When planning meals we are often lost for new ideas and sometimes feel like using something different.  Something which can be used instead of grains such as rice or barley is QUINOA.  This can be found from large supermarkets of health food shops.  So what is quinoa? As you can see from the information below, quinoa is healthy, versatile, can be kept in fridge for use with salads for lunches, is gluten-free and cholesterol-free too. The following extract has been taken from the following site:   http://vegetarian.about.com/od/glossary/g/whatisquinoa.htm

While quinoa is usually considered to be a whole grain, it is actually a seed, but can be prepared like whole grains such as rice or barley. Try a quinoa pilaf salad recipe, or serve a vegetable stir-fry over cooked quinoa instead of rice. Quinoa is my favorite grain for three reasons: First, it takes less time to cook than other whole grains – just 10 to 15 minutes. Second, quinoa tastes great on its own, unlike other grains such as millet or teff. Add a bit of olive oil, sea salt and lemon juice and - yum! Finally, of all the whole grains, quinoa has the most protein, so it's perfect for vegetarians. Quinoa provides all 9 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. Quinoa is a gluten-free and cholesterol-free whole grain, is kosher for Passover, and is almost always organic.

Culinary ethnologists will be interested to know that quinoa was a staple food for thousands of years in the Andes region of South America as one of just a few crops the ancient Incas cultivated at such high altitude.