Product Review: Ancient Harvest Inca Red Quinoa

Sometimes I wonder if the people who follow my reviews have the impression that my kitchen is full of nothing but cookies, crackers and snacks. I can certainly see how it looks that way :) Truth is, I am what my daughter lovingly refers to as “a health nut”. I do snack, but I tend to keep it fairly limited. Most of what I eat is what would be classified as “naturally gluten free”. We aren’t big on fruit, but the kitchen is fully stocked with all kinds of veggies, whole grains and chicken breasts.

One of the best things in the world to me is finding foods that are healthy, fast and delicious. The product I get to highlight today fits into all of my favorite categories. It is naturally gluten free, whole grain and cooks in around twenty minutes.

Ease of Use

This is a very easy dish to make. The grains are pre-washed and ready to use as is. I really appreciated getting to skip the step of rinsing and sorting these itty bitty grains. All I had to do was mix one cup of Quinoa with two cups of water in a pan, bring it to a boil, then cover and let it simmer for about twenty minutes. The directions on the box suggested cooking it for fifteen minutes, but mine wasn’t quite ready. Even so, the whole dish took less time to prepare than plain white rice.

Appearance

Ancient Harvest Inca Red Quinoa is beautiful! The rich burgundy colored grains are very small and round. After it is cooked, the red color is a bit more muted and the white germ on the outside adds a lot of interest.

D.D. said that the colors of the finished product reminded her of sweater fuzz. To her this was apparently a good thing since she couldn’t wait to try it :) I didn’t think that sounded too yummy, but I did see what she was talking about.

Taste and Texture

Aside from being very pretty to look at, Ancient Harvest Inca Red Quinoa is fun to eat. It has a mild, nutty flavor. I would almost describe it as calm. I cooked mine in broth and flavored it with shallots and garlic. The flavor of the Quinoa blended very well with my seasonings, but also stood out as something unique.

The texture is also unique. It is firm and soft at the same time. It has an amazing bite to it. D.D. said it reminded her of the texture of raw broccoli tops. Again, I have to agree that there is some truth in that.

Versatility

There is so much potential for versatility here! You can eat the quinoa plain, flavor it any way you need to as a side dish or use it in a casserole. There are as many uses for this as there are for rice.

Overall Value

A 12oz. box of Ancient Harvest Inca Red Quinoa can run anywhere from $6 to $8. It is a bit pricey for my budget but a very good buy for the nutrition factor (not to mention the unique color and texture).

Rating

I really like Ancient Harvest Inca Red Quinoa. More importantly (for me as a mom) D.D. loves it!