These are small, reddish-brown beans, rounded in shape with a point at one end. They have a strong, nutty, sweet flavour. Adzuki beans are easy to digest, when cooked properly, and although they have a distinctive flavor, they taste less “beany” than many other beans. The preferred cooking method is to soak them in cold water for two to three hours and then simmer them on top of the stove for about an hour and a half.

Amaranth, like Quinoa, is referred to as a grain, because of its taste and the way we cook it as a grain, but it is actually a seed. Amaranth is a highly nutritious grain, and is unusual in that it offers a complete form of vegetable protein. It is also a great source of dietary fiber, calcium and minerals such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper and manganese. Amaranth is a good source of all essential amino acids, in particular lysine, and has a strengthening, toning effect on the body. A gluten free food, amaranth is also easily digested, making it especially useful for very active people, vegetarians, and pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Said to be the oldest cultivated grain, barley is native to Mesopotamia, where it was mainly used to make bread and ferment beer. Used by ancient cultures since the dawn of time, barley even served as currency in Sumeria. In Europe, barley has been replaced by wheat and rye, but is still the staple grain of many countries in the Far and Middle East, Asia and South America. In modern cultures, barley serves to make everything from livestock feed to malted whiskey to tea to miso.

Although commonly thought of as a grain, the seeds we eat as buckwheat are the fruit seeds of a plant similar to rhubarb.  In culinary terms though,  buckwheat can be considered a grain, and  is cooked and prepared in the same manner as other whole grains, such as quinoa, brown rice and barley.

The chick pea is a common legume, due to its popularity in a salad, stews and soups or pureed into a dip (it is the main ingredient in Hummus).  Most common is the yellow variety, although the brown is also available.  There are also red, black and white varieties. 

Lentils: brown, green, red, black, puy
The biodiversity of lentils is quite extensive and includes quite a range of colours, sizes and uses.  Most common are brown or red which are sold either split or whole,and the green puy lentil which is a french varitey now being grown in Australia.   Like other legumes, lentils are low in fat and high in protein and fiber, but compared to beans and chickpeas, they have the added advantage of cooking quickly.

Quinoa, like Amaranth, is referred to as a grain because of its taste and cooking qualities that are similar to other grains. It is actually a seed though, and is a highly nutritious food.  Quinoa is a food high in protein, and is almost a complete and perfect balance of all 8 essential amino acids that humans need. It is exceptionally high in lysine. Quinoa (pronounce keen-wah) is 12 - 18% protein, and is gluten free. The seeds may be sprouted, or ground into flour, and are often sold made into products such as pasta, or as rolled flakes for breakfast cereal; nutritious gluten free alternatives to wheat or oat based products.

 To prepare brown rice, use 2 cups of water for each cup of brown rice, and salt to taste. Bring salted water to a boil, and stir in rice. Reduce heat to a minimal simmer, and cook tightly covered for 45 minutes or until all water has been absorbed into rice.