Healthy Dinner: Mediterranean Kañiwa & Carrot Turmeric Dressing

A couple weeks ago when I was grocery shopping, I walked past a box of grains in the health food aisle that I had never heard of before called Kañiwa. Judging by the name alone, my initial thought was that this was some sort of version of quinoa. When I read the back of the box, I realized that kañiwa is actually a seed rather than a grain although it is closely related to the quinoa family, and it is a popular superfood hailing from Peru. The front of the box advertised that this was a food with high iron content, so I grabbed it to prepare and eat a couple days before and during my period. It also contains higher levels of protein, magnesium, and calcium than quinoa and is naturally gluten free. When cooked, the kañiwa has a similar texture to quinoa and a sort of nutty flavor. Because the seeds are light but filled with dense nutrients, they fill you up but don't leave you feeling overly full and tired. I read up on a few different ways people creatively used this seed, like for porridges and breads, but since I was just trying it out for the first time, I kept it simple and added only raw foods to the cooked seed. I chose to add life to my kañiwa bowl with Mediterranean flavors, but you could add any raw fruits or vegetables you prefer. The dressing I chose to make was carrot turmeric, to add sweet and spicy notes. I used fresh turmeric but you could probably play around with dry turmeric and come out with something similar in flavor.