The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has officially designated 2013 as "International Year of Quinoa". BBC reports, and dozens of researches, focus on quinoa and its nutritional value. Even by NASA scientists it was described as "a highly balanced food" through its research program, which examined the use of quinoa in the controlled ecological life support system for long-term manned space flights.

Scientific name: Chenopodium quinoa.

The Golden Food - the seed of the Earth as the Latin American people call it. It has recently returned to the forefront with the development of organic products.It looks like cereal, but it is not categorized in it.

It is the tiny dried fruit of the Quinoa plant, which has more proteins than wheat, omega 3 fat, potassium, iron, amino acids and many other beneficial properties.

It is digestible food, and scientific studies have shown that it helps in blood brain perfusion, concentration and mental performance. It helps in the heart, migraines and is also antioxidant. It is widely used in cooking recipes and is digestible. It is ideal for those who are intolerant to gluten and belongs to the category of macrobiotic foods.

Although in practice it is a seed, Quinoa is considered complete cereal and a good source of fiber.

Quinoa also contains Omega 3 fat, which benefits the heart. It is also a good source of phosphorus and has a lot of magnesium and iron.

Quinoa is cooked at a ratio of 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water or broth. Before cooking it is good to rinse it thoroughly under the tap in a strainer. It is also useful to know that quinoa almost triplets its weight when boiled. If we want we can cook a quantity that we will store in a pot in our refrigerator and use it all week.

The steps I will follow to cook the quinoa are as follows:

1) Boil 2 cups of water or broth. When boiling I add 1 cup of quinoa and lower the fire.

2) In about 20 minutes it will absorb the fluids and take out a small white stub from inside. Our quinoa is ready (if needed during the process, add some boiled water). Remove from the heat and mix lightly to soften.

If I want it simple, I burn a little piece of butter or margarine and dress it (as I would with pasta or rice). Salt and pepper.

But I can enjoy it in many different versions, as there are dozens of delicious recipes of food and sweets that transform this super hygienic overpower into temptation.