A superb addition to a vegan diet, quinoa grains are gluten-free, high in protein and one of the few plant foods that contain suficient amounts of all nine essential amino acids. They are also rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and vitamins B and E.
Although originally grown high up in South American countries like Peru, quinoa can be grown at lower altitudes in temperate countries, too. The plants are spectacular, growing to around 2 metres tall with attractive flower spikes and large seed heads – so they are worth growing for their unusual ornamental properties alone. The processing of the seeds is rather fiddly on a small scale, but it can be done quite effectively.