket.com.

We can also customize classes for you. If you would like to customize a class, let us know. We can meet your specific needs creating the perfect class for you and your friends.

Saturday Demos:
Every Saturday at The Grain Market, FREE!

Brown Bag Lunch & Learn:
Wednesdays at The Grain Market, 12:10-12:50 PM

Bread Making with an Artisan Twist:
4 May 2010, The Grain Market, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
6 May 2010, The Grain Market, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.

Magic of Mint Cooking with Peppermint Jim Crosby:
29 April 2010, The Grain Market, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Dehydrating Foods and Sprouting:
12 May 2010, The Grain Market, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
18 May 2010, The Grain Market, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Healthy Quick Snacks & Meals with Grains, Beans, & Xagave:
25 May 2010, The Grain Market, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

The schedule for upcoming demos and classes can be found on The Grain Market website. Check out "learn" on www.thegrainmarket.com for details.

Grain of the Month: Quinoa

Although we sell many grains, the one I am most enamored by is quinoa and for good reason. It is simply amazing - amazingly healthy, amazingly versatile, and amazingly simple. Don't underestimate the power of these sweet little seeds.

Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wa) is an ancient food. It has been cultivated in the South American Andes since at least 3,000 B.C. and has been a staple food of millions of native inhabitants. The ancient Incas called quinoa the "mother grain" and revered it as sacred.

Technically quinoa is not a true grain, but a seed of the Chenopodium or Goosefoot plant. It is used as a grain and substituted for grains because of its cooking characteristics. The quinoa seed is high in protein, calcium and iron, a relatively good source of vitamin E and several of the B vitamins. It contains an almost perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans. The seeds are gluten-free which makes this a nutritious and flavorful alternative grain for those with gluten sensitivity.

Quinoa is versatile. Cooked quinoa is excellent in hot casseroles, soups, stews, in stir-fries, served cold in salads, and desserts. You can even start the day with cooked quinoa, nuts and your favorite dried fruit. Quinoa is often substituted for rice in rice dishes. Uncooked, rinsed quinoa may be added to soups and stews as you would add barley or rice. If you add uncooked quinoa to your soups or stews, just add a little extra liquid - 1 part uncooked quinoa to 2 parts liquid.

Quinoa is simple to cook. Before cooking, the seeds must be rinsed to remove their bitter resin-like coating, which is called saponin. Quinoa is rinsed before it is packaged and sold, but it is best to rinse again at home before use to remove any of the powdery residue that may remain on the seeds.

Cooking directions: Add 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Cover; reduce heat to medium low simmer until water is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside off the heat for 5 minutes; uncover and fluff with a fork.

When I use quinoa in a salad, I rinse the seeds and place the quinoa in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Toast until the grains are fragrant and lightly colored, about 3 - 4 minutes. Continue to cook as noted in the cooking directions above.

Quinoa Tips & Tricks:

• For extra flavor, use vegetable, chicken or beef broth instead of water when cooking quinoa.
• Cook with milk instead of water for added protein and calcium - excellent hot cereal. Add your favorite dried fruit and nuts for a protein-packed start to the day.
• Pour milk over hot cooked quinoa and top with nuts and dried fruit for a satisfying breakfast cereal.
• Toast quinoa (after rinsing) in a large skillet for 3 to 4 minutes before cooking to add more depth to its flavor.
• For a healthier twist on pasta or potato salad, toss cooked quinoa with chopped vegetables, fresh herbs, vinegar and olive oil.
• Add cooked quinoa to soups, stews, casseroles and even tacos.
• Store cooked and cooled quinoa in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Product of the Month: Silicone Vegetable Steamer

If you love steaming your vegetables, you will adore steaming them in this easy to use (and stylish) silicone vegetable steamer! The handles lock together for convenient use and cleaning, it is dishwasher safe, and it is heat resistant.

To witness the wonder of this divine product watch this video. You will love this handy steamer as much as we do!

Greetings of Gratitude from the Grain Market!

The most exciting news from The Grain Market is that our cooking classes are starting up. Thank you for being so patient. We now have water and are ready to go.

We have been teaching classes for over ten years through various venues. Each class has provided us with opportunities to share our passion of simple, wholesome cooking. We not only teach but also provide the tools necessary to make it easy and affordable to create healthier alternatives for everyday meals. We are thrilled to be teaching now at The Grain Market. Check online for class descriptions. Class registration is required.

• Demos on Saturday - FREE!
• Brown-Bag Lunch and Learn Series on Wednesday - Bring your lunch and learn! You will be amazed at what we accomplish in 40 minutes. Class starts promptly at 12:10 and ends at 12:50!
• TGM Cooking Class Series - Classes range from The Grain Market's wildly successful cooking classes to Chef Richard Taylor's Jamaican cooking and Peppermint Jim Crosby's cooking with the Magic and Power of Mint! We are also teaching Gluten Free classes.

Exciting Market UPDATES:

A special thanks to the National Association of Career Women (NACW). Yes, we enjoyed an evening with over 50 amazing women. We laughed, learned, and tasted the night away. A special thanks to Jan Pfeiffer with the Greater Lansing Michigan Convention & Visitors Bureau for organizing the evening.

We had our first "Lunch and Learn" demo recently. One of our Market friends invited her colleagues to experience the magic of the new City Market on the beautiful Grand River. They had lunch, a demo at The Grain Market, and also held a business meeting. At the demo we featured our Grain-to-Griddle Pancakes. You see Travis busy at work skillfully flipping his pancakes which were enjoyed by all. You can enjoy them too at http://www.thegrainmarket.com/recipes.php?cid=1&rid=1
 

We just returned from the International Chicago Home and Housewares Tradeshow on March 16th (my birthday!). We had a wonderful time meeting with our vendors. One of the many pleasures included learning from expert Chef Lacey Berry with Bosch from Utah. We enjoyed her no-nonsense approach to the kitchen. She taught us some amazing tricks about the Bosch that we are anxious to share with you. Be prepared to experience truly fabulous cupcakes and cinnamon chip bread as well as Lacey's Sweet Pork cooked to perfection in the pressure cooker.
 
For those of you that have purchased our pressure cookers, we have silicone steaming baskets that fit perfectly in your cookers. You will love them. The Trudeau steaming basket is our product of the month and a must for only $12.95.

We also found many wonderful tools at the tradeshow for the kitchen that simply make life easier.

Remember we offer gift certificates at The Grain Market for our cooking classes, grains, and appliances. An ideal gift for many... the newlyweds, graduates going off to school for the first time, young families struggling to find ways to eat better in less time and for less money, and for those that simply don't want to take time to cook. We make it quick and easy.

More grains on the way - we have gone through six pallets of grain - three pallets since January 9th. Wow! Thank you to all that are enjoying the quality and pricing of our organic grains. We sincerely appreciate you.

Eat Healthy - Be Healthy,

Travis and Scarlett Sybrowsky