Mother Earth Market in Ocala, FL carries a brand of gluten-free pasta called Andean Dream. It is certified organic and Kosher and is also free of dairy, soy, nuts, peanuts, eggs and corn. The pasta is a blend of rice and quinoa flours which not only tastes like wheat pasta, it looks like it as well.
Quinoa is a very healthy grain that is now widely available in this country, but some people don't like the texture of pure quinoa. It offers a slight crunch that takes getting used to. Quinoa flour is often mixed with corn flour to make gluten-free pasta, which yields a strangely bright yellow color when cooked. Taste is not the only factor when one is choosing gluten-free foods. Some people will not eat yellow pasta so they never try the corn-quinoa pasta which actually tastes good, in addition to being nutrient dense.
There are many gluten-free pastas on the market and most of them are excellent and taste close enough to wheat pasta to serve to gluten eaters. However, not all brands of gluten-free pastas are created equally in terms of nutrition factors. Since quinoa is so healthy, making it part of a gluten-free diet is a plus, if one is interested in eating nutritious foods in addition to staying gluten-free.
Andean Dream products are made from Royal Quinoa which is grown in Bolivia. According to the company's website "quinoa has been selected by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as one of the crops that will play an important role in ensuring food security around the world in the 21st century. The National Academy of Sciences of the United States has rated quinoa as the most nourishing grain in the world".
In light of those facts, the gluten-free set and gluten eaters could all benefit by eating more quinoa. No matter where the nutritious grain is grown, it is a healthy food which adds value to anyone's diet. Much of the quinoa used in food products sold in the North America is grown in Canada.
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